Stable Isotope and Radiocarbon Analysis in Animal Bones from the Prehistoric Settlement of Dispilio, Kastoria Lake, Northern Greece

Radiocarbon ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1629-1644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paraskevi Chantzi ◽  
Elissavet Dotsika ◽  
Konstantinos Albanakis ◽  
Konstantinos Kostakis
Keyword(s):  
Wild Boar ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Roe Deer ◽  
Rainfall Regime ◽  
Neolithic Period ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Metabolic System ◽  
C3 Plant

AbstractWild boar and roe deer samples from an excavation in Dispilio, Greece, were subjected to collagen extraction protocols to reconstruct the paleoecological regime. Radiocarbon (14C) analysis suggested the Middle/Late Neolithic period and the database was updated with collagen samples. The14C model concluded to a possible local deforestation effect in the settlement subbasin confirmed by sediment δ13C and δ15N values. Carbon isotope values in collagen samples concluded in C3 plant type. Both carbon and nitrogen isotopes indicated the differences in dietary habits and/or metabolic system between the two Late Neolithic I species. Roe deer samples were classified as purely herbivorous. δ15N values of wild boar collagen samples from Dispilio reflected a diet mainly characterized by terrestrial protein. Compared to literature data, wild boar samples from the Dispilio excavation concluded that the animals might have lived close to the settlement where their diet could be supplemented by a consistent animal protein fraction. Finally, it is concluded that rainfall is an important factor that affects plant, and consequently animal, δ15N values. Therefore, the rainfall regime should always be considered in paleodietary studies.

scholarly journals Neolithic genomes reveal a distinct ancient HLA allele pool and population transformation in Europe

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Immel ◽  
Christoph Rinne ◽  
John Meadows ◽  
Rodrigo Barquera ◽  
András Szolek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Human Leukocyte ◽  
Neolithic Period ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Leukocyte Antigen ◽  
Cultural Transformations ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome

AbstractThe Wartberg culture (WBC, 3,500-2,800 BCE) dates to the Late Neolithic period, a time of important demographic and cultural transformations in western Europe. We perform a genome-wide analysis of 42 individuals who were interred in a WBC collective burial in Niedertiefenbach, Germany (3,300-3,200 cal. BCE). Our results highlight that the Niedertiefenbach population indeed emerged at the beginning of the WBC. This farming community was genetically heterogeneous and carried a surprisingly large hunter-gatherer ancestry component (40%). We detect considerable differences in the human leukocyte antigen gene pool between contemporary Europeans and the Niedertiefenbach individuals whose immune response was primarily geared towards defending viral infections.

scholarly journals  Cadmium, lead, and mercury concentrations in tissues of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) and wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) from Lowland Croatia

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 624-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Srebočan ◽  
A. Prevendar Crnić ◽  
A.M. Ekert Kabalin ◽  
M. Lazarus ◽  
JurasovićJ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wild Boar ◽  
Mercury Concentration ◽  
Roe Deer ◽  
Lead Concentration ◽  
Cadmium Concentration ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Capreolus Capreolus ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Cadmium Lead

Cadmium, lead, and mercury concentrations were determined in roe deer and wild boar tissues (muscle, liver, kidney) of three different age groups from lowland Croatia. Cadmium concentrations in the examined tissues increased with age in both species, being the highest in the kidney, and higher in roe deer as compared to wild boar. Lead concentration was higher in younger animals in comparison with both older groups. Contrary to the expectations, roe deer tissues revealed mostly higher lead concentrations than those of wild boar. Mercury concentration in the tissues of the animals examined was relatively low and no correlation with age was found. However, mercury concentration was higher in kidney than in liver with both species. Wild boar had higher mercury concentrations in tissues than roe deer in all age groups. Cadmium and mercury concentrations in both species from lowland Croatia are comparable to those given in similar studies in other European countries, while lead concentration was lower in wild boar and higher in roe deer tissues than those in the same species from European countries. From the hygienic point of view, the muscle samples from roe deer and wild boar were edible as the concentrations of cadmium and lead did not exceed the values prescribed by the official regulations. However, cadmium concentration in liver exceeded the prescribed values in one fifth of all samples while lead concentrations were lower than the allowed concentrations. Most kidney samples from both animal species contained cadmium exceeding the recommended concentrations, while lead concentrations in all samples did not exceed the official value regulation. Mercury concentrations are no longer (since 2008) a matter of legislative.

Late Bronze Age Apsidal and Oval Buildings in Greece and adjacent areas

1989 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 269-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Mazarakis-Ainian
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Neolithic Period ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
In The Beginning ◽  
Building Plans

Apsidal and elliptical buildings are characteristic of rural societies. In Greece their tradition goes back to the late Neolithic period. Apsidal houses become common in the EH and especially the MH periods, while oval buildings do not occur as often. It is generally acknowledged that curvilinear plans went out of fashion at the end of the MH period and that they reappeared in the beginning of the EIA. This statement is fundamentally correct for rectangular constructions prevail throughout the Mycenaean era. Yet an attentive survey of LBA sites in Greece proves that curvilinear buildings were still constructed in certain regions. A rapid review of these sites could be beneficial, for it might help in elucidating some of the reasons of the resurgence of these particular building plans shortly after the final collapse of the Mycenaean civilization.

