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O'Brien K, Podkovyroff K, Fernandez DP, Tryon CA, Cerling TE, Ashioya L, Faith JT. Limited herbivore migration during the Last Glacial Period of Kenya. Nat Ecol Evol 2024:10.1038/s41559-024-02413-9. [PMID: 38802495 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02413-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Eastern Africa is home to the largest terrestrial migrations on Earth. Though these migratory systems have been well studied for decades, little is known of their antiquity and evolutionary history. Serially sampled strontium stable isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) from tooth enamel can be used to track migration in mammals. Here we analyse 87Sr/86Sr for 79 bovid and equid individuals representing 18 species from four localities in Kenya to characterize prehistoric migratory systems during the Last Glacial Period (115-11.7 ka). Of the species analysed, 16 lack definitive evidence for migration, including blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), Thomson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) and plains zebra (Equus quagga), which are long-distance migrants today in the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem and historically in the Athi-Kapiti Plains. Only two species, the extinct wildebeests Rusingoryx atopocranion and Megalotragus sp., were migratory. These findings suggest a possible alternative narrative about ecosystem dynamics during the Last Glacial Period and shed light on the behaviour of both extant and extinct species at this time. In particular, these results indicate that migratory behaviour in extant species either emerged during the Holocene or was more spatiotemporally constrained in the past. Our results contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that the structure and function of geologically recent large mammal communities in eastern Africa differed considerably from those observed in the present day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaedan O'Brien
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, SUNY Oneonta, Oneonta, NY, USA.
| | - Katya Podkovyroff
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Diego P Fernandez
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Christian A Tryon
- Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Thure E Cerling
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | | | - J Tyler Faith
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Origins Centre, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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2
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Sehrawat JS, Agrawal S, Kenney AP, Grimes V, Rai N. Use of strontium isotope ratios in potential geolocation of Ajnala skeletal remains: a forensic archeological study. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:615-626. [PMID: 37853301 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03109-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Stable isotope methods for provenance of unidentified human remains are relatively a newer field of enquiry in forensic archeology. It is of great interest for forensic experts these days. The application of strontium isotope analyses for estimating geolocation of archeological remains is of great interest in bioarcheology and modern forensics. The strontium (Sr) isotope composition of human bones and teeth has been widely used to reconstruct an individual's geo-affiliation, residential mobility, and migration history. Thousands of unknown human remains, reportedly belonging to 282 Indian soldiers of 26th Native Bengal regiment and killed in 1857, were exhumed non-scientifically from an abandoned well situated underneath a religious structure at Ajnala (Amritsar, India). Whether these remains belonged to the individuals, local or non-local to the site, was the important forensic archeological question to be answered by doing their thorough forensic anthropological examinations. In the present study, 27 mandibular teeth (18 s molars, 6 first molars, and 3 premolars) collected from the Ajnala skeletal assemblage were processed for strontium isotope analysis, and the measured ratios were compared with published isotope baseline data to estimate the locality status of these remains. The Sr isotopic values were concentrated in the range of 0.7175 to 0.7270. The comparative analysis of isotopic ratios revealed that most individuals buried in the Ajnala well have 87Sr/86Sr values close to the river as well as groundwater of the Gangetic plain (less radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr ~ 0.716); most likely originated near Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, India) region, whereas the individuals with higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios (~ 0.7200) probably resided in the West Bengal and Bihar areas where the river as well as groundwater of the Gangetic plain is relatively more radiogenic. Thus, the strontium isotope results reveal that the Ajnala individuals did not grow up or live in the Amritsar region during their childhood, and this observation complemented the previous forensic anthropological and molecular findings. There is very little Indian data on the bioavailable strontium, so the inferences from the present study estimating Sr isotope abundances are expected to provide baseline data for future forensic provenance studies that will contribute to the global efforts of mapping Sr isotope variations by the isotope community.
