- University of York,
BioArCh,
Environment Building 2nd Floor,
Wentworth Way,
Heslington,
York,
YO10 5DD,
United Kingdom
- Archaeology, Mesolithic Archaeology, Mesolithic/Neolithic, Mesolithic Europe, Mesolithic/Epipalaeolithic Archaeology, Mesolithic Ireland, and 41 moreMesolithic (Iberian Prehistory), Italian Late Mesolithic, last hunter-gatherers, Mesolithic strategies, Stable Isotope Analysis, Ichthyoarchaeology, Zooarchaeology, Anthropology, History, Neolithic Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, Archaeozoology, Stable isotope ecology, Wetland Archaeology, Stable Isotopes in Foodwebs, Fishing Gears, Ancient Fishing, Taphonomy, Fish Remains (Zooarchaeology), Funnel Beaker Culture, Seasonality. Shellfish. Bivalves. Growth Lines. Incremental Growth., Bioarchaeology, Archaeoichtyology, Carbon Isotope Collagen, Fish Bones, Archaeology of fishing, Submerged Prehistoric Archaeology, Ertebølle, Stable Isotopes, Mesolithic, Radiocarbon Dating (Archaeology), Mesolithic-Neolithic transition, Stable Isotopes and Palaeodiet, ZooMS, Hunter and gatherers, Stone Age, Biomolecular archaeology, Marine Archaeology, Stone artefacts (Archaeology), Stone Age (Archaeology), Prehistoric Fishing In the Aegean, and Corded Ware Cultureedit
- I am currently employed as a Postdoctoral Research Associate on the ERC-funded SEACHANGE project. Previously, I und... moreI am currently employed as a Postdoctoral Research Associate on the ERC-funded SEACHANGE project.
Previously, I undertook postdoctoral research funded by the British Academy. The project, 'Exploring pottery use across the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Northern Europe', used a range of molecular and isotopic techniques in order to determine to what degree culinary practices changed with the introduction of domesticates.
Prior to these pots, I was employed as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Archaeological chemistry on the project entitled, 'The Innovation and Development of Pottery in East Asia'. From January until March 2016 I was employed as a research assistant on the ERC-funded POSTGLACIAL project. Over the course of six weeks, from November to December 2015, I was a visiting researcher at the Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology, which is situated at Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig, Germany. During this post I analysed the fish remains from the Early Mesolithic-Early Neolithic site of Friesack 4.
I graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Archaeology from the University of Bradford in 2010. I undertook a 4 year programme which included a placement year. During the year in industry I worked as a research assistant on the Star Carr project at the University of York under the supervision of Professor Nicky Milner. My undergraduate dissertation was entitled "eels, carbon and nitrogen isotope signals in eel bone collagen from Mesolithic and Neolithic sites in northern Europe" and was supervised by Professor Carl Heron.
From 2010 to 2011 I undertook a MA in Mesolithic Studies at the University of York under the direction of Professor Nicky Milner. My postgraduate dissertation was entitled 'Overexploitation of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) at the Mesolithic-Neolithic kitchen midden at Havnø, Denmark? and was supervised by Professor Ol Craig.
From 2011-2015, I undertook PhD research at the University of York. My thesis was entitled 'To assess the change of consumption and culinary practices at the transition to agriculture: a multi-disciplinary approach from a Danish kitchen midden'. This project was jointly supervised by Professor Ol Craig and Professor Nicky Milner.
I am specifically interested in freshwater and marine resource exploitation during the Mesolithic and at the transition to agriculture. In particular, fishing, sealing and whaling, fowling and shellfish procurement. During my doctoral research I employed a range of different techniques in order to determine culinary practices, palaeodiet and seasonality, including, bone collagen stable isotope analyses (C, N and S), fish bone analysis, organic residue analysis and the thin section manufacture of shellfish.
My main interests revolve around the Mesolithic and the Neolithic. I have undertaken fieldwork on a number of Mesolithic and Neolithic sites throughout the world including; Havnø, Denmark (2009-2011), Satrup LA 2, Germany (2010-2011, 2016), Sise, Latvia (2012), The Farasan Islands, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2009), Flixton Island Site 2, UK (2012-2014), Hoppen Hall, UK (2007), Star Carr, UK (2008, 2010, 2013-2015) and Visborg, Denmark (2017-2018).edit
Despite an increasing number of studies, the application of stable sulfur (δ34S) isotope analysis to prehistoric bone collagen remains in its infancy. Conventionally, stable sulfur isotope compositions reflect coastal proximity and the... more
Despite an increasing number of studies, the application of stable sulfur (δ34S) isotope analysis to prehistoric bone collagen remains in its infancy. Conventionally, stable sulfur isotope compositions reflect coastal proximity and the interaction between humans and animals. Here, we undertook stable carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N) and sulfur (δ34S) isotope analysis of human and faunal bone collagen. To understand the local environmental conditions as well as the husbandry regime employed by the first farmers, and investigate where the animals were raised or hunted in non-specific terms, we sampled 50 faunal, including wild and domestic taxa, and human remains from the Late Mesolithic to Early-Middle Neolithic (c. 4860–2310 cal BC) site of Syltholm II on the island of Lolland, Denmark. We show that the wild animals were obtained from multiple locations surrounding the prehistoric Syltholm Fjord, including forested and open landscapes, areas impacted by sea spray and saltmarshes. In contrast, the domestic taxa, especially cattle, were tightly managed for the majority of their lives based on their δ13C and δ15N isotope compositions, though were likely raised in multiple locations, including sea spray-affected areas, salt marshes and wetlands, based on their δ34S values. The domestic dogs had a broad range of δ13C, δ15N and δ34S values, reflecting the consumption of varying degrees of marine foodstuffs, including animals that were sulfide-derived. Overall, our results contribute to a growing body of evidence for possible cultural and animal husbandry duality during the earliest Neolithic in southern Scandinavia.
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Since 1992 the prehistoric Nivåfjord in northeast Zealand, Denmark, has yielded an appreciable number of inhumation burials and cremations dating to the Mesolithic, especially the sites of Nivå 10 and Nivågård. Unfortunately, the... more
Since 1992 the prehistoric Nivåfjord in northeast Zealand, Denmark, has yielded an appreciable number of inhumation burials and cremations dating to the Mesolithic, especially the sites of Nivå 10 and Nivågård. Unfortunately, the micro-region is characterised by poor organic preservation, restricting the successful application of biomolecular techniques to human remains, including large-scale radiocarbon dating programmes as well as both stable isotope and ancient DNA analyses. Here, we apply an alternative technique, an acid etch peptide-based method, to determine the sex of eight individuals from Nivå 10 as well as the Nivågård child. Moreover, we revisit the utility of stable carbon (δ 13 C), nitrogen (δ 15 N) and sulfur (δ 34 S) isotope analysis of human tissues to reconstruct the life histories and diets of 10 individuals from Nivå 10 as well as the Nivågård child. To contextualise further, we sampled 14 Capreolus capreolus and three Sus scrofa from the Nivågård site for stable isotope analysis. We demonstrate that sex can successfully be determined from contexts susceptible to poor organic preservation, and show that the Nivågård child spent a proportion of its life outside a sea spray-influenced environment, and consumed significant quantities of marine protein as demonstrated by its δ 13 C and δ 34 S values. By applying novel analytical methods, a wealth of information can both be gleaned from older collections as well as from sites with poorer conditions for organic preservation.
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Several aspects of the recovered environmental assemblage recovered from Medel-De Roeskamp are useful for understanding Swifterbant agriculture. Firstly, substantial numbers of faunal remains were discovered, including copious amounts of... more
Several aspects of the recovered environmental assemblage recovered from Medel-De Roeskamp are useful for understanding Swifterbant agriculture. Firstly, substantial numbers of faunal remains were discovered, including copious amounts of fish remains, as well as the bones of domestic taxa including cattle (Bos taurus), and bones of wild herbivores. Additionally, a substantial collection of charred cereals were available for analysis. These organic remains permit the integration of isotopic analyses of wild and domestic taxa, and of both plant and animal remains. This allows an understanding of the role and techniques of farming in the 5th millennium cal BC in the Netherlands. This has not previously been possible at a Swifterbant site.
