Highly Variable Freshwater Reservoir Offsets Found along the Upper Lena Watershed, Cis-Baikal, Southeast Siberia

Radiocarbon ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick J Schulting ◽  
Christopher Bronk Ramsey ◽  
Vladimir I Bazaliiskii ◽  
Andrzej Weber
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Stable Carbon Isotope ◽  
River System ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Freshwater Reservoir

A program of paired dating of human and faunal remains on a sample of 11 prehistoric (Mesolithic/Neolithic to Early Bronze Age) graves in the Upper Lena basin, southeast Siberia, was initiated to investigate the freshwater reservoir effect (FRE). The results show the presence of a substantial but highly variable offset, ranging from 255 to 101014C yr. In contrast to previous studies centered on Lake Baikal and the Angara River, human stable nitrogen isotope values show little or no correlation with the radiocarbon offset, despite the clear trophic differences seen in δ15N between terrestrial and aquatic sources of protein in the region's isotope ecology. However, stable carbon isotope measurements show a moderate negative correlation of some predictive value (r= −0.70,p= 0.016,df= 10). Two different regression equations have been calculated, the first using human δ13C values for the entire data set (r2= 0.49) and the second, using both δ13C and δ15N values, limited to the Early Bronze Age of the southern Upper Lena (r2= 0.84,p= 0.030,df= 5). The source of the old carbon in the Upper Lena River system is not clear. While the river flows over carbonate bedrock and is moderately alkaline, we suggest that old terrestrial carbon entering the riverine foodweb through bank erosion and other processes is a more likely candidate for the majority of the14C offset.

Freshwater Reservoir Offsets Investigated Through Paired Human-Faunal14C Dating and Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Analysis at Lake Baikal, Siberia

Radiocarbon ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 991-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick J Schulting ◽  
Christopher Bronk Ramsey ◽  
Vladimir I Bazaliiskii ◽  
Olga I Goriunova ◽  
Andrzej Weber
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Lake Baikal ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Freshwater Reservoir

Thirty-three paired accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on human and terrestrial faunal remains from the same Neolithic and Early Bronze Age graves are used to develop a correction for the freshwater reservoir effect (FRE) at Lake Baikal, Siberia. Excluding two outliers, stable nitrogen isotope (δ15N) values show a positive correlation(r2= 0.672,p< 0.000) with offsets in14C yr between paired human and fauna determinations. The highest offset observed in our data set is 622 yr, which is close to the value of ∼700 yr suggested for endemic seals in the lake. For each per mil increase in δ15N, the offset increases by 77 ± 10 yr in the overall data set. However, there are indications that different regression models apply in each of two microregions of Cis-Baikal. In the first, sites on the southwest shore of the lake and along the Angara River show a strong positive correlation between δ15N values and offsets in14C yr (r2= 0.814,p< 0.000). In the other, the Little Sea, both δ13C and δ15N values make significant contributions to the model (adjustedr2= 0.878; δ13Cp< 0.001; δ15Np< 0.000). This can be related to the complex13C ecology of the lake, which displays one of the widest ranges of δ13C values known for any natural ecosystem. The results will be important in terms of refining the culture-history of the region, as well as exploring the dynamic interactions of hunter-gatherer communities both synchronically and diachronically.

scholarly journals Modern Freshwater Reservoir Offsets in the Eurasian Steppe: Implications for Archaeology

Radiocarbon ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 1597-1607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana V Svyatko ◽  
Paula J Reimer ◽  
Rick Schulting
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Eurasian Steppe ◽  
Pike Perch ◽  
Freshwater Reservoir

AbstractThis paper presents the results of the first broad-scale study of modern freshwater reservoir effects (FREs) in various regions of the Eurasian Steppe, associated with archaeological sites. The aim of this work was not only to demonstrate the widespread variability of modern FREs in the region, but also to draw the attention of specialists working in the area to the necessity of taking into account this important and still not fully understood factor involving radiocarbon dating of human and some faunal remains from archaeological sites. To identify modern FREs, modern fish of different species from 10 regions of Siberia and Kazakhstan have been subjected to accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS 14C) dating and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis, and the results are compared with the existing data from previous research. Freshwater reservoir offsets have been detected in all analyzed regions, with the exception of Kharga Lake (Buryatia, Russia) and Kyzylkoi River (central Kazakhstan), varying not only between, but also within regions depending on fish species. The most significant offset in this study has been recorded for the Chuya River basin (Altai Mountains, 1097±40 14C yr), though not as high as observed in previous research for the Caspian lowlands (1477±52 and 1037±52 14C yr) and Upper Lena River basin (Lake Baikal area, 1981±30 14C yr). Both δ13C and δ15N values have been measured with the majority of samples reflecting C3 ecology of local reservoirs and δ15N depending on the diet of particular species, with predatory species such as pike, perch, and burbot demonstrating the highest δ15N. No general relationship has been observed between freshwater reservoir offsets and either δ13C or δ15N values of the samples.