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Affiliation(s)
- J S Sehrawat
- Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
| | | | - Andrew P Kenney
- Department of Archaeology, Memorial University, St. John's, NF, Canada
| | - Vaughan Grimes
- Department of Archaeology and Department of Earth Sciences (Cross-Appointed), Memorial University, St. John's, NF, Canada
| | - Niraj Rai
- Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences, Lucknow, India
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3
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Parkinson EW, Stoddart S, Sparacello V, Bertoldi F, Fonzo O, Malone C, Marini E, Martinet F, Moggi-Cecchi J, Pacciani E, Raiteri L, Stock JT. Multiproxy bioarchaeological data reveals interplay between growth, diet and population dynamics across the transition to farming in the central Mediterranean. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21965. [PMID: 38081902 PMCID: PMC10713518 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49406-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The transition to farming brought on a series of important changes in human society, lifestyle, diet and health. The human bioarchaeology of the agricultural transition has received much attention, however, relatively few studies have directly tested the interrelationship between individual lifestyle factors and their implications for understanding life history changes among the first farmers. We investigate the interplay between skeletal growth, diet, physical activity and population size across 30,000 years in the central Mediterranean through a 'big data' cross-analysis of osteological data related to stature (n = 361), body mass (n = 334) and long bone biomechanics (n = 481), carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes (n = 1986 human, n = 475 animal) and radiocarbon dates (n = 5263). We present the observed trends on a continuous timescale in order to avoid grouping our data into assigned 'time periods', thus achieving greater resolution and chronological control over our analysis. The results identify important changes in human life history strategies associated with the first farmers, but also highlight the long-term nature of these trends in the millennia either side of the agricultural transition. The integration of these different data is an important step towards disentangling the complex relationship between demography, diet and health, and reconstruct life history changes within a southern European context. We believe the methodological approach adopted here has broader global implications for bioarchaeological studies of human adaptation more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- E W Parkinson
- Archaeology & Palaeoecology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
| | - S Stoddart
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - V Sparacello
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - F Bertoldi
- Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Università Ca Foscari Venezia, Venice, Italy
| | - O Fonzo
- Museo Archeologico "Genna Maria" di Villanovaforru, Villanovaforru, Italy
| | - C Malone
- Archaeology & Palaeoecology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - E Marini
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - F Martinet
- Soprintendenza per i beni e le Attività Culturali della Valle d'Aosta, Aosta, Italy
| | - J Moggi-Cecchi
- Dipartimento Di Biologia, Università degli Studi Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - E Pacciani
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Firenze, Pistoia e Prato, Florence, Italy
| | - L Raiteri
- Soprintendenza per i beni e le Attività Culturali della Valle d'Aosta, Aosta, Italy
| | - J T Stock
- Department of Anthropology, Western University, London, Canada
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4
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Morley MW, Moffat I, Kotarba-Morley AM, Hernandez VC, Zerboni A, Herries AIR, Joannes-Boyau R, Westaway K. Why the geosciences are becoming increasingly vital to the interpretation of the human evolutionary record. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1971-1977. [PMID: 38036632 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02215-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Advanced geoscience techniques are essential to contextualize fossils, artefacts and other archaeologically important material accurately and effectively. Their appropriate use will increase confidence in new interpretations of the fossil and archaeological record, providing important information about the life and depositional history of these materials and so should form an integral component of all human evolutionary studies. Many of the most remarkable recent finds that have transformed the field of human evolution are small and scarce, ranging in size from teeth to strands of DNA, recovered from complex sedimentary environments. Nevertheless, if properly analysed, they hold immense potential to rewrite what we know about the evolution of our species and our closest hominin ancestors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mike W Morley
- Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory, Archaeology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
| | - Ian Moffat
- Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory, Archaeology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Anna M Kotarba-Morley
- Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory, Archaeology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- School of Humanities, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Vito C Hernandez
- Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory, Archaeology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Andrea Zerboni
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra 'A. Desio', Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Andy I R Herries
- Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Renaud Joannes-Boyau
- Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kira Westaway
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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5
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Gigante M, Mazzariol A, Bonetto J, Armaroli E, Cipriani A, Lugli F. Machine learning-based Sr isoscape of southern Sardinia: A tool for bio-geographic studies at the Phoenician-Punic site of Nora. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287787. [PMID: 37467179 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Since prehistoric times, the island of Sardinia-in the western Mediterranean-has played a leading role in the dynamics of human population and mobility, in the circulation of raw materials and artefacts, idioms and customs, of technologies and ideas that have enriched the biological, linguistic and cultural heritage of local groups. For the Phoenician and Punic periods (from the 9th to the 3rd centuries BCE), the ancient site of Nora-in southern Sardinia-represents an emblematic case in the study of migratory phenomena that occurred on the Island from the Iron Age until the Roman conquest. Despite the importance of exploring (and characterising) such movements from a wider bio-cultural perspective, the application of bio-geochemical tools for geographical provenance to the ancient skeletal populations of Sardinia is yet scarce. The present work is the first step towards filling this gap with the development of the first isoscape of southern Sardinia using new bioavailable Sr isotope data and a machine-learning approach. From a geolithological point of view, Sardinia is rather heterogeneous and requires detailed studies to correctly assess the distribution of the isotopic signature of bioavailable Sr. The random forest model employed here to construct the Sr isoscape uses several external environmental and geological variables. The most important predictors are related to age and bedrock type, with additional input from local soil properties. A 10-fold cross-validation gives a mean square error of 0.0008 and an R-squared of 0.81, so the model correctly predicts the 87Sr/86Sr ratio of unknown areas. By using a Bayesian provenance assignment workflow, we tested the isoscape here produced to determine the geographic origin and the mobility of archaeological and modern fauna collected from the Phoenician-Punic site of Nora and the surrounding Pula Plain. Our results indicate that archaeological sheep and goats (87Sr/86Sr < 0.7090) are compatible with areas close to Nora and Pula Plain, in agreement with archaeological evidence of pastoralism in those areas. Modern wild and domesticated fauna (87Sr/86Sr > 0.7090) show compatibility with several natural and anthropogenic locations in southern Sardinia, as expected based on modern species distribution data. Finally, we discuss the large Sr isotopic variability of the Nora baseline, where human mobility studies of human cremated and inhumed individuals are currently underway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melania Gigante
