Diet and society in Poland before the state: stable isotope evidence from a Wielbark population (2nd c. AD)

Abstract The 1st-4th c. AD Wielbark culture of Eastern Europe is relatively understudied bioarchaeologically due to the fragmentary nature of its cemeteries. Here, we report the first stable isotope analysis of Wielbark diet using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures from both collagen and carbonate of 30 individuals from Rogowo, a 2nd c. Wielbark cemetery in North-Central Poland. Diet at Rogowo was primarily based on terrestrial foods and included millet, a C4 plant cultivated by many Slavic populations in Europe. Anadromous fish likely supplemented the diet, which is clarified when considering collagen and carbonate data in tandem. Stable isotope differences between the sexes indicate that men and women may have consumed different foods, although there is a possibility that women immigrated to Rogowo from an isotopically different region of Europe. No significant differences are noted in δ13C or δ15N of women with and without grave goods, suggesting little social differentiation within the Wielbark culture, at least in terms of daily food access. Reconstructing human diet in Europe through stable isotope analysis is problematic because of the relative isotopic homogeneity in this region of the world. This study further demonstrates the utility of using both carbonate and collagen stable isotope data in tandem to reconstruct past European diet.

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Climate and Habitat Reconstruction Using Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Ratios of Collagen in Prehistoric Herbivore Teeth from Kenya

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/0033-5894(89)90048-3 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 407-422 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Stanley H. Ambrose ◽

Michael J. DeNiro

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Analytical Methods ◽

Rift Valley ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Nitrogen Isotope ◽

Isotope Ratios ◽

Habitat Conditions ◽

Stable Carbon ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen

AbstractStable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios have been determined for tooth collagen of 27 prehistoric herbivores from a rock shelter in the central Rift Valley of Kenya. Collagen samples whose isotope ratios were not altered by diagenesis were identified using several analytical methods. During the later Holocene, when the climate was as dry or drier than at present, the isotopic compositions of individual animals are similar to those of modern individuals of the same species. During the earlier Holocene, when the climate was wetter than at present, the δ15N and δ13C values are lower than those for their modern counterparts. When diagenetic factors can be discounted and adequate modern comparative data are available, stable isotope analysis of herbivore teeth and bones can be used to evaluate prehistoric climate and habitat conditions.

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Dating and Stable Isotope Analysis of Charred Residues from Neolithic Sites in the Primorye, Russian Far East

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/rdc.2016.122 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 59 (2) ◽

pp. 565-573 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Dai Kunikita ◽

Alexander N Popov ◽

Boris V Lazin ◽

Kazuki Morisaki ◽

Hiroyuki Matsuzaki

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Freshwater Fish ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Food Habits ◽

Russian Far East ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Far East ◽

Nitrogen Isotope ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

The Russian Far East

AbstractThis study attempts to reconstruct food habits through carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotope analysis and C/N analysis of charred residues inside pottery from the Primorye in the Russian Far East (Luzanova Sopka 2, Sergeyevka 1, Boisman 2, and Vetka 2 sites). Dates were obtained that were from the later stages of the Rudnaya culture (6980–6485 BP, 7800–7400 cal BP), proto-Boisman type (6760–6330 BP, 7600–7300 cal BP), Boisman culture (6155–4720 BP, 7100–5400 cal BP), and Vetka culture (6030–5870 BP, 6900–6700 cal BP). There are major differences in the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios between inland sites (δ13C –26.9 to –30.0‰, δ15N 7.6 to 9.3‰) and coastal sites (δ13C –18.1 to –24.2‰, δ15N 9.5 to 14.9‰). The results show that the diet of inland cultures consisted primarily of freshwater fish and terrestrial animals and plants, whereas that of coastal cultures consisted mainly of marine organisms.