scholarly journals Ancient Genomes Reveal the Evolutionary History and Origin of Cashmere-Producing Goats in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 2099-2109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yudong Cai ◽  
Weiwei Fu ◽  
Dawei Cai ◽  
Rasmus Heller ◽  
Zhuqing Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Migration Route ◽  
Neolithic Period ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Standing Variation ◽  
Modern Chinese ◽  
Chalcolithic Period

Abstract Goats are one of the most widespread farmed animals across the world; however, their migration route to East Asia and local evolutionary history remain poorly understood. Here, we sequenced 27 ancient Chinese goat genomes dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Iron Age. We found close genetic affinities between ancient and modern Chinese goats, demonstrating their genetic continuity. We found that Chinese goats originated from the eastern regions around the Fertile Crescent, and we estimated that the ancestors of Chinese goats diverged from this population in the Chalcolithic period. Modern Chinese goats were divided into a northern and a southern group, coinciding with the most prominent climatic division in China, and two genes related to hair follicle development, FGF5 and EDA2R, were highly divergent between these populations. We identified a likely causal de novo deletion near FGF5 in northern Chinese goats that increased to high frequency over time, whereas EDA2R harbored standing variation dating to the Neolithic. Our findings add to our understanding of the genetic composition and local evolutionary process of Chinese goats.

scholarly journals Ancient genomes reveal social and genetic structure of Late Neolithic Switzerland

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Furtwängler ◽  
A. B. Rohrlach ◽  
Thiseas C. Lamnidis ◽  
Luka Papac ◽  
Gunnar U. Neumann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Population Genetic ◽  
Structured Populations ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Neolithic Period ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Southern Central

Abstract Genetic studies of Neolithic and Bronze Age skeletons from Europe have provided evidence for strong population genetic changes at the beginning and the end of the Neolithic period. To further understand the implications of these in Southern Central Europe, we analyze 96 ancient genomes from Switzerland, Southern Germany, and the Alsace region in France, covering the Middle/Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age. Similar to previously described genetic changes in other parts of Europe from the early 3rd millennium BCE, we detect an arrival of ancestry related to Late Neolithic pastoralists from the Pontic-Caspian steppe in Switzerland as early as 2860–2460 calBCE. Our analyses suggest that this genetic turnover was a complex process lasting almost 1000 years and involved highly genetically structured populations in this region.

Archaeology, genetics and a population bottleneck in prehistoric Finland

Antiquity ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 88 (342) ◽  
pp. 1132-1147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarja Sundell ◽  
Juhana Kammonen ◽  
Petri Halinen ◽  
Petro Pesonen ◽  
Päivi Onkamo
Keyword(s):  
Population Bottleneck ◽  
Genetic Profile ◽  
Neolithic Period ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Finnish Population ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
History Of ◽  
Stone Artefact

The long-term history of prehistoric populations is a challenging but important subject that can now be addressed through combined use of archaeological and genetic evidence. In this study a multidisciplinary team uses these approaches to document the existence of a major population bottleneck in Finland during the Late Neolithic period, the effects of which are still detectable in the genetic profile of the Finnish population today. The postglacial recolonisation of Finland was tracked through space and time using radiocarbon dates and stone artefact distributions to provide a robust framework of evidence against which the genetic simulations could be compared.

Dispersal of vascular plants by game in northern Germany. Part I: Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and wild boar (Sus scrofa)

2004 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Schmidt ◽  
Kerstin Sommer ◽  
Wolf-Ulrich Kriebitzsch ◽  
Hermann Ellenberg ◽  
Goddert von Oheimb
Keyword(s):  
Wild Boar ◽  
Sus Scrofa ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Roe Deer ◽  
Capreolus Capreolus ◽  
Northern Germany

scholarly journals Iodine and Selenium Contents in Skeletal Muscles of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) and Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in the Czech Republic

2010 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Kursa ◽  
Ivan Herzig ◽  
Jan Trávníček ◽  
Josef Illek ◽  
Vlasta Kroupová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Wild Boar ◽  
Skeletal Muscles ◽  
Red Deer ◽  
Roe Deer ◽  
Iodine Content ◽  
Selenium Content ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Wet Weight ◽  
Game Animals

The objective of this study was to examine iodine and selenium contents in skeletal muscles of selected species of game animals living in regions with low iodine and selenium contents in the soil and water. Iodine content was determined in 66 samples of skeletal muscles of red deer cut out of the musculus gracilis, 32 samples and 27 samples from the same muscle of roe deer and wild boar, respectively. The shot game animals came from hunting grounds in western and southern regions of the Czech Republic and in Protected Landscape Area Šumava. In red deer muscles the average iodine content was 44.9 ± 15.2 μg I·kg-1 wet weight with the range of 6.9 to 82.0 μg I·kg-1. The lower concentration in roe deer meat with the average 39.3 ± 14.1 μg I·kg-1 and the range from 18.3 to 84.4 μg I·kg-1 may be due to differences between biotopes and food. The average iodine concentration in the musculus gracilis of wild boars was 55.9± 27.0 μg·kg-1 wet weight. Selenium content was determined in 22 samples of red deer, 51 samples of roe deer and 27 samples of wild boar skeletal muscles. The average values of selenium content in the meat of red deer, roe deer and wild boars were 16.2 ± 8.4, 36.9 ± 16.6 and 27.6 ± 19.8 μg Se·kg-1 wet weight, respectively. All three species of game animals are characterised by low content and high variability of selenium concentration in meat with the minimum value 3.9 µg and maximum value 83.3 μg·kg-1 wet weight. The study brings new data on iodine and selenium content in the muscle of game animals in the Czech Republic.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document