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Jacopo Bonetto
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Elena Armaroli
- Department of Chemical and Geological Science, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Anna Cipriani
- Department of Chemical and Geological Science, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York, United States of America
| | - Federico Lugli
- Department of Chemical and Geological Science, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy
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6
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Nikita E, Alexander M, Cox S, Radini A, Le Roux P, Chaouali M, Fenwick C. Isotopic evidence for human mobility in late antique Bulla Regia (Tunisia). JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE, REPORTS 2023; 47:103816. [PMID: 36998714 PMCID: PMC10041345 DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
This paper represents the first isotopic study on late antique human mobility in North Africa, using the urban site of Bulla Regia in Tunisia as a case study. We also present the first values for bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr in northern Tunisia, analysing 63 plant and snail samples, as well as a simple method for the pre-processing of plants in the field to facilitate their export. Bulla Regia was a prominent Roman and late antique town situated on an important axis of transport and communication in North Africa and is therefore an ideal site to explore mobility in the region during this time period. Strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and oxygen (δ18OCarb) isotopic analysis of 22 late antique individuals from a Christian church and cemetery identified at least seven or eight non-locals, while comparative analysis of five Roman individuals from a funerary enclosure on the same site classified all but one of them as potential locals. Most non-local individuals exhibit 87Sr/86Sr values that match various areas of northern Tunisia, which supports regional mobility rather than long-distance migration, although when combined with the oxygen results, inter-regional mobility from an area with a warmer climate may be hypothesised for some individuals. Examination of the spatial distribution of non-local individuals in their cemetery setting reveals that they were privileged individuals, thus they may reflect the mobility of wealthier town-dwellers in late antiquity, particularly perhaps along the Carthage-Hippo route.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efthymia Nikita
- Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Centre, The Cyprus Institute, 2121 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Michelle Alexander
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, YO1 5DD York, UK
| | - Samantha Cox
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Physical Anthropology Section, Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Anita Radini
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, YO1 5DD York, UK
| | - Petrus Le Roux
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | | | - Corisande Fenwick
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, WC1H 0PY London, UK
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7
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Tracing the mobility of a Late Epigravettian (~ 13 ka) male infant from Grotte di Pradis (Northeastern Italian Prealps) at high-temporal resolution. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8104. [PMID: 35577834 PMCID: PMC9110381 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12193-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We present the results of a multi-disciplinary investigation on a deciduous human tooth (Pradis 1), recently recovered from the Epigravettian layers of the Grotte di Pradis archaeological site (Northeastern Italian Prealps). Pradis 1 is an exfoliated deciduous molar (Rdm2), lost during life by an 11–12-year-old child. A direct radiocarbon date provided an age of 13,088–12,897 cal BP (95% probability, IntCal20). Amelogenin peptides extracted from tooth enamel and analysed through LC–MS/MS indicate that Pradis 1 likely belonged to a male. Time-resolved 87Sr/86Sr analyses by laser ablation mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS), combined with dental histology, were able to resolve his movements during the first year of life (i.e. the enamel mineralization interval). Specifically, the Sr isotope ratio of the tooth enamel differs from the local baseline value, suggesting that the child likely spent his first year of life far from Grotte di Pradis. Sr isotopes are also suggestive of a cyclical/seasonal mobility pattern exploited by the Epigravettian human group. The exploitation of Grotte di Pradis on a seasonal, i.e. summer, basis is also indicated by the faunal spectra. Indeed, the nearly 100% occurrence of marmot remains in the entire archaeozoological collection indicates the use of Pradis as a specialized marmot hunting or butchering site. This work represents the first direct assessment of sub-annual movements observed in an Epigravettian hunter-gatherer group from Northern Italy.
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8
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Shao Q, Ge J, Ji Q, Li J, Wu W, Ji Y, Zhan T, Zhang C, Li Q, Grün R, Stringer C, Ni X. Geochemical provenancing and direct dating of the Harbin archaic human cranium. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 2:100131. [PMID: 34557771 PMCID: PMC8454624 DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
As one of the most complete archaic human fossils, the Harbin cranium provides critical evidence for studying the diversification of the Homo genus and the origin of Homo sapiens. However, the unsystematic recovery of this cranium and a long and confused history since the discovery impede its accurate dating. Here, we carried out a series of geochemical analyses, including non-destructive X-ray fluorescence (XRF), rare earth elements (REE), and the Sr isotopes, to test the reported provenance of the Harbin cranium and get better stratigraphic constraints. The results show that the Harbin cranium has very similar XRF element distribution patterns, REE concentration patterns, and Sr isotopic compositions to those of the Middle Pleistocene-Holocene mammalian and human fossils recently recovered from the Harbin area. The sediments adhered in the nasal cavity of the Harbin cranium have a 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.711898, falling in the variation range measured in a core drilled near the Dongjiang Bridge, where the cranium was discovered during its reconstruction. The regional stratigraphic correlations indicate that the Harbin cranium was probably from the upper part of the Upper Huangshan Formation of the Harbin area, which has an optically stimulated luminescence dating constraint between 138 and 309 ka. U-series disequilibrium dating (n = 10) directly on the cranium suggests that the cranium is older than 146 ka. The multiple lines of evidence from our experiments consistently support the theory that the Harbin cranium is from the late Middle Pleistocene of the Harbin area. Our study also shows that geochemical approaches can provide reliable evidence for locating and dating unsystematically recovered human fossils, and potentially can be applied to other human fossils without clear provenance and stratigraphy records. Unsystematic recovery of the Harbin fossil cranium and a long history since the discovery impede its accurate dating Geochemical analyses, including non-destructive X-ray fluorescence, rare earth elements, and the strontium isotopes, suggest that the fossil cranium was from a bed of lacustrine sediments aged between 138 and 309 thousand years ago in the Harbin region Uranium-series disequilibrium dating directly on the cranium suggests that the cranium is older than 146 thousand years