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To investigate changes in culinary practices associated with the arrival of farming, we analysed the organic residues of over 1,000 pottery vessels from hunter-gatherer-fisher and early agricultural sites across Northern Europe from the... more
To investigate changes in culinary practices associated with the arrival of farming, we analysed the organic residues of over 1,000 pottery vessels from hunter-gatherer-fisher and early agricultural sites across Northern Europe from the Lower Rhine Basin to the Northeastern Baltic. Here, pottery was widely used by hunter-gatherer-fishers prior to the introduction of domesticated animals and plants. Overall, there was surprising continuity in the way that hunter-gatherer-fishers and farmers used pottery. Both aquatic products and wild plants remained prevalent, a pattern repeated consistently across the study area. We argue that the rapid adaptation of farming communities to exploit coastal and lagoonal resources facilitated their northerly expansion, and in some cases, hunting, gathering, and fishing became the most dominant subsistence strategy. Nevertheless, dairy products frequently appear in pottery associated with the earliest farming groups often mixed with wild plants and fish. Interestingly, we also find compelling evidence of dairy products in hunter-gatherer-fisher Ertebølle pottery, which predates the arrival of domesticated animals. We propose that Ertebølle hunter-gatherer-fishers frequently acquired dairy products through exchange with adjacent farming communities prior to the transition. The continuity observed in pottery use across the transition to farming contrasts with the analysis of human remains which shows substantial demographic change through ancient DNA and, in some cases, a reduction in marine consumption through stable isotope analysis. We postulate that farmers acquired the knowledge and skills they needed to succeed from local hunter-gatherer-fishers but without substantial admixture.
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The transition from foraging to farming was a key turning point in ancient socio-economies. Yet, the complexities and regional variations of this transformation are still poorly understood. This multiproxy study provides a new... more
The transition from foraging to farming was a key turning point in ancient socio-economies. Yet, the complexities and regional variations of this transformation are still poorly understood. This multiproxy study provides a new understanding of the introduction and spread of early farming, challenging the notions of hierarchical economies. The most extensive biological and biomolecular dietary overview, combining zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical, dietary stable isotope and pottery lipid residue analyses is presented, to unravel the nature and extent of early farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the northeast Baltic. Farming was introduced by incoming Corded Ware cultural groups (CWC), but some dietary segregation existed within these communities, with some having more access to domesticates, others incorporating more wild resources into their diet. The CWC groups coexisted in parallel with local hunter–fisher–gatherers (HFG) without any indication of the adoption of domesticates. There was no transition from foraging to farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the NE Baltic. Instead, we see a complex system of parallel worlds with local HFGs continuing forager lifeways, and incoming farmers practising mixed economies, with the continuation of these subsistence strategies for at least a millennium after the first encounter with domesticated animals.
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Research Interests:
Slate was a prominent tool material in the Scandinavian Stone Age. However, details of tool function have relied on morphology and have added little to our understanding of their role in hunting and processing. Here, we demonstrate that... more
Slate was a prominent tool material in the Scandinavian Stone Age. However, details of tool function have relied on morphology and have added little to our understanding of their role in hunting and processing. Here, we demonstrate that it is possible to identify both the use-wear traces and residues from slate knives from northern Norway. By applying a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating experimentation, use-wear and organic residue analyses, we identified residues, including seal hair, and use-traces which indicate the tools were used to process fresh marine mammals.
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The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter–gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe... more
The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter–gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe does not fit this paradigm, and its role within these communities is so far unresolved. To investigate the motivations for hunter–gatherer pottery use, here, we present the systematic analysis of the contents of 528 early vessels from the Baltic Sea region, mostly dating to the late 6th-5th millennium cal BC, using molecular and isotopic characterization techniques. The results demonstrate clear sub-regional trends in the use of ceramics by hunter–gatherers; aquatic resources in the eastern Baltic, non-ruminant animal fats in the southeastern Baltic, and a more variable use, including ruminant animal products, in the western Baltic, potentially including dairy. We found surprisingly little evidence for the use of ceramics for non-culinary activities, ...
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Until relatively recently, stable sulphur isotope analysis of bone collagen was seldom undertaken in bioarchaeological research. With increasing frequency, its application has proven useful in reconstructing palaeodiets and... more
Until relatively recently, stable sulphur isotope analysis of bone collagen was seldom undertaken in bioarchaeological research. With increasing frequency, its application has proven useful in reconstructing palaeodiets and palaeoecologies, as well as identifying potential migration and mobility patterns. Here, sulphur (δ 34 S) isotope analysis, together with carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N), was performed on six fish and 34 mammal bone collagen samples from 14 prehistoric sites in Lithuania dating from the Late Mesolithic (ca. 70 0 0-50 0 0 cal BC) to the Late Bronze Age (ca. 110 0-50 0 cal BC). We present the first δ 34 S data from Lithuania, including coupled δ 13 C and δ 15 N data, offering a crucial dataset for future research to explore spatial and temporal variability in the region and beyond.
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The detection of dairy processing is pivotal to our understanding of ancient subsistence strategies. This culinary process is linked to key arguments surrounding the evolution of lactase persistence in prehistory. Despite extensive... more
The detection of dairy processing is pivotal to our understanding of ancient subsistence strategies. This culinary process is linked to key arguments surrounding the evolution of lactase persistence in prehistory. Despite extensive evidence indicating the presence of dairy products in ceramics in the European Neolithic, questions remain about the nature and extent of milk (and lactose) processing and consumption. In order to investigate past patterns of dairy processing, here we analyse ancient proteins identified from Late Neolithic Funnel Beaker ceramics, scrutinizing the principle that curd and whey proteins partition during the production of dairy foods from milk. Our results indicate the presence of casein-rich dairy products in these vessels suggesting the creation of curd-enriched products from raw milk. Moreover, this analysis reveals the use of multiple species for their dairy products in the Late Neolithic, adding to a growing body of evidence for the period. Alongside palaeoproteomic analysis, we applied well-established lipid residue analysis. Differential interpretations between these two approaches show that palaeoproteomics is especially useful where the effects from isotope mixing may underestimate the frequency of dairy products in archaeological ceramics, highlighting the potential utility of a multi-stranded approach to understand life histories of vessel use.
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Shell middens are intentional anthropogenic accumulations in which marine or terrestrial mollusks play an important role. In many such accumulations, shell remains provide the structure for all or some of the deposits and thus provide a... more
Shell middens are intentional anthropogenic accumulations in which marine or terrestrial mollusks play an important role. In many such accumulations, shell remains provide the structure for all or some of the deposits and thus provide a preservation environment predominantly influenced by the chemical buffer and shelter the hard carbonate mollusks provide. For these reasons, such accumulations contain valuable records of not only shellfish consumption and ecology but also a variety of other archaeological materials that would not be preserved otherwise.
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Human history has been shaped by global dispersals of technologies, although understanding of what enabled these processes is limited. Here, we explore the behavioural mechanisms that led to the emergence of pottery among hunter-gatherer... more
Human history has been shaped by global dispersals of technologies, although understanding of what enabled these processes is limited. Here, we explore the behavioural mechanisms that led to the emergence of pottery among hunter-gatherer communities in Europe during the mid-Holocene. Through radiocarbon dating, we propose this dispersal occurred at a far faster rate than previously thought. Chemical characterization of organic residues shows that European hunter-gatherer pottery had a function structured around regional culinary practices rather than environmental factors. Analysis of the forms, decoration and technological choices suggests that knowledge of pottery spread through a process of cultural transmission. We demonstrate a correlation between the physical properties of pots and how they were used, reflecting social traditions inherited by successive generations of hunter-gatherers. Taken together the evidence supports kinship-driven, super-regional communication networks that existed long before other major innovations such as agriculture, writing, urbanism or metallurgy.