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An investigation of diet in early Anglo-Saxon England using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of human bone collagen

Journal of Archaeological Science ◽

10.1016/j.jas.2011.10.013 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 39 (4) ◽

pp. 867-874 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

S. Mays ◽

N. Beavan

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Human Bone ◽

Bone Collagen ◽

Anglo Saxon ◽

Nitrogen Stable Isotope ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen

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Diet of spotted bats (Euderma maculatum) in Arizona as indicated by fecal analysis and stable isotopes

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z09-075 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 87 (10) ◽

pp. 865-875 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

M. L. Painter ◽

C. L. Chambers ◽

M. Siders ◽

R. R. Doucett ◽

J. O. Whitaker, Jr. ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotopes ◽

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Latitudinal Gradient ◽

Visual Analysis ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Stable Carbon ◽

Fecal Analysis ◽

Insect Prey ◽

Wing Hair

We assessed diet of spotted bats ( Euderma maculatum (J.A. Allen, 1891)) by visual analysis of bat feces and stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of bat feces, wing, hair, and insect prey. We collected 33 fecal samples from spotted bats and trapped 3755 insects where bats foraged. Lepidopterans averaged 99.6% of feces by volume; other insects were not a major component of diet. The δ13C and δ15N values of bat feces were similar to those of moths from families Noctuidae (N), Lasiocampidae (L), and Geometridae (G), but differed from Arctiidae (A) and Sphingidae (S). We used a mixing model to reconstruct diet; three families (N, L, G) represented the majority (88%–100%) of the diet with A + S representing 0%–12%. Although we compared δ13C and δ15N values of wing, hair, and feces of spotted bats, feces best represented recent diet; wing and hair were more enriched than feces by 3‰ and 6‰, respectively. This pattern was consistent with that reported for other bat species. We suggest that spotted bats persist across a wide latitudinal gradient partly because they can forage on a variety of noctuid, geometrid, and lasiocampid moths. Using visual fecal inspection with stable isotope analysis provided information on families of moths consumed by an uncommon bat species.

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Stable Isotope Analysis of Bone Collagen, Bone Apatite, and Tooth Enamel in the Reconstruction of Human Diet

ACS Symposium Series - Archaeological Chemistry ◽

10.1021/bk-1996-0625.ch025 ◽

1996 ◽

pp. 355-365 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

R. H. Tykot ◽

N. J. van der Merwe ◽

N. Hammond

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Tooth Enamel ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Bone Collagen ◽

Human Diet ◽

Bone Apatite

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Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis and Romano-British animal management along the Ridgeway, Oxfordshire

Journal of Archaeological Science Reports ◽

10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103254 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 40 ◽

pp. 103254

Author(s):

Anastasia Iorga ◽

Chris Gosden ◽

Gary Lock ◽

Rick Schulting

Keyword(s):

Isotope Analysis ◽

Nitrogen Isotope ◽

Stable Carbon ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Animal Management ◽

Nitrogen Isotope Analysis

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Stable Isotope Analysis and Persistent Organic Pollutants in Crustacean Zooplankton: The Role of Size and Seasonality

Water ◽

10.3390/w11071490 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 1490 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Roberta Piscia ◽

Michela Mazzoni ◽

Roberta Bettinetti ◽

Rossana Caroni ◽

Davide Cicala ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Standing Stock ◽

Fish Predation ◽

Crustacean Zooplankton ◽

Isotopic Signatures ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Pollutant Concentrations ◽

Stock Biomass

Zooplankton is crucial for the transfer of matter, energy, and pollutants through aquatic food webs. Primary and secondary consumers contribute to the abundance and standing stock biomass, which both vary seasonally. By means of taxa- and size-specific carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, the path of pollutants through zooplankton is traced and seasonal changes are addressed, in an effort to understand pollutant dynamics in the pelagic food web. We analyzed zooplankton plurennial changes in concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its relatives (DDTs) and in taxa-specific δ15N signatures in two size fractions, ≥450 µm and ≥850 µm, representative of the major part of zooplankton standing stock biomass and of the fraction to which fish predation is mainly directed, respectively. Our work is aimed at verifying: (1) A link between nitrogen isotopic signatures and pollutant concentrations; (2) the predominance of size versus seasonality for concentration of pollutants; and (3) the contribution of secondary versus primary consumers to carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures. We found a prevalence of seasonality versus size in pollutant concentrations and isotopic signatures. The taxa-specific δ15N results correlated to pollutant concentrations, by means of taxa contribution to standing stock biomass and δ15N isotopic signatures. This is a step forward to understanding the taxa-specific role in pollutant transfer to planktivores and of zooplankton enrichment in PCBs and DDTs.

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