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingfeng Shao
- Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment, Ministry of Education, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Junyi Ge
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100044, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qiang Ji
- Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang 050031, China
- Corresponding author
| | - Jinhua Li
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Innovation Academy for Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Wensheng Wu
- Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang 050031, China
| | - Yannan Ji
- China Geo-Environmental Monitoring Institute, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Tao Zhan
- The Second Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology Prospecting Institute of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Chi Zhang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100044, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qiang Li
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100044, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Rainer Grün
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
- Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Corresponding author
| | - Chris Stringer
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Corresponding author
| | - Xijun Ni
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100044, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang 050031, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100104, China
- Corresponding author
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9
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Cavazzuti C, Hajdu T, Lugli F, Sperduti A, Vicze M, Horváth A, Major I, Molnár M, Palcsu L, Kiss V. Human mobility in a Bronze Age Vatya 'urnfield' and the life history of a high-status woman. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254360. [PMID: 34319991 PMCID: PMC8318297 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we present osteological and strontium isotope data of 29 individuals (26 cremations and 3 inhumations) from Szigetszentmiklós-Ürgehegy, one of the largest Middle Bronze Age cemeteries in Hungary. The site is located in the northern part of the Csepel Island (a few kilometres south of Budapest) and was in use between c. 2150 and 1500 BC, a period that saw the rise, the apogee, and, ultimately, the collapse of the Vatya culture in the plains of Central Hungary. The main aim of our study was to identify variation in mobility patterns among individuals of different sex/age/social status and among individuals treated with different burial rites using strontium isotope analysis. Changes in funerary rituals in Hungary have traditionally been associated with the crises of the tell cultures and the introgression of newcomers from the area of the Tumulus Culture in Central Europe around 1500 BC. Our results show only slight discrepancies between inhumations and cremations, as well as differences between adult males and females. The case of the richly furnished grave n. 241 is of particular interest. The urn contains the cremated bones of an adult woman and two 7 to 8-month-old foetuses, as well as remarkably prestigious goods. Using 87Sr/86Sr analysis of different dental and skeletal remains, which form in different life stages, we were able to reconstruct the potential movements of this high-status woman over almost her entire lifetime, from birth to her final days. Our study confirms the informative potential of strontium isotopes analyses performed on different cremated tissues. From a more general, historical perspective, our results reinforce the idea that exogamic practices were common in Bronze Age Central Europe and that kinship ties among high-rank individuals were probably functional in establishing or strengthening interconnections, alliances, and economic partnerships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Cavazzuti
- Dipartimento di Storia Culture Civiltà, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italia
- Archaeology Department, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Tamás Hajdu
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Federico Lugli
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Alessandra Sperduti
- Museo delle Civiltà, Sezione di Bioarcheologia, Rome, Italy
- University of Napoli “L’Orientale”, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Aniko Horváth
- ICER Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - István Major
- ICER Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Mihály Molnár
- ICER Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - László Palcsu
- ICER Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Viktória Kiss
- Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre of Excellence, Budapest, Hungary
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10
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Bortolini E, Pagani L, Oxilia G, Posth C, Fontana F, Badino F, Saupe T, Montinaro F, Margaritora D, Romandini M, Lugli F, Papini A, Boggioni M, Perrini N, Oxilia A, Cigliano RA, Barcelona R, Visentin D, Fasser N, Arrighi S, Figus C, Marciani G, Silvestrini S, Bernardini F, Menghi Sartorio JC, Fiorenza L, Cecchi JM, Tuniz C, Kivisild T, Gianfrancesco F, Peresani M, Scheib CL, Talamo S, D'Esposito M, Benazzi S. Early Alpine occupation backdates westward human migration in Late Glacial Europe. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2484-2493.e7. [PMID: 33887180 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Before the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ∼16.5 ka ago)1 set in motion major shifts in human culture and population structure,2 a consistent change in lithic technology, material culture, settlement pattern, and adaptive strategies is recorded in Southern Europe at ∼18-17 ka ago. In this time frame, the landscape of Northeastern Italy changed considerably, and the retreat of glaciers allowed hunter-gatherers to gradually recolonize the Alps.3-6 Change within this renewed cultural frame (i.e., during the Late Epigravettian phase) is currently associated with migrations favored by warmer climate linked to the Bølling-Allerød onset (14.7 ka ago),7-11 which replaced earlier genetic lineages with ancestry found in an individual who lived ∼14 ka ago at Riparo Villabruna, Italy, and shared among different contexts (Villabruna Cluster).9 Nevertheless, these dynamics and their chronology are still far from being disentangled due to fragmentary evidence for long-distance interactions across Europe.12 Here, we generate new genomic data from a human mandible uncovered at Riparo Tagliente (Veneto, Italy), which we directly dated to 16,980-16,510 cal BP (2σ). This individual, affected by focal osseous dysplasia, is genetically affine to the Villabruna Cluster. Our results therefore backdate by at least 3 ka the diffusion in Southern Europe of a genetic component linked to Balkan/Anatolian refugia, previously believed to have spread during the later Bølling/Allerød event. In light of the new genetic evidence, this population replacement chronologically coincides with the very emergence of major cultural transitions in Southern and Western Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Bortolini
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani, 1 48121 Ravenna, Italy; CaSEs (Culture and Socio-Ecological Dynamics) Department of Humanities, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27, 08005 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Luca Pagani
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Viale G. Colombo 3, 35131 Padova, Italy; Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b 51010 Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Gregorio Oxilia
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani, 1 48121 Ravenna, Italy.