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Artificial illumination is a fundamental human need. Burning wood and other materials usually in hearths and fireplaces extended daylight hours, whilst the use of flammable substances in torches offered light on the move. It is... more
Artificial illumination is a fundamental human need. Burning wood and other materials usually in hearths and fireplaces extended daylight hours, whilst the use of flammable substances in torches offered light on the move. It is increasingly understood that pottery played a role in light production. In this study, we focus on ceramic oval bowls, made and used primarily by hunter-gatherer-fishers of the circum-Baltic over a c. 2000 year period beginning in the mid-6th millennium cal BC.Oval bowls commonly occur alongside larger (cooking) vessels.Their function as ‘oil lamps’ for illumination
has been proposed on many occasions but only limited direct evidence has been secured to test this functional association. This study presents the results of molecular and isotopic analysis of preserved organic residues obtained
from 115 oval bowls from 25 archaeological sites representing a wide range of environmental settings. Our findings confirm that the oval bowls of the circum-Baltic were used primarily for burning fats and oils, predominantly for the purposes of illumination. The fats derive from the tissues of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial organisms. Bulk isotope data of charred surface deposits show a consistently different pattern of use when oval bowls are compared to other pottery vessels within the same assemblage. It is suggested that hunter-gatherer-fishers around the 55th parallel commonly deployed material culture for artificial light production but the evidence is restricted to times and places where more durable technologies were employed, including the circum-Baltic.
has been proposed on many occasions but only limited direct evidence has been secured to test this functional association. This study presents the results of molecular and isotopic analysis of preserved organic residues obtained
from 115 oval bowls from 25 archaeological sites representing a wide range of environmental settings. Our findings confirm that the oval bowls of the circum-Baltic were used primarily for burning fats and oils, predominantly for the purposes of illumination. The fats derive from the tissues of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial organisms. Bulk isotope data of charred surface deposits show a consistently different pattern of use when oval bowls are compared to other pottery vessels within the same assemblage. It is suggested that hunter-gatherer-fishers around the 55th parallel commonly deployed material culture for artificial light production but the evidence is restricted to times and places where more durable technologies were employed, including the circum-Baltic.
We measured 87 Sr/ 86 Sr for all available human remains (n = 40) dating from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age (ca. 6400-800 cal BC) in Lithuania. In addition, local baselines of archaeological fauna from the same area were constructed.... more
We measured 87 Sr/ 86 Sr for all available human remains (n = 40) dating from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age (ca. 6400-800 cal BC) in Lithuania. In addition, local baselines of archaeological fauna from the same area were constructed. We identified significant and systematic offsets between 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values of modern soils and animals and archaeological animals due to currently unknown reasons. By comparing 87 Sr/ 86 Sr human intra-tooth variation with the local baselines, we identified 13 non-local individuals, accounting for 25-50% of the analysed population. We found no differences in the frequency of local vs. nonlocals between male and female hunter-gatherers. Six Mesolithic-Subneolithic individuals with 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values > 0.7200 may have come from southern Finland and/or Karelia. Two Mesolithic-Subneolithic individuals from the Donkalnis cemetery with 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values < 0.7120 likely came from the Lithuanian Baltic coast. These data demonstrate coastal-inland mobility of up to 85 km, which is also supported by archaeological evidence. The standard deviation in the intra-tooth 87 Sr/ 86 Sr indicates that mobility did not decrease with the adoption of pottery technology at ca. 5000 cal BC but rather slowly decreased during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. We interpret this as a result of the introduction and subsequent intensification of farming. The least mobile way of life was practised by Subneolithic coastal communities during the 4th millennium cal BC, although 87 Sr/ 86 Sr do not exclude that they migrated along the coastline.
In a recent article, Lewis et al.1 advance the hypothesis that an increase in the marine fertility of Danish waters from ca. 7600 cal BP onwards fuelled an intensification in the marine economy and a fourfold population increase in the... more
In a recent article, Lewis et al.1 advance the hypothesis that an increase in the marine fertility of Danish waters from ca. 7600 cal BP onwards fuelled an intensification in the marine economy and a fourfold population increase in the later Mesolithic period. This hypothesis is severely compromised by: (a) reliance on archaeological data from shell middens without reference to the multiple biases that operate differentially to distort quantitative inferences from such deposits, (b) selective use of stable isotope data obtained from human bone collagen and dates concerning marine technology, and (c) the assumption that human economic choices closely or necessarily track environmental change.
Mobility is one of the most fundamental aspects of a foraging society. Since prehistoric mobility is often difficult to identify in the archaeological record, our understanding is largely based on comparison with ethnographic communities.... more
Mobility is one of the most fundamental aspects of a foraging society. Since prehistoric mobility is often difficult to identify in the archaeological record, our understanding is largely based on comparison with ethnographic communities. In recent years the application of 87Sr/86Sr isotope analysis has, however, greatly broadened our knowledge of mobility in the past. Despite this, few studies have been undertaken on faunal remains to explore their mobility patterns and infer human exploitation patterns with more precision. In this contribution we sampled 28 mammal teeth from three different occupation phases at the Early to Mid-Holocene coastal site of Huseby Klev, Sweden. We first established the local baseline for seven geographical areas in the region surrounding Huseby Klev. Then, by applying laser ablation-multi collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to the selected teeth, we identified the likely origins of a range of terrestrial and marine fauna, and the possible human mobility patterns required in their exploitation. Overall, our results demonstrate that the prehistoric communities inhabiting Huseby Klev undertook both short- and long-distance forays for the exploitation of particular species. By relating inferences on hunting grounds, derived from strontium isotope data, to zooarchaeological evidence from the site and ethnographic human mobility patterns, we establish and discuss the prerequisites for landscape utilization. Lastly, we demonstrate that glacial meltwater may have temporally affected the local oceanic Sr ratios - suggesting significantly increased soil and bedrock weathering may influence the Sr values in aquatic ecosystems and, consequently, should be considered in such regions and at times of melting glaciers. By applying the method to additional sites and assemblages in the future, our understanding of prehistoric mobility will be greatly enhanced.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The remains of those who perished at Herculaneum in 79 CE offer a unique opportunity to examine lifeways across an ancient community who lived and died together. Historical sources often allude to differential access to foodstuffs across... more
The remains of those who perished at Herculaneum in 79 CE offer a unique opportunity to examine lifeways across an ancient community who lived and died together. Historical sources often allude to differential access to foodstuffs across Roman society but provide no direct or quantitative information. By determining the stable isotope values of amino acids from bone collagen and deploying Bayesian models that incorporate knowledge of protein synthesis, we were able to reconstruct the diets of 17 adults from Herculaneum with unprecedented resolution. Significant differences in the proportions of marine and terrestrial foods consumed were observed between males and females, implying that access to food was differentiated according to gender. The approach also provided dietary data of sufficient precision for comparison with assessments of food supply to modern populations, opening up the possibility of benchmarking ancient diets against contemporary settings where the consequences for health are better understood.
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Large scale excavations have recommenced at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr as part of the European Research Council-funded POSTGLACIAL project. The aims have been to uncover as large an area of waterlogged deposits as possible... more
Large scale excavations have recommenced at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr as part of the European Research Council-funded POSTGLACIAL project. The aims have been to uncover as large an area of waterlogged deposits as possible before the peat deteriorates any further and to investigate the dry land for further evidence of structures and habitation. The excavations in the waterlogged parts of the site have revealed an unprecedented view of several worked wooden platforms which sit on the water’s edge and span an area of over 30 metres. The peat has also produced more rare artefacts such as an engraved shale pendant, antler headdresses, and barbed points which although in a delicate condition are being examined using forensic methods, thus providing important new insights into their manufacture and function. A new programme of microwear analysis of the flint assemblage is revealing different types of craftwork. This evidence, together with an extensive dating programme and new scientific approaches, are providing important new insights into this enigmatic site
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Ceramic containers, intentionally deposited into wetlands, offer detailed insights into Early Neolithic culinary practices. Additionally, they are key for ascertaining the Neolithisation process in Denmark since they appear to form a... more
Ceramic containers, intentionally deposited into wetlands, offer detailed insights into Early Neolithic culinary practices. Additionally, they are key for ascertaining the Neolithisation process in Denmark since they appear to form a typo-chronological sequence. Here, we use a combination of organic residue analysis (ORA) of pottery alongside Bayesian chronological modelling of the radiocarbon dates obtained on these vessels to explore the initial stages of votive deposition in wetlands, a practice that stretches from the Mesolithic to the onset of Christianity in Northern Europe. We consider 34 Early-Middle Neolithic (c. 3900–2350 cal BC) ‘bog pots’ from Denmark, of which 20 have ORA data, and 26 have been dated directly. Carbonised surface residues and absorbed lipids from powdered sherds were analysed using a combination of bulk carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and GC-combustion-isotope ratio MS (GC-CIRMS). The molecular and isotopic compositions of the analysed samples revealed the presence of aquatic, ruminant carcass and dairy fats as well as plant waxes with the majority containing mixtures thereof. Dairy fats were present from the onset of the Funnel Beaker culture, whilst aquatic foods, prevalent at the close of the preceding Mesolithic period, continued to be processed in pottery for the following thousand years.