Organization of Flint Sickle Blade Production at an Early Bronze Age Workshop in Anatolia

2002 ◽  
Vol 712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britt E. Hartenberger
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Complete Sequence ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Regional Center ◽  
Period 2 ◽  
The Social ◽  
Titris Hoyuk ◽  
Administrative Center ◽  
Local Farmers

ABSTRACTA specialized workshop for the manufacture of flint sickle blades has recently been excavated at the site of Titris Hoyuk in southeastern Anatolia [1]. This paper will examine the sequence of production for the blades as well as the social context of this craft within the site. The workshop is the first example found containing evidence of the complete sequence of production for the ‘Canaanean blade,’ a type commonly used across the Near East in this period [2]. Since bronze was still new and relatively expensive, high-quality flint was used to manufacture sickle blades. Tabular flint was imported in the form of large slabs from several sources in the nearby hills. Specialists then prepared the blade cores, removed the blades, and then traded the final products to local farmers. A range of manufacturing debris has been found to illustrate the production sequence, including chunks of raw flint, core-shaping pieces, debitage pits, and stacks of exhausted and used cores. The large sample of over 1000 blade cores collected ensures a sizable data set for statistical analyses. Several types of raw flint were utilized for making the blades and production appears to vary slightly by these material types. The workshop is located within a household setting and is the only area within the excavated site containing debris from this craft. Spatial analyses of the types of flint used within the household workshop reveal its division into largely distinct areas for domestic versus specialist craft activities. The placement of the workshop in the suburbs far from the site's administrative center may indicate that its activities were independent of any elite. An estimate of the volume of blades produced combined with the location of the workshop at a major regional center suggest that it also supplied blades to other sites in the region.

New AMS Dates for Verteba Cave and Stable Isotope Evidence of Human Diet in The Holocene Forest-Steppe, Ukraine

Radiocarbon ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah H Ledogar ◽  
Jordan K Karsten ◽  
Gwyn D Madden ◽  
Ryan Schmidt ◽  
Mykhailo P Sokohatskyi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Material Culture ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Terrestrial Plants ◽  
Discrete Events ◽  
Human Diet ◽  
Freshwater Reservoir

ABSTRACTExcavations at several locations in Verteba Cave have uncovered a large amount of human skeletal remains in association with faunal bones and Tripolye material culture. We aim to establish radiocarbon (14C) dates for eight sites and to evaluate whether these deposits are singular events, or slow accumulations over time.14C measurements, along with stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data from human and faunal remains, were collected from 18 specimens. Stable isotope values were used to evaluate human and animal diet, and whether freshwater reservoir effects offset measured dates. We found diets of the sampled species had limited to no influence from freshwater resources. Human diet appears to be dominated by terrestrial plants and herbivores. Four new sites were identified as Eneolithic. Comparisons of dates from top and bottom strata for two sites (7 and 20) reveal coeval dates, and we suggest that these deposits represent discrete events rather than slow continuous use. Lastly, we identified dates from the Mesolithic (8490±45 BP, 8765±30 BP), Iron Age (2505±20 BP), Slavic state era (1315±25 BP), and Medieval Period (585±15 BP), demonstrating periodic use of the cave by humans prior to and after the Eneolithic.

Radiocarbon Dates and Stable Isotope Data from the Early Bronze Age Burials in Riigiküla I and Kivisaare Settlement Sites, Estonia

Radiocarbon ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 645-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari Tõrv ◽  
John Meadows
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Agricultural Communities ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Freshwater Reservoir ◽  
Relationship Of

Four inhumations from Kivisaare and Riigiküla I settlement and burial sites were dated in the course of a project about hunter-gatherer mortuary practices in Estonia, as they were believed to belong to the Stone Age. However, these burials appear to be Early Bronze Age inhumations instead, and thus are discussed separately in the present article. These burials are the first evidence in Estonia of a long-lasting tradition of inhumations without any visible aboveground structures. As the archaeology of the Early Bronze Age in Estonia is poorly known, these four inhumations contribute immensely to our understanding about this time period. Moreover, stable isotope values show that these people had a more terrestrial subsistence strategy than Stone Age hunter-gatherers. Nevertheless, aquatic resources were probably still significant components of their diet, particularly at Kivisaare, and the radiocarbon dates could therefore be subject to significant freshwater reservoir effects. This creates ambiguity in the chronological relationship of these four individuals to burials in stone-cist graves, which are attributed to the Late Bronze Age and which appear to be associated with fully agricultural communities.