| | - Cosimo Posth
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena 07745, Germany; Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Archaeo- and Palaeogenetics, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 19-23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Federica Fontana
- Department of Humanities - Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I d'Este 32, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Federica Badino
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani, 1 48121 Ravenna, Italy; Research Group on Vegetation, Climate and Human Stratigraphy, Lab of Palynology and Palaeoecology, CNR - Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering (IGAG), 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Tina Saupe
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b 51010 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Francesco Montinaro
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b 51010 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Davide Margaritora
- Department of Humanities - Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I d'Este 32, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Matteo Romandini
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani, 1 48121 Ravenna, Italy
| | - Federico Lugli
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani, 1 48121 Ravenna, Italy
| | - Andrea Papini
- Dentist surgeon, via Walter Tobagi 35, 59100 Prato, Italy
| | - Marco Boggioni
- Dentist surgeon, via D'Andrade 34/207, 16154 Genova Sestri Ponente, Italy
| | - Nicola Perrini
- Dentist surgeon, Centro di Odontoiatria e Stomatologia, Via Luca Signorelli, 5, 51100 Pistoia PT, Italy
| | - Antonio Oxilia
- General surgeon, via Marcantonio Della Torre, 7, 37131 Verona, Italy
| | | | - Rosa Barcelona
- Sequentia Biotech, Calle Comte D'Urgell 240, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso," National Research Council of Italy, Via P.Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; Departamento de Matemáticas, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Industrial de Barcelona (ETSEIB), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Davide Visentin
- Archaeology of Social Dynamics, Institució Milà i Fontanals, Spanish National Research Council (IMF-CSIC), C/Egipcíaques 15, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nicolò Fasser
- Department of Humanities - Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I d'Este 32, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Simona Arrighi
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani, 1 48121 Ravenna, Italy
| | - Carla Figus
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani, 1 48121 Ravenna, Italy
| | - Giulia Marciani
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani, 1 48121 Ravenna, Italy
| | - Sara Silvestrini
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani, 1 48121 Ravenna, Italy
| | - Federico Bernardini
- Department of Humanities, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, Dorsoduro, 3484/D, 30123 Venezia, Italy; Multidisciplinary Laboratory, The "Abdus Salam" International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Strada Costiera, 11 - 34151 Trieste, Italy
| | - Jessica C Menghi Sartorio
- Department of Humanities - Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I d'Este 32, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Luca Fiorenza
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia; Earth Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
| | - Jacopo Moggi Cecchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via del Proconsolo, 12, Firenze 50122, Italy
| | - Claudio Tuniz
- Multidisciplinary Laboratory, The "Abdus Salam" International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Strada Costiera, 11 - 34151 Trieste, Italy; Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Toomas Kivisild
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b 51010 Tartu, Estonia; Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Fernando Gianfrancesco
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso," National Research Council of Italy, Via P.Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Peresani
- Department of Humanities - Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I d'Este 32, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Christiana L Scheib
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b 51010 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Sahra Talamo
- Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician," University of Bologna, Via Selmi, 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maurizio D'Esposito
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso," National Research Council of Italy, Via P.Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Stefano Benazzi
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani, 1 48121 Ravenna, Italy; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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11
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Washburn E, Nesbitt J, Ibarra B, Fehren-Schmitz L, Oelze VM. A strontium isoscape for the Conchucos region of highland Peru and its application to Andean archaeology. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248209. [PMID: 33784347 PMCID: PMC8009355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human skeletal remains is an important method in archaeology to examine past human mobility and landscape use. 87Sr/86Sr signatures of a given location are largely determined by the underlying bedrock, and these geology specific isotope signatures are incorporated into skeletal tissue through food and water, often permitting the differentiation of local and non-local individuals in past human populations. This study presents the results of a systematic survey of modern flora and fauna (n = 100) from 14 locations to map the bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr signatures of the Conchucos region, an area where the extent of geologic variability was previously unknown. We illustrate the necessity to examine the variation in 87Sr/86Sr values of the different geological formations available to human land use to document the range of possible local 87Sr/86Sr values. Within the Conchucos region we found significant variation in environmental 87Sr/86Sr values (0.7078–0.7214). The resulting isoscape represents the largest regionally specific bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr map (3,840 km2) to date for the Andes, and will serve as a baseline for future archaeological studies of human mobility in this part of the Peruvian highlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eden Washburn