Research Interests:
The goal of this contribution is to stimulate a wider reflection on the role of food consumption practices throughout prehistory. We focussed on the Jōmon communities of Hokkaidō Island in Northern Japan since these mobile foragers... more
The goal of this contribution is to stimulate a wider reflection on the role of food consumption practices
throughout prehistory. We focussed on the Jōmon communities of Hokkaidō Island in Northern Japan since
these mobile foragers underwent a process of economic diversification and intensification, eventually leading to
higher levels of sedentism across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Moreover, dynamic social settings and
expansion of the subsistence base at the start of the Holocene would have provided rich opportunities for novel
food combinations, and potentially, the rise of diverse regional cuisines. We investigated tool kits and resource
landscapes, and sampled pottery from a range of sites, phases and regions. We then applied organic residue
analysis to confirm the actual spatiotemporal patterning in cuisine. Although we predicted that ruminants and
nuts would have played a major role in local cuisine, especially in inland areas, our results indicate that aquatic
resources were central to pottery-based cuisines across the island, and that other food groups had probably been
processed in other ways. While organic residue analysis enabled us to reconstruct some major patterns in Jōmon
cuisine, we conclude that archaeologists will need to look “beyond the cooking pot” to fully appreciate the full
diversity of local foodways.
throughout prehistory. We focussed on the Jōmon communities of Hokkaidō Island in Northern Japan since
these mobile foragers underwent a process of economic diversification and intensification, eventually leading to
higher levels of sedentism across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Moreover, dynamic social settings and
expansion of the subsistence base at the start of the Holocene would have provided rich opportunities for novel
food combinations, and potentially, the rise of diverse regional cuisines. We investigated tool kits and resource
landscapes, and sampled pottery from a range of sites, phases and regions. We then applied organic residue
analysis to confirm the actual spatiotemporal patterning in cuisine. Although we predicted that ruminants and
nuts would have played a major role in local cuisine, especially in inland areas, our results indicate that aquatic
resources were central to pottery-based cuisines across the island, and that other food groups had probably been
processed in other ways. While organic residue analysis enabled us to reconstruct some major patterns in Jōmon
cuisine, we conclude that archaeologists will need to look “beyond the cooking pot” to fully appreciate the full
diversity of local foodways.
Research Interests:
The goal of this contribution is to stimulate a wider reflection on the role of food consumption practices throughout prehistory. We focussed on the Jōmon communities of Hokkaidō Island in Northern Japan since these mobile foragers... more
The goal of this contribution is to stimulate a wider reflection on the role of food consumption practices throughout prehistory. We focussed on the Jōmon communities of Hokkaidō Island in Northern Japan since these mobile foragers underwent a process of economic diversification and intensification, eventually leading to higher levels of sedentism across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Moreover, dynamic social settings and expansion of the subsistence base at the start of the Holocene would have provided rich opportunities for novel food combinations, and potentially, the rise of diverse regional cuisines. We investigated tool kits and resource landscapes, and sampled pottery from a range of sites, phases and regions. We then applied organic residue analysis to confirm the actual spatiotemporal patterning in cuisine. Although we predicted that ruminants and nuts would have played a major role in local cuisine, especially in inland areas, our results indicate that aquatic resources were central to pottery-based cuisines across the island, and that other food groups had probably been processed in other ways. While organic residue analysis enabled us to reconstruct some major patterns in Jōmon cuisine, we conclude that archaeologists will need to look "beyond the cooking pot" to fully appreciate the full diversity of local foodways.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In this chapter, we present comparative analyses of artifacts and ecofacts from most of the Project excavations at Nebelivka (House A9, the Mega-structure, the Pit in Sondazh 1 and the test pits). The finds from the Ukrainian excavations... more
In this chapter, we present comparative analyses of artifacts and ecofacts from most of the Project excavations at Nebelivka (House A9, the Mega-structure, the Pit in Sondazh 1 and the test pits). The finds from the Ukrainian excavations of Houses B17 and B18, the 'industrial feature' and their respective pits are published elsewhere. All classes of finds were subject to the same taphonomic protocols before comparative analysis between the excavation units at Nebelivka and comparisons with other Trypillia sites and megasites. A team of pottery specialists considered alternatives to the Ryzhov pottery system, using the sherd rather than the whole vessel as the unit for 14 different comparative analyses. Dmytro Kiosak examined the small lithic assemblage, identifying a major decrease in lithic deposition after the large Early Trypillia samples. The special finds analysis considered the sample of almost 100 figurines, fired clay tokens and the only gold ornament known so far from the Trypillia group. David Orton and colleagues have written the first modern faunal report of a Trypillia assemblage, paying attention to inter-analyst variability and contextual variability. The small botanical assemblage, discussed by Galyna Pashkevych, was the result of the first water-sieving operation conducted on a Trypillia excavation and confirmed her views, counterfactual for megasites, on Trypillia arable farming as low in production and efficiency.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Between 2800 and 2400 cal BC pastoralists from Central Europe migrated into the eastern Baltic paving the way for the Corded Ware Culture (CWC), and a new type of economy, animal husbandry. Traditionally the CWC people were viewed as... more
Between 2800 and 2400 cal BC pastoralists from Central Europe migrated into the eastern Baltic paving the way for the Corded Ware Culture (CWC), and a new type of economy, animal husbandry. Traditionally the CWC people were viewed as highly mobile due to the lack of substantial traces of dwellings and material culture at settlement sites; they were reliant on an economy based on animal husbandry as demonstrated by zooarchaeological and stable isotopic evidence. However, this paradigm is beginning to shift. Here, we present new AMS radiocarbon (14C) measurements, pollen and macrobotanical data from sediment samples and a portable fi sh screen, as well as technological, molecular and isotopic data obtained from ceramic vessels from three CWC sites in the eastern Baltic. Overall, our results indicate a de-Neolithisation process undergone by some CWC groups, particularly in lacustrine and coastal ecotones, and a shift to hunting, gathering and fishing.
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The introduction of farming had far-reaching impacts on health, social structure and demography. Although the spread of domesticated plants and animals has been extensively tracked, it is unclear how these nascent economies developed... more
The introduction of farming had far-reaching impacts on health, social structure and demography. Although the spread of domesticated plants and animals has been extensively tracked, it is unclear how these nascent economies developed within different environmental
and cultural settings. Using molecular and isotopic analysis of lipids from pottery, here we investigate the foods prepared by the earliest farming communities of the European Atlantic seaboard. Surprisingly, we find an absence of aquatic foods, including in ceramics from
coastal sites, except in the Western Baltic where this tradition continued from indigenous ceramic using hunter-gatherer-fishers. The frequency of dairy products in pottery increased as farming was progressively introduced along a northerly latitudinal gradient. This finding
implies that early farming communities needed time to adapt their economic practices before expanding into more northerly areas. Latitudinal differences in the scale of dairy production might also have influenced the evolution of adult lactase persistence across Europe.
and cultural settings. Using molecular and isotopic analysis of lipids from pottery, here we investigate the foods prepared by the earliest farming communities of the European Atlantic seaboard. Surprisingly, we find an absence of aquatic foods, including in ceramics from
coastal sites, except in the Western Baltic where this tradition continued from indigenous ceramic using hunter-gatherer-fishers. The frequency of dairy products in pottery increased as farming was progressively introduced along a northerly latitudinal gradient. This finding
implies that early farming communities needed time to adapt their economic practices before expanding into more northerly areas. Latitudinal differences in the scale of dairy production might also have influenced the evolution of adult lactase persistence across Europe.