scholarly journals The Early Cycladic Settlement at Dhaskalio, Keros: Preliminary Report of the 2008 Excavation Season

2009 ◽  
Vol 104 ◽  
pp. 27-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Renfrew ◽  
Olga Philaniotou ◽  
Neil Brodie ◽  
Giorgos Gavalas
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Preliminary Report ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Three Phases

The 2008 excavations on the small island of Dhaskalio opposite Dhaskalio Kavos on the Cycladic island of Keros are reviewed. An account is given of the survey, recording many walls of the early Bronze Age, and of the excavations, continued from the 2007 season. Excavations at the summit of Dhaskalio revealed a substantial building 16 m long and 4 m wide, within which was discovered the ‘Dhaskalio hoard’ comprising a chisel, an axe-adze, and a shaft-hole axe of copper or bronze. Study of the pottery reveals continuity, within which a sequence of three phases within the Early Cycladic II and III periods can be established.Excavations were continued and concluded within the Special Deposit at Kavos South with the recovery of many more special but fragmentary materials including marble vessels and figurines. Specialist studies for the geomorphology, geology, petrology, ceramic petrology, metallurgy and environmental aspects (botanical and faunal remains, phytoliths) are in progress. No more fieldwork is planned prior to final publication of the 2006 to 2008 seasons.Στο άρθρο ετηχειρείται ένας συνοπτικός απολογισμός των ανασκαφών της περιόδου του 2008 στην νησΐδα Δασκαλιό, απέναντι από τον Κάβο Δασκαλιού, στο ΝΔ άκρο της νήσου Κέρου, των Κυκλάδων. Περιληππκά αναφέρονται τα αποτελέσματα της τοπογράφησης με τον εντοπισμό πολλών τοίχων της Πρώψης Εποχής του Χαλκού, αλλά και αυτά της ανασκαφής, η οποία αποτελεί την συνέχεια των ανασκαφών του 2007. Κατά τις ανασκαφές στην κορυφή του Δασκαλιού αποκαλύφθηκε ένα ευμέγεθες κτήριο μήκους 16 μέτρων και πλάτους 4 μέτρων, εντός του οποίου βρέθηκε ο ‘Θησαυρός του Δασκαλχού’, ο οποίος αποτελείται από μία σμίλη, μία αξίνα-πέλεκυ, κοα έναν πέλεκυ με συμφυή οττή για την τοποθέτηση του στειλεού, όλα χάλκινα ή μπρούτζινα. Η μελέτη της κεραμικής απέφερε σημαντικά αποτελέσματα και απέδειξε ότι υπάρχει συνέχεια. Η αυτή ίδια μελέτη κατέδειξε μία ακολουθία τριών φάσεων, οι οποίες χρονολογήθηκαν από την Πρωτοκυκλαδική II έως και την Πρωτοκυκλαδική III περίοδο.Οι ανασκαφές στον Κάβο Δασκαλιού συνεχίστηκαν και ολοκληρώθηκαν στην περιοχή της Νότιας Ειδικής Απόθεσης με την αποκάλυψη πλήθους ιδιαίτερων, αλλά αποσπασματικά σωζόμενων, ευρημάτων, μεταξύ των οποίων, πολλών μαρμάρινων αγγείων και ενδοίλίων.Οι εξειδικευμένες μνκρομορφολογικές-γεωαρχαιολογικές, γεωλογικές και πετρογραφικές μελέτες, αλλά και οι αναλύσεις πηλού και οι μελέτες, που αφορούν στην αρχαιομεταλλουργία και στο παλαιοπεριβάλλον (αναλύσεις των καταλοίπων της χλωρίδας και της πανίδας αλλά και των φυτολίθων), βρίσκονται σε εξέλιξη. Άλλες έρευνες επί του εδάφους προς το ηαρόν δεν προγραμματίζονται, πριν από την ολοκλήρωση της τελικής δημοσίευσης των αποτελεσμάτων των ερευνών των περιόδων 2006 έως και 2008.

scholarly journals Characterization of particulate organic matter in the Lena River Delta and adjacent nearshore zone, NE Siberia – Part 2: Radiocarbon inventories

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 14413-14451 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Winterfeld ◽  
G. Mollenhauer
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Particulate Organic Matter ◽  
Coastal Erosion ◽  
Stable Carbon Isotope ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Transport Pathways ◽  
Particulate Nitrogen ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Lena Delta

