scholarly journals What do “barbarians” eat? Integrating ceramic use-wear and residue analysis in the study of food and society at the margins of Bronze Age China

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250819
Author(s):  
Karine Taché ◽  
Yitzchak Jaffe ◽  
Oliver E. Craig ◽  
Alexandre Lucquin ◽  
Jing Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Residue Analysis ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Nomadic Pastoralists ◽  
Use Wear ◽  
Isotopic Characterization ◽  
Isotope Studies ◽  
Western Zhou

The Siwa archaeological culture (ca. 3350 and 2650 cal yr BP) has often been associated with the tribes referenced in textual sources as Qiang and Rong: prized captives commonly sacrificed by the Shang and marauding hordes who toppled the Western Zhou dynasty. In early Chinese writings, food plays a key role in accentuating the ‘sino-barbarian’ dichotomy believed to have taken root over 3000 years ago, with the Qiang and Rong described as nomadic pastoralists who consumed more meat than grain and knew little of proper dining etiquette. To date, however, little direct archaeological evidence has allowed us to reconstruct the diet and foodways of the groups who occupied the Loess Plateau during this pivotal period. Here we present the results of the first ceramic use-wear study performed on the Siwa ma’an jars from the site of Zhanqi, combined with the molecular and isotopic characterization of lipid residues from foodcrusts, and evidence from experimental cooking. We report molecular data indicating the preparation of meals composed of millet and ruminant dairy among the Siwa community of Zhanqi. Use-wear analysis shows that Zhanqi community members were sophisticated creators of ceramic equipment, the ma’an cooking pot, which allowed them to prepare a wide number of dishes with limited fuel. These findings support recent isotope studies at Zhanqi as well as nuance the centrality of meat in the Siwa period diet.

scholarly journals New data concerning “large blades” in Catalonia: Apt-Forcalquier chert in the Penedès (south of Barcelona) during the Late Neolithic - Chalcolithic

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Mangado Llach ◽  
Jean Vaquer ◽  
Juan Francisco Gibaja Bao ◽  
F. Xavier Oms Arias ◽  
Artur Cebrià Escuer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Domestic Sphere ◽  
The North ◽  
Lithic Assemblages ◽  
Use Wear ◽  
North Eastern

The study of large chert blades documented in funerary contexts from the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age in the north-eastern part of Iberia has been addressed in recent works by the authors, in which 49 burial sites have been registered with more than 200 large chert blades. In this paper the recent data obtained from the study of seven archaeological sites located in the region of the Penedès (southwest of Barcelona) is presented.The macroscopic characterization of the knapped stone industries shows their great variety regarding the origin of the siliceous raw material, often coming from outside the analysed region. In some cases their macroscopic features link them to Apt-Forcalquier chert (Haut Provence, France), which was widely distributed in the form of large blades during these phases of Late Catalan prehistory.The absence of evidence of the chaîne opératoire production of this type of foreign chert in the lithic assemblages in Catalonia lead to the supposition that the dispersion of the blades was done as trade items, and only in a few cases were highly complex technological tools of this kind of raw material distributed (e.g., daggers). Use-wear analysis reveals that these blades were not merely luxury items in grave goods. Far from this idea, they have to be considered as functional, even multifunctional, items. All the same, it is thought that they must have had an important value because they moved from the domestic sphere to the graves. In fact, the pieces that usually remain are not small fragments, but whole or almost whole, large blades that normally remain effective. 

Stable isotopic characterization of nitrate wet deposition in the tropical urban atmosphere of Costa Rica

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Villalobos-Forbes ◽  
Germain Esquivel-Hernández ◽  
Ricardo Sánchez-Murillo ◽  
Rolando Sánchez-Gutiérrez ◽  
Ioannis Matiatos
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Wet Deposition ◽  
Urban Atmosphere ◽  
Stable Isotopic ◽  
Isotopic Characterization

scholarly journals Elemental and Isotopic Characterization of Tobacco from Umbria

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Luana Bontempo ◽  
Daniela Bertoldi ◽  
Pietro Franceschi ◽  
Fabio Rossi ◽  
Roberto Larcher
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Stable Isotope Ratios ◽  
Umbria Region ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Isotopic Characterization ◽  
First Time ◽  
Micro Elements

Umbrian tobacco of the Virginia Bright variety is one of the most appreciated tobaccos in Europe, and one characterized by an excellent yield. In recent years, the Umbria region and local producers have invested in introducing novel practices (for production and processing) focused on environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Due to this, tobacco from Umbria is a leading commodity in the global tobacco industry, and it claims a high economic value. The aim of this study is then to assess if elemental and isotopic compositions can be used to protect the quality and geographical traceability of this particular tobacco. For the first time the characteristic value ranges of the stable isotope ratios of the bio-elements as a whole (δ2H, δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, and δ34S) and of the concentration of 56 macro- and micro-elements are now available, determined in Virginia Bright tobacco produced in two different areas of Italy (Umbria and Veneto), and from other worldwide geographical regions. The ranges of variability of elements and stable isotope ratios had slightly different results, according to the three geographical origins considered. In particular, Umbria samples presented significantly lower content of metals potentially dangerous for human health. The results of this first exploratory work highlight the possibility of characterizing tobacco from Umbria, and suggest widening the scope of the survey throughout Italy and foreign regions, in order to be used to describe the geographical origin of tobacco in general and verify the origin of the products on the market.