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The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter–gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe... more
The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter–gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe does not fit this paradigm, and its role within these communities is so far unresolved. To investigate the motivations for hunter–gatherer pottery use, here, we present the systematic analysis of the contents of 528 early vessels from the Baltic Sea region, mostly dating to the late 6th–5th millennium cal BC, using molecular and isotopic characterization techniques. The results demonstrate clear sub-regional trends in the use of ceramics by hunter–gatherers; aquatic resources in the Eastern Baltic, non-ruminant animal fats in the Southeastern Baltic, and a more variable use, including ruminant animal products, in the Western Baltic, potentially including dairy. We found surprisingly little evidence for the use of ceramics for non-culinary activities, such as the production of resins. We attribute the emergence of these subregional cuisines to the diffusion of new culinary ideas afforded by the adoption of pottery, e.g. cooking and combining foods, but culturally contextualized and influenced by traditional practices.
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The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter-gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe... more
The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter-gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe does not fit this paradigm, and its role within these communities is so far unresolved. To investigate the motivations for hunter-gatherer pottery use, here, we present the systematic analysis of the contents of 528 early vessels from the Baltic Sea region, mostly dating to the late 6th-5th millennium cal BC, using molecular and isotopic characterization techniques. The results demonstrate clear sub-regional trends in the use of ceramics by hunter-gatherers; aquatic resources in the Eastern Baltic, non-ruminant animal fats in the Southeastern Baltic, and a more variable use, including ruminant animal products, in the Western Baltic, potentially including dairy. We found surprisingly little evidence for the use of ceramics for non-culinary activities, such as the production of resins. We attribute the emergence of these sub-regional cuisines to the diffusion of new culinary ideas afforded by the adoption of pottery, e.g. cooking and combining foods, but culturally contextualized and influenced by traditional practices.
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Annual growth patterns in marine mollusc shells are valuable indicators of the condition of marine ecology through time. In archaeological contexts, the mollusc's time of death (i.e. the last season of growth) is an indicator of human... more
Annual growth patterns in marine mollusc shells are valuable indicators of the condition of marine ecology through time. In archaeological contexts, the mollusc's time of death (i.e. the last season of growth) is an indicator of human exploitation patterns throughout the year, enabling the reconstruction of when and how often gathering occurred as well as when sites were occupied. Both pieces of information, growth rate and season of death, are vital for understanding exploitation pressure(s) in the past, and building baselines for modern environmental policies that secure sustainable marine resources. Previously, these parameters have been determined by incremental growth-line or isotopic analyses, which are time consuming and often expensive techniques, thus restricting sample size and the overall robustness of palaeoecological interpretations. Here, we apply Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to produce elemental maps (Mg/Ca) with the potential to trace and display growth patterns quickly, and at a reduced cost. We further compare the elemental maps with the results obtained from incremental growth-line analysis to provide a structural context for the geochemical data, and demonstrate the utility of an integrated methodological approach. Our pilot study was undertaken on 12 European oysters (Ostrea edulis, Linnaeus, 1758) from the Late Mesolithic shell midden at Conors Island, Co. Sligo in the Republic of Ireland. Our LIBS analysis enabled us to accurately and quickly determine repeating growth patterns, which were often in agreement with the annual growth increments visible through the microscopic analysis. Based on this comparative dataset, including structural and geochemical patterns, the Late Mesolithic site of Conors Island had been occupied throughout the year. Moreover, our analyses highlight the applicability of LIBS to determine prehistoric seasonality practices as well as biological age and growth at an improved rate and reduced cost than was previously achievable.
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Small‐scale fisheries provide food and livelihoods for thousands of people along the Brazilian coastline. However, considerable uncertainties still surround the extent to which artisanal and subsistence fisheries contribute to the total... more
Small‐scale fisheries provide food and livelihoods for thousands of people along the Brazilian coastline. However, considerable uncertainties still surround the extent to which artisanal and subsistence fisheries contribute to the total of national landings and their historical ecological significance. Fisheries monitoring is deficient in Brazil, and historical records are limited to irregular accounts spanning the last few decades, while this coastline has supported human populations for at least 6,000 years. Here, we estimate pre‐Columbian subsistence catches for a large subtropical estuary in southern Brazil. Our results suggest that prehistoric populations may have extracted volumes of fish biomass higher than or comparable with historical subsistence fisheries in the region, and that the latter is likely underestimated. If a long‐term perspective is required to evaluate the current economic value and status of fisheries in subtropical and tropical South America, this should go beyond the historical time interval and integrate the contribution of pre‐Columbian archaeology.
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Fish and fishing communities: Understanding ancient and modern fisheries through archaeological fish remains The papers in this special issue of the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology (IJO) were presented at the 19th biennial... more
Fish and fishing communities: Understanding ancient and modern fisheries through archaeological fish remains The papers in this special issue of the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology (IJO) were presented at the 19th biennial meeting of the Fish Remains Working Group (FRWG) of the International Council for Archaeozoology (ICAZ), which was held in Alghero and Stintino, Sardinia, Italy, from October 1-7, 2017. Entitled Fish and Fishing Communities: Understanding Ancient and Modern Fisheries through Archaeological Fish Remains, this conference brought together a diverse group of 120 scholars from 29 countries with specializations in archaeology, zoology, history, and anthropology. These fish specialists ranged from undergraduate students to emeritus professors. As the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and important for its marine and fish-based economies throughout its long cultural history, Sardinia was an ideal location for a conference on the analyses of fish remains in archaeozoology and within the broader discipline of archaeology as a whole. Conference activities were scheduled at a number of venues along the west coast of the island. Organized by the Archaeozoological Laboratory of the Department of Nature and Environmental Science at the University of Sassari 1 , the conference was hosted by Gabriele Carenti and Barbara Wilkens. The conference included 47 oral presentations and a session in which 15 posters were presented. The programme encompassed a wide array of topics related to fish, fishing strategies, and fishery products, ranging from analytical methods to archaeometrics to environmental changes and historical records to DNA studies, thus reflecting the characteristic integrative and interdisciplinary nature of the FRWG meetings. Engaging and lively discussions , both formal and informal, took place throughout the duration of the conference as participants exchanged ideas and perspectives on research methodologies and recent advances in the study of archaeological fish remains in different parts of the world. Field excursions afforded conference participants the opportunity to learn about Sardinia's distinctive cultural and natural history and, in particular, its fish and fisheries, both past and present. A visit to the Museo della Tonnara (Tuna Fishing Museum) in Stintino provided historical information on this village's local Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) fishing heritage through state-of-the-art multimedia exhibits as well as photographs and boat replicas. A number of conference attendees participated in the 3-day field trip, which included visits to several archaeological sites of the unique Nuragic civilization-Mont'e Prama, Nuraghe Losa, and Santa Cristina-as well as the Museum of Cabras, and to the renowned Phoenician/Roman site of Tharros. The field trip also included a stopover at Pontis, where mul-lets (Mugilidae) are bred and fished using ancient traditional methods. The 12 articles in this special issue are grouped into four sections, according to a number of topics and themes covered in the sessions held at the conference. These four sections consist of archaeological fish studies conducted in northeast Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean basin, Neolithic Europe and adjoining regions, medieval and historic Europe, and pre-Columbian Americas and colonial archaeology.
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Southern Scandinavian Mesolithic research has one of the longest traditions within archaeology, dating back to the 1820s and 1830s. However, a combination of site visibility and an emphasis on the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition has meant... more
Southern Scandinavian Mesolithic research has one of the longest traditions within archaeology, dating back to the 1820s and 1830s. However, a combination of site visibility and an emphasis on the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition has meant that research has primarily been directed towards the Late Mesolithic Erte-bølle culture (c. 5400-4000 cal. BC) at the expense of the Early Mesolithic Maglemose culture (c. 9600-6400 cal. BC). Whilst fishing during the Ertebølle culture is well studied (Enghoff 2011; Ritchie 2010), fishing during the Early Mesolithic is rarely discussed in any detail. In this contribution we attempt to rectify this imbalance by collating all readily available data on fish remains and related technologies within the literature. Although our primary focus is the Early Mesolithic Maglemose culture of Southern Scandinavia, an area encompassing Denmark, Scania in Sweden and Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany, we draw on contemporaneous sites within the broader region to provide a more nuanced picture of the exploitation of this important resource, fish.