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Jason Nesbitt
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Bebel Ibarra
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Lars Fehren-Schmitz
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Vicky M. Oelze
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
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12
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Drucker DG, Naito YI, Coromina N, Rufí I, Soler N, Soler J. Stable isotope evidence of human diet in Mediterranean context during the Last Glacial Maximum. J Hum Evol 2021; 154:102967. [PMID: 33751963 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The Final Gravettian in Europe overlapped with the cold and dry climatic event of Heinrich 2 (ca. 27-23.5 kyr cal BP), which caused the contraction of human distribution over refuge regions in the southern peninsulas of Europe. Here, we consider the human subsistence in the northeast Iberian Peninsula, where an extensive range of small to large prey was available. Four human remains from the Serinyà caves were investigated using the stable isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur of bulk collagen (δ13Ccoll, δ15Ncoll, δ34Scoll) and of phenylalanine and glutamine amino acids (δ15NPhe, δ15NGlu). Direct AMS dating of the human and animal remains from the Final Gravettian levels of Mollet III, Reclau Viver, and Arbreda at Serinyà confirmed their chronological position from 27.5 to 22.6 kyr cal BP and the occurrence of four different human individuals. The δ13Ccoll and δ15Ncoll values showed a large contribution of terrestrial prey to the dietary protein of the individuals. The δ34Scoll values were consistent with a subsistence based on the local continental resources, without detectable contribution of marine resource. The δ15NPhe and δ15NGlu values confirm that freshwater resources were not a substantial component of the diet of the considered individuals. Contrast in the isotopic amounts in bulk collagen could be interpreted as the result of different proportions of terrestrial prey in human diet at Serinyà. Altogether, the isotopic investigation reveals the importance of terrestrial over aquatic resources in the subsistence of the studied Final Gravettian individuals from the Serinyà caves in northeastern Iberia during the Last Glacial Maximum. It would be consistent with a scenario of a productive enough terrestrial ecosystem to sustain hunter-gatherer subsistence in this refuge region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothée G Drucker
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, Tübingen, 72074, Germany.
| | - Yuichi I Naito
- Nagoya University Museum, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Neus Coromina
- Institute of Historical Research, University of Girona, Plaça Ferrater i Mora, 1, 17004, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Isaac Rufí
- Institute of Historical Research, University of Girona, Plaça Ferrater i Mora, 1, 17004, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Narcís Soler
- Institute of Historical Research, University of Girona, Plaça Ferrater i Mora, 1, 17004, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Joaquim Soler
- Institute of Historical Research, University of Girona, Plaça Ferrater i Mora, 1, 17004, Catalonia, Spain
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13
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Wang X, Roberts P, Tang Z, Yang S, Storozum M, Groß M, Fernandes R. The Circulation of Ancient Animal Resources Across the Yellow River Basin: A Preliminary Bayesian Re-evaluation of Sr Isotope Data From the Early Neolithic to the Western Zhou Dynasty. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.583301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many questions still remain regarding the acquisition and circulation of ancient domesticated animals across the Yellow River Basin, one of the key areas for the development of complex societies in ancient China. Here, we re-evaluate previously published strontium isotope data (87Sr/86Sr, n = 167) from tooth enamel of domesticated animals at 10 archaeological sites in the Yellow River Basin to shed new light on the transition between the Neolithic (7000–5000 BCE) and the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046–771 BCE). The results show that from the Late Neolithic to the Western Zhou Dynasty, some domesticated animals, mostly cattle and sheep, were increasingly sourced from non-local areas. We employed Bayesian methods to define an isoscape of bioavailable Sr for the Yellow River Basin and to show the considerable diversity in the origins of non-local domesticated animals, some of which may have come from locations hundreds of kilometers away from the site as early as the Late Neolithic. The increasingly variable 87Sr/86Sr ratios of domesticated animals from the Neolithic to the Western Zhou Dynasty are consistent with that of associated human remains, and also match the archaeological and zooarchaeological evidence for increased circulation of animal products in the Yellow River Basin. Therefore, we infer that local economies increasingly incorporated non-local animals as part of wider circulation networks that emerged with the development of complex societies since the Late Neolithic.
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14
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Monthly mobility inferred from isoscapes and laser ablation strontium isotope ratios in caprine tooth enamel. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2277. [PMID: 33500495 PMCID: PMC7838167 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81923-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Strontium isotopic analysis of sequentially formed tissues, such as tooth enamel, is commonly used to study provenance and mobility of humans and animals. However, the potential of 87Sr/86Sr in tooth enamel to track high-frequency movements has not yet been established, in part due to the lack of data on modern animals of known movement and predictive model of isotope variation across the landscape. To tackle this issue, we measured the 87Sr/86Sr in plant samples taken from a 2000 km2 area in the Altai Mountains (Mongolia), and the 87Sr/86Sr in tooth enamel of domestic caprines whose mobility was monitored using GPS tracking. We show that high-resolution, sequential profiles of strontium isotope composition of tooth enamel reliably reflect the high-frequency mobility of domestic livestock and that short-term residency of about 45 days can be resolved. This offers new perspectives in various disciplines, including forensics, ecology, palaeoanthropology, and bioarchaeology.