Chemical‐petrographic and isotopic characterization of the volcanic pavement along the ancient Appia route at the Aurunci Mountain Pass, Italy: Insights on possible provenance

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 522-539
Author(s):  
Emiliano Di Luzio ◽  
Ilenia Arienzo ◽  
Simona Boccuti ◽  
Anna De Meo ◽  
Gianluca Sottili
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pass ◽  
Isotopic Characterization

From Texts and Iconography to Use-Wear Analysis of Ceramic Vessels

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-210
Author(s):  
Bartłomiej Lis ◽  
Trevor Van Damme
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Wear Analysis ◽  
Use Wear ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Ceramic Vessels ◽  
Repeated Use ◽  
Funerary Rites

While handwashing is attested in the Bronze Age cultures of the eastern Mediterranean and appears in both Linear B records and Homeric epics, the custom has not been discussed with regard to the material culture of Mycenaean Greece. On analogy with Egyptian handwashing equipment, we explore the possibility that a conical bowl made of bronze and copied in clay was introduced in Greece early in the Late Bronze Age for this specific use. We integrate epigraphic, iconographic and formal analyses to support this claim, but in order to interrogate the quotidian function of ceramic lekanes, we present the results of use-wear analysis performed on 130 examples. As use-wear develops from repeated use over a long time, it is a good indicator of normative behaviour, particularly when large datasets are amassed and contrasted with other shapes. While not conclusive, our results allow us to rule out a function as tableware for food consumption, and in combination with all other analyses support the interpretation of lekanes as handwashing basins. We then trace the development of this custom from its initial adoption by elite groups to its spread among new social classes and venues after the collapse of the palace system: at home, as part of communal feasting and sacrifice or as an element of funerary rites. The widespread distribution of handwashing equipment after 1200 bc closely mirrors the situation in our earliest surviving Greek Iron Age texts and joins a growing body of evidence pointing to strong continuity in social practices between the Postpalatial period and the early Iron Age in Greece.

scholarly journals Molecular characterization and distribution of Plasmodium matutinum, a common avian malaria parasite

Parasitology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 144 (13) ◽  
pp. 1726-1735 ◽  
Author(s):  
GEDIMINAS VALKIŪNAS ◽  
MIKAS ILGŪNAS ◽  
DOVILĖ BUKAUSKAITĖ ◽  
VAIDAS PALINAUSKAS ◽  
RASA BERNOTIENĖ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Markers ◽  
Molecular Characterization ◽  
Malaria Parasite ◽  
Avian Malaria ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Infected Blood ◽  
Avian Malaria Parasite ◽  
Thrush Nightingale

SUMMARYSpecies of Plasmodium (Plasmodiidae, Haemosporida) are widespread and cause malaria, which can be severe in avian hosts. Molecular markers are essential to detect and identify parasites, but still absent for many avian malaria and related haemosporidian species. Here, we provide first molecular characterization of Plasmodium matutinum, a common agent of avian malaria. This parasite was isolated from a naturally infected thrush nightingale Luscinia luscinia (Muscicapidae). Fragments of mitochondrial, apicoplast and nuclear genomes were obtained. Domestic canaries Serinus canaria were susceptible after inoculation of infected blood, and the long-lasting light parasitemia developed in two exposed birds. Clinical signs of illness were not reported. Illustrations of blood stages of P. matutinum (pLINN1) are given, and phylogenetic analysis identified the closely related avian Plasmodium species. The phylogeny based on partial cytochrome b (cyt b) sequences suggests that this parasite is most closely related to Plasmodium tejerai (cyt b lineage pSPMAG01), a common malaria parasite of American birds. Both these parasites belong to subgenus Haemamoeba, and their blood stages are similar morphologically, particularly due to marked vacuolization of the cytoplasm in growing erythrocytic meronts. Molecular data show that transmission of P. matutinum (pLINN1) occurs broadly in the Holarctic, and the parasite likely is of cosmopolitan distribution. Passeriform birds and Culex mosquitoes are common hosts. This study provides first molecular markers for detection of P. matutinum.

Isotopic characterization of waters across chile

2018 ◽  
pp. 205-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Sánchez-Murillo ◽  
E. Aguirre-Dueñas ◽  
M. Gallardo-Amestica ◽  
P. Moya-Vega ◽  
C. Birkel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Characterization

scholarly journals On Stereocontrol in Organocatalytic α-Chlorinations of Aldehydes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Ponath ◽  
Chetan Joshi ◽  
Amy T. Merrill ◽  
Volker Schmidts ◽  
Kim Greis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ion Mobility ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Comprehensive Analysis ◽  
Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Concentration Profiles ◽  
Nmr Studies ◽  
Isotope Studies ◽  
Configuration And Conformation

A comprehensive analysis of the organocatalytic α‐chlorination of aldehydes with N‐chloroimides and differ‐ ent catalysts is presented. For this reaction, alternate mechanisms were proposed that differ in the role of resting state intermediates and the rationalization of the observed enantioselectivity. This manuscript aims at resolving these funda‐ mental questions on the basis of rigorous structural characterization of intermediates (configuration and conformation), NMR studies, ion mobility‐mass spectrometry, concentration profiles, isotope studies, and DFT calculations. <br>

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