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This paper comments on the bone and antler assemblages excavated from the Early Preboreal site of Star Carr (North Yorkshire, United Kingdom) between 2004 and 2015. It examines the spatial distribution of osseous material across the site,... more
This paper comments on the bone and antler assemblages excavated from the Early Preboreal site of Star Carr (North Yorkshire, United Kingdom) between 2004 and 2015. It examines the spatial distribution of osseous material across the site, and discusses the various depositional processes which have led to their accumulation. As a previously excavated site, the published literature surrounding Star Carr has presented challenges for the traditional categories of animal bones, artefacts and osseous manufacturing waste. This paper uses some of the most high-profile finds from Star Carr, the red deer antler frontlets, as a case study for the examination of these tensions, and details the ways in which the most recent excavations required a reappraisal of the categorisation of these artefacts in light of new finds, technological analysis, and experimental replication.
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Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Organic Chemistry, Neolithic Archaeology, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), and 13 moreBronze Age Archaeology, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ceramics (Archaeology), Neolithic Transition, Neolithic Europe, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Mesolithic/Neolithic, Neolithic, Ceramics, Bronze Age, Early Neolithic, and Organic Residue Analysis
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Organic Chemistry, Stable Isotope Analysis, Stable Isotopes, and 11 moreNeolithic Archaeology, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ceramics (Archaeology), Neolithic Transition, Neolithic Europe, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Mesolithic/Neolithic, Ceramics, and Organic Residue Analysis
With the arrival of the Early Neolithic Globular Amphora and CordedWare cultures into the southeastern Baltic, ca. 2900/2800–2400 cal BC, a new type of economy was introduced, animal husbandry. However, the degree to which this... more
With the arrival of the Early Neolithic Globular Amphora and CordedWare cultures into the southeastern Baltic, ca. 2900/2800–2400 cal BC, a new type of economy was introduced, animal husbandry. However, the degree to which this transformed the subsistence economy is unknown. Here, we conducted organic residue analyses of 64 ceramic vessels to identify their contents. The vessels were sampled from 10 Lithuanian archaeological sites dating across the Subneolithic-Neolithic transition to the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2900/2800–1300 cal BC). Our results demonstrate that regardless of location or vessel type, many ceramics were used to process aquatic resources. Against our expectations, this association continued even after marked economic change concurrent with the migration of pastoralists from central and southeastern Europe, as evidenced by recent ancient DNA analysis of human remains. Moreover, we observed dairy fats in pottery from all cultures of the Early Neolithic (i.e. Rzucewo, Globular Amphora and Corded Ware) but unlike other regions of Europe, it seems that these were incorporated into indigenous culinary practices. Furthermore, some vessels were used to process plant foods, and others may have been used for the production and/or storage of birch bark tar. However, evidence for domesticated plant processing, for example millet, was absent. We show that organic residue analysis of pottery provides a different picture of past consumption patterns compared to the stable isotope analysis of human remains from isolated burials where a clear dietary shift is evident.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Organic Chemistry, Stable Isotope Analysis, Stable Isotopes, and 14 moreNeolithic Archaeology, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Bronze Age Archaeology, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ceramics (Archaeology), Neolithic Transition, Neolithic Europe, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Mesolithic/Neolithic, Neolithic, Ceramics, Bronze Age, Baltic archaeology, and Organic Residue Analysis
Recent studies have shown that faunal assemblages from Mesolithic sites in inland Northern Europe contain more fish remains than previously thought, but the archaeological and archaeozoological record does not reveal the dietary... more
Recent studies have shown that faunal assemblages from Mesolithic sites in inland Northern Europe contain more fish remains than previously thought, but the archaeological and archaeozoological record does not reveal the dietary importance of aquatic species to hunter-gatherer-fishers, even at a societal level. For example, the function of bone points, as hunting weapons or fishing equipment, has long been debated. Moreover, traditional methods provide no indication of variable subsistence practices within a population. For these reasons, paleodietary studies using stable isotope analyses of human remains have become routine. We present radiocarbon (14C) and stable isotope data from nine prehistoric human bones from the Early Mesolithic-Early Neolithic site of Friesack 4,
and isotopic data for local terrestrial mammals (elk, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, aurochs, beaver) and freshwater fish (European eel, European perch). The reference data allow individual paleodiets to be reconstructed. Using paleodiet estimates of fish consumption, and modern values for local freshwater reservoir effects, we also calibrate human 14C ages taking into account dietary reservoir effects. Although the number of individuals is small, it is possible to infer a decline in the dietary importance of fish from the Preboreal to the Boreal Mesolithic, and an increase in aquatic resource consumption in the Early Neolithic.
and isotopic data for local terrestrial mammals (elk, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, aurochs, beaver) and freshwater fish (European eel, European perch). The reference data allow individual paleodiets to be reconstructed. Using paleodiet estimates of fish consumption, and modern values for local freshwater reservoir effects, we also calibrate human 14C ages taking into account dietary reservoir effects. Although the number of individuals is small, it is possible to infer a decline in the dietary importance of fish from the Preboreal to the Boreal Mesolithic, and an increase in aquatic resource consumption in the Early Neolithic.
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Recent studies have shown that faunal assemblages from Mesolithic sites in inland Northern Europe contain more fish remains than previously thought, but the archaeological and archaeozoological record does not reveal the dietary... more
Recent studies have shown that faunal assemblages from Mesolithic sites in inland Northern Europe contain more fish remains than previously thought, but the archaeological and archaeozoological record does not reveal the dietary importance of aquatic species to hunter-gatherer-fishers, even at a societal level. For example, the function of bone points, as hunting weapons or fishing equipment, has long been debated. Moreover, traditional methods provide no indication of variable subsistence practices within a population. For these reasons, paleodietary studies using stable isotope analyses of human remains have become routine. We present radiocarbon (14C) and stable isotope data from nine prehistoric human bones from the Early Mesolithic-Early Neolithic site of Friesack 4, and isotopic data for local terrestrial mammals (elk, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, aurochs, beaver) and freshwater fish (European eel, European perch). The reference data allow individual paleodiets to be reconstructed. Using paleodiet estimates of fish consumption, and modern values for local freshwater reservoir effects, we also calibrate human 14C ages taking into account dietary reservoir effects. Although the number of individuals is small, it is possible to infer a decline in the dietary importance of fish from the Preboreal to the Boreal Mesolithic, and an increase in aquatic resource consumption in the Early Neolithic.