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15
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Lugli F, Sciutto G, Oliveri P, Malegori C, Prati S, Gatti L, Silvestrini S, Romandini M, Catelli E, Casale M, Talamo S, Iacumin P, Benazzi S, Mazzeo R. Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) and normalized difference image (NDI) data processing: An advanced method to map collagen in archaeological bones. Talanta 2021; 226:122126. [PMID: 33676680 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, an innovative and highly efficient near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) method is proposed to provide spectral maps able to reveal collagen distribution in large-size bones, also offering semi-quantitative estimations. A recently introduced method for the construction of chemical maps, based on Normalized Difference Images (NDI), is declined in an innovative approach, through the exploitation of the NDI values computed for each pixel of the hyperspectral image to localize collagen and to extract information on its content by a direct comparison with known reference samples. The developed approach addresses an urgent issue of the analytical chemistry applied to bioarcheology researches, which rely on well-preserved collagen in bones to obtain key information on chronology, paleoecology and taxonomy. Indeed, the high demand for large-sample datasets and the consequent application of a wide variety of destructive analytical methods led to the considerable destruction of precious bone samples. NIR-HSI pre-screening allows researchers to properly select the sampling points for subsequent specific analyses, to minimize costs and time and to preserve integrity of archaeological bones (which are available in a very limited amount), providing further opportunities to understand our past.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Lugli
- University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ravenna Campus, Via Degli Ariani, 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - G Sciutto
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Ravenna Campus, Via Guaccimanni, 42, 48121, Ravenna, Italy.
| | - P Oliveri
- University of Genova, Department of Pharmacy, Viale Cembrano 4, I-16148, Genova, Italy.
| | - C Malegori
- University of Genova, Department of Pharmacy, Viale Cembrano 4, I-16148, Genova, Italy
| | - S Prati
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Ravenna Campus, Via Guaccimanni, 42, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - L Gatti
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Ravenna Campus, Via Guaccimanni, 42, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - S Silvestrini
- University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ravenna Campus, Via Degli Ariani, 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - M Romandini
- University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ravenna Campus, Via Degli Ariani, 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - E Catelli
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Ravenna Campus, Via Guaccimanni, 42, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - M Casale
- University of Genova, Department of Pharmacy, Viale Cembrano 4, I-16148, Genova, Italy
| | - S Talamo
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Via Selmi, 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - P Iacumin
- University of Parma, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Parco Area Delle Scienze, 11/a, Parma, Italy
| | - S Benazzi
- University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ravenna Campus, Via Degli Ariani, 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - R Mazzeo
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Ravenna Campus, Via Guaccimanni, 42, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
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16
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Britton K, Le Corre M, Willmes M, Moffat I, Grün R, Mannino MA, Woodward S, Jaouen K. Sampling Plants and Malacofauna in 87Sr/86Sr Bioavailability Studies: Implications for Isoscape Mapping and Reconstructing of Past Mobility Patterns. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.579473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Establishing strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) geographical variability is a key component of any study that seeks to utilize strontium isotopes as tracers of provenance or mobility. Although lithological maps can provide a guideline, estimations of bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr are often necessary, both in qualitative estimates of local strontium isotope “catchments” and for informing/refining isoscape models. Local soils, plants and/or animal remains are commonly included in bioavailability studies, although consensus on what (and how extensively) to sample is lacking. In this study, 96 biological samples (plants and snails) were collected at 17 locations spanning 6 lithological units, within a region of south-west France and an area with a high concentration of Paleolithic archaeological sites. Sampling sites aligned with those from a previous study on soil bioavailable strontium, and comparison with these values, and the influence of environmental and anthropogenic variables, was explored. Data confirm a broad correspondence of plant and snail 87Sr/86Sr values with lithological unit/soil values, although the correlation between expected 87Sr/86Sr values from lithology and bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr ratios from biological samples was higher for plants than for snails. Grass, shrub and tree 87Sr/86Sr values were similar but grasses had a stronger relationship with topsoil values than trees, reflecting differences in root architecture. Variability in 87Sr/86Sr ratios from all plant samples was lower for sites located on homogeneous geological substrates than for those on heterogeneous substrates, such as granite. Among environmental and anthropogenic variables, only an effect of proximity to water was detected, with increased 87Sr/86Sr values in plants from sites close to rivers originating from radiogenic bedrock. The results highlight the importance of analyzing biological samples to complement, inform and refine strontium isoscape models. The sampling of plants rather than snails is recommended, including plants of varying root depth, and (if sample size is a limitation) to collect a greater number of samples from areas with heterogeneous geological substrates to improve the characterizations of those regions. Finally, we call for new experimental studies on the mineralized tissues of grazers, browsers, frugivores and/or tree leaf feeders to explore the influence of 87Sr/86Sr variability with soil profile/root architecture on 87Sr/86Sr values of locally-feeding fauna.
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17
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Abstract
The early onset of weaning in modern humans has been linked to the high nutritional demand of brain development that is intimately connected with infant physiology and growth rate. In Neanderthals, ontogenetic patterns in early life are still debated, with some studies suggesting an accelerated development and others indicating only subtle differences vs. modern humans. Here we report the onset of weaning and rates of enamel growth using an unprecedented sample set of three late (∼70 to 50 ka) Neanderthals and one Upper Paleolithic modern human from northeastern Italy via spatially resolved chemical/isotopic analyses and histomorphometry of deciduous teeth. Our results reveal that the modern human nursing strategy, with onset of weaning at 5 to 6 mo, was present among these Neanderthals. This evidence, combined with dental development akin to modern humans, highlights their similar metabolic constraints during early life and excludes late weaning as a factor contributing to Neanderthals' demise.