Abstract. Particulate organic matter (POM) derived from permafrost soils and transported by the Lena River represents a quantitatively important terrestrial carbon pool exported to Laptev Sea sediments (next to POM derived from coastal erosion). Its fate in a future warming Arctic, i.e. its remobilization and remineralization after permafrost thawing as well as its transport pathways to and sequestration in marine sediments is currently under debate. We present the first radiocarbon (14C) data set of surface water POM within the Lena Delta sampled in summers 2009–2010 and spring 2011 (n = 30 samples). The bulk Δ14C concentrations varied from −55 to −391‰ translating into 14C ages of 395 to 3920 yr BP. We further estimated the fraction of phytoplankton-derived POM to our samples based on (1) particulate organic carbon to particulate nitrogen ratios (POC:PN) and (2) on the stable carbon isotope (Δ13C) composition of our samples. Assuming that this phytoplankton POM has a modern 14C signature we inferred the 14C concentrations of the soil-derived POM fractions. The results ranged from −258 to −768‰ (i.e. 2340 to 11 700 14C yr BP) for the POC:PN-based scenario and from −191 to −704‰ (i.e. 1640 to 9720 14C yrs BP). Despite the limitations of our approach, the estimated Δ14C concentrations of the soil-derived POM fractions seem to reflect the heterogeneous 14C signal of the Lena River catchment soils covering a range from Holocene to Pleistocene ages. We therefore propose a typical isotopic signature of riverine soil-derived POM with a Δ13C of −26.6 ± 1.1‰ deduced from our data of Lena Delta soils and published values, and a Δ14C concentration of −362 ± 123‰ deduced from our Δ13C-based estimates. These data can help to improve the dual-carbon-isotope simulations used to quantify contributions from riverine soil POM, Pleistocene ice complex POM from coastal erosion, and marine POM in Siberian shelf sediments.

scholarly journals Freshwater Reservoir Effect on Redating of Eurasian Steppe Cultures: First Results for Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age Northeast Kazakhstan

Radiocarbon ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana V Svyatko ◽  
Ilya V Mertz ◽  
Paula J Reimer
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Eurasian Steppe ◽  
River Region ◽  
First Results ◽  
Irtysh River ◽  
Naoh Treatment ◽  
Freshwater Reservoir ◽  
A Minor

Freshwater reservoir effects (FRE) can cause problems when radiocarbon dating human skeletal material from the Eurasian steppe. This article presents the first results of research into the extent of the FRE in the sites of Borly 4 (Eneolithic) and Shauke 1 and 8b (Early Bronze Age), northeastern Kazakhstan. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)14C dating and stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N) analysis of associated groups of samples (32 samples, 11 groups in total) demonstrate the following: (a) the diet of the humans and fauna analyzed was based on the C3foodchain with no evidence of a C4plant (such as millet) contribution; aquatic resources apparently were a continuous dietary feature for the humans; (b) the first14C dates obtained for the Upper and Middle Irtysh River region attribute the Eneolithic period of the area to the 34th to 30th centuries BC, and the Early Bronze Age to the 25th to 20th centuries BC, with a ~450-yr hiatus between the two periods; (c) the maximum fish-herbivore freshwater reservoir offset observed equals 301 ± 4714C yr. As such,14C dates from aquatic and human samples from the area need to be interpreted with caution as they are likely to be affected by the offset (i.e. appear older). The article also discusses the effect of a sodium hydroxide (NaOH) wash on δ13C, δ15N, C:Natomiclevels and collagen yields of the bone samples. Our results indicate a minor but significant effect of NaOH treatment only on C:Natomicratios of the samples.

scholarly journals Animal consumption and social change: the vertebrates from Ditch 7 in the context of a diachronic approach to the faunal remains at Perdigões enclosure (3400-2000 BC)

Archaeofauna ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 75-106
Author(s):  
NELSON J. ALMEIDA ◽  
ANTÓNIO CARLOS VALERA
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Red Deer ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Faunal Assemblage ◽  
Tooth Marks ◽  
Animal Consumption

The results from the study of the faunal assemblage from ditch 7 of the Perdigões enclosure (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal) are presented. Dated to the Chalcolithic and the transition to the early Bronze Age it comprises a total of 3380 remains. Results show the rele- vance of swine, caprines, cervids, bovines and equids and their diachronic oscillation. Indicators of butchering and consumption were recorded, comprising cutmarks, anthropogenic breakage, thermo-alterations and tooth marks, the latter mainly of a carnivore origin. The spectra obtained were compared within the scope of the Perdigões chronology, from the late Middle Neolithic to the transition to the early Bronze Age (3400-2000 BC), thus representing a first approach to the diachronic behaviour of vertebrate consumption at the site. Domesticated species are prevalent but changes in the domesticated/wild ratio are evident with a wild input, mainly from red deer, of significance in the late Middle Neolithic and in the transition to the early Bronze Age, whereas the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods have a growth in the domesticated component.

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