Research Interests:
Recent studies have shown that faunal assemblages from Mesolithic sites in inland Northern Europe contain more fish remains than previously thought, but the archaeological and archaeozoological record does not reveal the dietary... more
Recent studies have shown that faunal assemblages from Mesolithic sites in inland Northern Europe contain more fish remains than previously thought, but the archaeological and archaeozoological record does not reveal the dietary importance of aquatic species to hunter-gatherer-fishers, even at a societal level. For example, the function of bone points, as hunting weapons or fishing equipment, has long been debated. Moreover, traditional methods provide no indication of variable subsistence practices within a population. For these reasons, paleodietary studies using stable isotope analyses of human remains have become routine. We present radiocarbon (14C) and stable isotope data from nine prehistoric human bones from the Early Mesolithic-Early Neolithic site of Friesack 4, and isotopic data for local terrestrial mammals (elk, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, aurochs, beaver) and freshwater fish (European eel, European perch). The reference data allow individual paleodiets to be reconstructed. Using paleodiet estimates of fish consumption, and modern values for local freshwater reservoir effects, we also calibrate human 14C ages taking into account dietary reservoir effects. Although the number of individuals is small, it is possible to infer a decline in the dietary importance of fish from the Preboreal to the Boreal Mesolithic, and an increase in aquatic resource consumption in the Early Neolithic.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Around 2900–2300 cal BCE, mobile stockbreeders introduced the Neolithic Corded Ware culture (CWC) into the Eastern Baltic. Here, a Central or Northern European Neolithic economy and ideology took hold despite differences in burial... more
Around 2900–2300 cal BCE, mobile stockbreeders introduced the Neolithic Corded Ware culture (CWC) into the Eastern Baltic. Here, a Central or Northern European Neolithic economy and ideology took hold despite differences in burial practices. Although around 90 CWC graves are known in the region their contents have not been intensively studied. Here, we present new AMS radiocarbon (14 C) measurements and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data obtained on human bone collagen, molecular and isotopic data obtained from ceramic beakers, and user-wear data of flint and bone tools from several CWC graves, Benaičiai, Biržai, Krasnasieĺski, Dakudava 5, and Drazdy 12, in Lithuania and Western Belarus. The bone collagen δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotope data are rather homogenous and demonstrate that the majority of consumed protein was derived from terrestrial resources. Organic residue analysis of two CWC beakers yielded lipids consistent with ruminant carcass and dairy fats, whilst use-wear analyses indicates that bone pins, flint blades and axes were used as grinders, functional tools or had been carefully renewed before deposition respectively.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The invention of pottery was a fundamental technological advancement with far-reaching economic and cultural consequences. Pottery containers first emerged in East Asia during the Late Pleistocene in a wide range of environmental... more
The invention of pottery was a fundamental technological advancement with far-reaching economic and cultural consequences. Pottery containers first emerged in East Asia during the Late Pleistocene in a wide range of environmental settings, but became particularly prominent and much more widely dispersed after climatic warming at the start of the Holocene. Some archaeologists argue that this increasing usage was driven by environmental factors, as warmer climates would have generated a wider range of terrestrial plant and animal resources that required processing in pottery. However, this hypothesis has never been directly tested. Here, in one of the largest studies of its kind, we conducted organic residue analysis of >800 pottery vessels selected from 46 Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene sites located across the Japanese archipelago to identify their contents. Our results demonstrate that pottery had a strong association with the processing of aquatic resources, irrespective of the ecological setting. Contrary to expectations, this association remained stable even after the onset of Holocene warming, including in more southerly areas, where expanding forests provided new opportunities for hunting and gathering. Nevertheless, the results indicate that a broader array of aquatic resources was processed in pottery after the start of the Holocene. We suggest this marks a significant change in the role of pottery of hunter-gatherers, corresponding to an increased volume of production, greater variation in forms and sizes, the rise of intensified fishing, the onset of shellfish exploitation, and reduced residential mobility. archaeology | early pottery | organic residue analysis | stable isotopes | Jomon
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Organic residue analysis has been widely applied to study the preparation of foods in prehistoric contexts. Here, we consider its wider application to other commodities, including fulfilling the need for illumination. In Northern Europe,... more
Organic residue analysis has been widely applied to study the preparation of foods in prehistoric contexts. Here, we consider its wider application to other commodities, including fulfilling the need for illumination. In Northern Europe, a range of shallow oblong bowls first appear in the Eastern Baltic around ca. 5100 cal BC, along with the earliest ceramic cooking pots. Similar, shaped vessels are found a few centuries later in the Western Baltic also with the earliest ceramic horizons of the Late Mesolithic Ertebølle culture. Whilst various interpretations have been proposed for these vessels, it has been unclear what function they provided to these hunter-gatherer communities. In 1935, Therkel Mathiassen suggested that oil from seal or whale was probably the most likely fuel. Seventy-eight years later this hypothesis was confirmed by Heron et al. (2013). Building on this work, here we present the results of organic residue analysis conducted on a large collection of these vessels from 12 coastal and inland archaeological sites throughout the circum-Baltic region. Their organic contents were determined using a combination of bulk carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis (EA-IRMS), molecular characterisation of free or bounded lipid extracts by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and compound-specific carbon stable isotope analysis by gas chromatography- combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). Intriguingly, the results demonstrate that oils from both freshwater and marine fish made up the bulk of the residues, consistent with their use as oil lamps.
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Research Interests:
In 1894 The Second Kitchen Midden Commission of the Danish National Museum conducted a small excavation at Havnø, a stratified kitchen midden located in east central Jutland, Denmark (Madsen et al. 1900). Renewed excavations, under the... more
In 1894 The Second Kitchen Midden Commission of the Danish National Museum conducted a small excavation at Havnø, a stratified kitchen midden located in east central Jutland, Denmark (Madsen et al. 1900). Renewed excavations, under the direction of Søren H. Andersen, totalling more than 170 m2 were undertaken between 2005 and 2013. During these excavations, extensive cultural material dating from the Late Mesolithic Ertebølle to
the Late Neolithic Dagger cultures was recovered.
Since 1894 a number of scientific methods have been developed in order to test archaeological questions concerning the subsistence economy, seasonal exploitation practices, diet and
food consumption and more recently cuisine and culinary practices. These include, incremental growth analysis of the common European oyster (Ostrea edulis), and the common European cockle (Cerastoderma edule), lipid residue analysis of ceramic vessels as well as stable isotopic analysis of human and faunal bone collagen - to name but a few. This poster presents
PhD research, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), which combines a number of the aforementioned techniques in order to provide a more holistic approach for the kitchen midden, and to test how well these techniques can complement one another.
the Late Neolithic Dagger cultures was recovered.
Since 1894 a number of scientific methods have been developed in order to test archaeological questions concerning the subsistence economy, seasonal exploitation practices, diet and
food consumption and more recently cuisine and culinary practices. These include, incremental growth analysis of the common European oyster (Ostrea edulis), and the common European cockle (Cerastoderma edule), lipid residue analysis of ceramic vessels as well as stable isotopic analysis of human and faunal bone collagen - to name but a few. This poster presents
PhD research, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), which combines a number of the aforementioned techniques in order to provide a more holistic approach for the kitchen midden, and to test how well these techniques can complement one another.
Research Interests:
Analyses of modern bone have shown that lipids can serve as useful dietary markers, yet the application of lipid residue analysis to archaeological bone has been limited. In this study, human and animal bone lipids from a wide variety of... more
Analyses of modern bone have shown that lipids can serve as useful dietary markers, yet the application of lipid residue analysis to archaeological bone has been limited. In this study, human and animal bone lipids from a wide variety of archaeological contexts were analysed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Our preliminary results demonstrate that a two-step lipid extraction method can be used to remove potential contaminants while still recovering appreciable amounts of lipid from archaeological bone. Importantly, a comparison between compound specific and bulk collagen isotopic data shows that fatty acids from archaeological bone reflect dietary input and can be used to distinguish between marine and terrestrial consumers, as well as between C3 and C4 plant consumers. Additionally, the presence of phytanic and pristanic acid in certain human samples demonstrates the potential of using biomarkers to reveal further dietary information. Altogether, our findings suggest that fatty acids and biomarkers from archaeological bone are hitherto untapped resources of dietary information that offer further insights to those gained through more traditional dietary approaches.
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Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis was undertaken on collagen extracted from 72 fish bone samples from eight different Mesolithic and Neolithic archaeological sites in the western Baltic. Due to diagenetic contamination of the... more
Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis was undertaken on collagen extracted from 72 fish bone samples from eight different Mesolithic and Neolithic archaeological sites in the western Baltic. Due to diagenetic contamination of the burial environment, only 36 specimens produced results with suitable C:N ratios (2.9-3.6). The selected remains encompass a wide spectrum of freshwater, brackish, and marine taxa (n = 12), and this is reflected in the δ13C results (-24.54 to -7.83‰). The freshwater/brackish fish (northern pike; perch; zander) have δ13C values that range from -24.23 to -19.27‰, while the brackish/marine fish (spurdog; pleuronectidae; gadidae; garfish; mackerel) range from -14.90 to -9.38‰. Salmonidae, an anadromous taxon (migrating up rivers from the sea to spawn), and the eel, a catadromous species (migrating down rivers to the sea to spawn) have carbon isotope signals consistent with a marine origin with no evidence of freshwater residency (-12.65 to -11.65‰). The δ15N results also have a large range (6.54 to 12.67‰) indicating that these fish were feeding a many different trophic levels in these diverse aquatic environments. The aim of this research is the isotopic characterization of archaeological fish species to freshwater, brackish and marine environments, trophic level, and migration patterns, and to determine intra-species variation within and between fish populations differing in location. These results serve as an important ecological backdrop for the future isotopic reconstruction of the diet of human populations dating to the Mesolithic and Neolithic of the western Baltic region.