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18
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Oxilia G, Bortolini E, Badino F, Bernardini F, Gazzoni V, Lugli F, Romandini M, Radini A, Terlato G, Marciani G, Silvestrini S, Menghi Sartorio JC, Thun Hohenstein U, Fiorenza L, Kullmer O, Tuniz C, Moggi Cecchi J, Talamo S, Fontana F, Peresani M, Benazzi S, Cristiani E. Exploring late Paleolithic and Mesolithic diet in the Eastern Alpine region of Italy through multiple proxies. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 174:232-253. [PMID: 32914870 PMCID: PMC7918647 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Objectives The analysis of prehistoric human dietary habits is key for understanding the effects of paleoenvironmental changes on the evolution of cultural and social human behaviors. In this study, we compare results from zooarchaeological, stable isotope and dental calculus analyses as well as lower second molar macrowear patterns to gain a broader understanding of the diet of three individuals who lived between the end of the Late Pleistocene and the Early Holocene (ca., 17–8 ky cal BP) in the Eastern Alpine region of Italy. Materials and methods We analyze individuals buried at the sites of Riparo Tagliente (Verona), Riparo Villabruna, and Mondeval de Sora (Belluno). The three burials provide a unique dataset for diachronically exploring the influence of climatic changes on human subsistence strategies. Results Isotopic results indicate that all individuals likely relied on both terrestrial and freshwater animal proteins. Even though dental calculus analysis was, in part, hindered by the amount of mineral deposit available on the teeth, tooth macrowear study suggests that the dietary habits of the individuals included plant foods. Moreover, differences in macrowear patterns of lower second molars have been documented between Neanderthals and modern humans in the present sample, due to a prevalence of Buccal wear among the former as opposed to higher values of Lingual wear in modern human teeth. Discussion Isotopic analyses have emphasized the contribution of animal proteins in the diet of the three foragers from the Eastern Alpine region. The possible intake of carbohydrate‐rich plant foods, suggested by the retrieval of plant remains in dental calculus, is supported by the signal of macrowear analysis. Moreover, the latter method indicates that the distribution of macrowear in lower second molars (M2s) allows us to discriminate between Neanderthals and modern humans within the present reference sample. Overall, our results show these three prehistoric hunter‐gatherers were well adapted to the environment in which they lived exploiting many natural resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregorio Oxilia
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy.,DANTE Diet and Ancient Technology Laboratory, Department of Oral and Maxillo Facial Sciences Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Eugenio Bortolini
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Federica Badino
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy.,C.N.R. - Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Bernardini
- Centro Fermi, Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro di Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi, Rome, Italy.,Multidisciplinary Laboratory, The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy
| | - Valentina Gazzoni
- Department of Humanities-Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Federico Lugli
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy.,Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Matteo Romandini
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy.,Department of Humanities-Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Anita Radini
- DANTE Diet and Ancient Technology Laboratory, Department of Oral and Maxillo Facial Sciences Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriele Terlato
- Department of Humanities-Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giulia Marciani
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Sara Silvestrini
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Jessica C Menghi Sartorio
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy.,Department of Humanities-Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Ursula Thun Hohenstein
- Department of Humanities-Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Luca Fiorenza
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Earth Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ottmar Kullmer
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Department of Paleobiology and Environment, Institute of Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Claudio Tuniz
- Centro Fermi, Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro di Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi, Rome, Italy.,Multidisciplinary Laboratory, The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy.,Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Sahra Talamo
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Federica Fontana
- Department of Humanities-Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Marco Peresani
- C.N.R. - Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, Milan, Italy.,Department of Humanities-Section of Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Stefano Benazzi
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Emanuela Cristiani
- DANTE Diet and Ancient Technology Laboratory, Department of Oral and Maxillo Facial Sciences Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
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Tracing human mobility in central Europe during the Upper Paleolithic using sub-seasonally resolved Sr isotope records in ornaments. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10386. [PMID: 32587350 PMCID: PMC7316840 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67017-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Mobility of people and goods during the Upper Paleolithic has proven difficult to reconstruct given the relative rareness of remains. Nevertheless, archaeological contexts like the Late Pleistocene horizon of Borsuka Cave (Southern Poland) represent a unique opportunity to explore patterns of objects’ transportation across Central Europe. We investigated the origin of four ornaments made of European elk (Alces alces L.) incisors recovered at Borsuka Cave – the oldest known burial site in Poland, possibly a child grave. Laser-ablation plasma source mass spectrometric analyses of trace elements and Sr isotopic compositions revealed that one elk was roaming within a geologically uniform area while the others changed their pastures during their lifetimes. The non-local origin of the elk teeth is inferred from their exotic Sr isotopic compositions and the lack of evidence for the presence of elk in this territory during the Pleistocene. Instead, the elks’ Sr isotopic composition show good agreement with sites near the Austria-Slovakia border region and northern Hungary, ~250 km away from the study site. We argue that the artefacts were most likely brought to Borsuka Cave by humans or by a network of exchange, so far never reported in the time range 32.5–28.8 ka cal BP for Southern Poland.
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