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Recent excavations at the shell midden at Havnø, Denmark, have yielded extensive faunal remains, dating to both the Late Mesolithic Ertebølle culture and the Early Neolithic Funnel Beaker cultures. Comprised of wild and domestic... more
Recent excavations at the shell midden at Havnø, Denmark, have yielded extensive faunal remains, dating to both the Late Mesolithic Ertebølle culture and the Early Neolithic Funnel Beaker cultures. Comprised of wild and domestic terrestrial species, fish, birds and human bones, the assemblage is among the largest Early Neolithic assemblages from Southern Scandinavia. In this study, fish, human, and mammal remains from wild and domestic species were analyzed for their bone collagen stable isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen to determine the extent, character, and intensity of changes across the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition at the site. Results indicate major changes in the protein component of the human diet concurrent with the arrival of farming, as well as shifts in the environments in which wild species were living. Furthermore, similarity is seen in the environments in which domestic cattle and contemporary Neolithic wild deer were feeding. Our fish data suggest that eel and flatfish have carbon isotope signals consistent with a marine origin, whereas a single measurement of roach dating to the Early Neolithic is evident of freshwater residency. Ultimately, these data yield important information about the local environment, diets, and cultural practices and lend insight into broader environmental changes during this period.
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The køkkenmøddinger (kitchen middens) that span the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Denmark are world famous. Marine resources recovered from these sites can provide us with a wealth of information concerning the nature of... more
The køkkenmøddinger (kitchen middens) that span the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Denmark are world famous. Marine resources recovered from these sites can provide us with a wealth of information concerning the nature of socio-economic change, which can aid in our interpretation at this important juncture in prehistory. Archaeological excavations in Denmark over the past 160 years at numerous sites have encountered fish remains numbering in the millions. Presently there are numerous, and well-analysed available fish bone assemblages and existing analyses particularly from the terminal Mesolithic Ertebølle, and less so from the subsequent early Neolithic Funnel Beaker culture. This study aims to analyse whether size estimates can prove that an overexploitation of the European eel occurred at the Mesolithic-Neolithic kitchen midden at Havnø, Denmark.
Eels were an important food source in prehistoric Northen Europe and were one of the most common fish caught in the Atlantic Period in Denmark. Laboratory analysis was undertaken on the eel bone from a column sample through the midden sequence. The bones were measured in order to determine an estimation of the total fish length according to established methods, utilizing the regression equations available from the literature. The results were compared with data obtained from contemporaneous kitchen middens and coastal sites. The possibility of discriminating between eels in the Ertebølle and the Funnel Beaker is evaluated and the implications for archaeology are discussed. Our data suggest that the majority of eel from the Ertebølle levels are longer than those from the Funnel Beaker layers. The sample of eel bone is small from the early Neolithic but indicates that a marked decrease in the estimated total length of the fish throughout the Ertebølle may have taken place as a result of environmental variables and/or overexploitation. We propose that further work is required to characterise whether trophic level displacement has taken place.
Eels were an important food source in prehistoric Northen Europe and were one of the most common fish caught in the Atlantic Period in Denmark. Laboratory analysis was undertaken on the eel bone from a column sample through the midden sequence. The bones were measured in order to determine an estimation of the total fish length according to established methods, utilizing the regression equations available from the literature. The results were compared with data obtained from contemporaneous kitchen middens and coastal sites. The possibility of discriminating between eels in the Ertebølle and the Funnel Beaker is evaluated and the implications for archaeology are discussed. Our data suggest that the majority of eel from the Ertebølle levels are longer than those from the Funnel Beaker layers. The sample of eel bone is small from the early Neolithic but indicates that a marked decrease in the estimated total length of the fish throughout the Ertebølle may have taken place as a result of environmental variables and/or overexploitation. We propose that further work is required to characterise whether trophic level displacement has taken place.
The transition from hunting and foraging to farming had far reaching consequences for our economic, social and ideological development and is a major theme in prehistoric research. In the circum-Baltic, the reasons for this change at... more
The transition from hunting and foraging to farming had far reaching consequences for our economic, social and ideological development and is a major theme in prehistoric research. In the circum-Baltic, the reasons for this change at circa 4000 cal BCE are unclear since much of the region was occupied with highly successful hunter-fisher-gatherers who were well adapted to the resource rich coastal and inland ecosystems. The project will question the value of wild and domesticated foods in the region through the novel lens of changing culinary practices. Principally organic residue analysis will be applied to the unique pottery sequences at Dabki, Dudka and Szczepanki in Poland. All three sites capture key aspects of the Neolithisation process and demonstrate long-distance cultural exchange between the Baltic and Central Europe (Hungary-Serbia) as well as Eastern Europe (Ukraine-Moldova). Another aim of the project is to develop a statistical approach to unravel mixtures of pottery contents; the technique is in its infancy and has not yet been applied to an archaeological assemblage.
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This three-volume publication presents an up-to-date overview on the human colonisation of Northern Europe across the Pleistocene–Holocene transition in Scandinavia, the Eastern Baltic and Great Britain. Volume 1, Ecology of early... more
This three-volume publication presents an up-to-date overview on the human colonisation of Northern Europe across the Pleistocene–Holocene transition in Scandinavia, the Eastern Baltic and Great Britain. Volume 1, Ecology of early settlement in Northern Europe, is a collection of 17 articles focusing on subsistence strategies and technologies, ecology and resource availability and demography in relation to different ecological niches. It is structured according to three geographic regions, the Skagerrak-Kattegat, the Baltic Region and the North Sea/Norwegian Sea, while its temporal focus is Late Glacial and Postglacial archaeology, c. 11000–5000 cal BC. These regions are particularly interesting given the long research history, which goes back as far as the nineteenth century (see Gron & Rowley-Conwy 2018), and the numerous environmental changes that have taken place throughout the Holocene: the presence of ice until c. 7500 cal BC, isostatic rebound alongside sea-level rise and the formation of the Baltic Sea, all of which have contributed to the preservation of outstanding archaeology.
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'The modern fishing industry should not get all of the blame for the current state of the world's fisheries. The present condition of the world's fishing grounds is the culmination of thousands of years of exploitation of the oceans,... more
'The modern fishing industry should not get all of the blame for the current state of the world's fisheries. The present condition of the world's fishing grounds is the culmination of thousands of years of exploitation of the oceans, exacerbated by the assumption that fish were a limitless resource. Today, population growth, technological innovation, and relentless searches for profit have stripped the oceans of potential seafood almost beyond recovery. All of this is a result of that most human of qualities − the ability to exploit opportunities as they arise' (p.241).
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Research Interests:
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Numerous archaeozoological studies, as well as the development of biomolecular approaches (stable isotope analysis, organic residue analysis, etc.) have revealed the important contribution of fish to human diets through space and time. In... more
Numerous archaeozoological studies, as well as the development of biomolecular approaches (stable isotope analysis, organic residue analysis, etc.) have revealed the important contribution of fish to human diets through space and time. In some cases, for example in a number of Mesolithic contexts, fishing constituted the main part of the subsistence economy. However, unlike other modes of subsistence (hunting, gathering, agriculture), fishing required humans to adapt to a whole different medium. As noted by the American anthropologist Gordon Hewes, due to their specific features, aquatic environments are a strange realm from the point of view of land-dwelling beings-"a universe with an additional dimension". Apart from affording particular sensory experiences, fishing also entangled humans in a web of relations with a multitude of aquatic creatures. Landscape socialization, human movement within the landscape, the location of camps and settlements, activities, and beliefs were intimately bound to, and influenced by, natural cycles of various fish species-their migrations, spawning locations, appearance and behaviours. Such interspecies engagements were also expressed materiallythrough the structured deposition of fish remains, the usage of fish teeth and vertebrae to adorn human bodies, and in fish-related iconography (sculpture, rock carvings, paintings). With these considerations in mind, we invite a wide range of contributions concerning socioenvironmental aspects of fishing beyond exploitation and diet. We welcome papers approaching this issue from a variety of perspectives-archaeozoological, historical, anthropological, environmental, phenomenological, multispecies, and relational, regardless of chronological, geographical or cultural context.