scholarly journals Spatially Resolved Strontium Isotope Micro-Analysis of Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Fauna from Archaeological Sites in Israel and Southern France

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Moffat
Keyword(s):  
Laser Ablation ◽  
Wild Boar ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Fallow Deer ◽  
Strontium Isotope ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Middle Palaeolithic ◽  
Strontium Isotope Analysis ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Micro Analysis

The use of strontium isotope analysis to provenance biominerals such as bone and teeth has become a regularly applied component of archaeological research. This method works by comparing the isotopic composition of these materials with regional bioavailable soil values, allowing an estimation of the distance and vector of an individual’s mobility. New advances in analytical equipment has facilitated the spatially resolved micro-analysis of strontium isotope composition using laser ablation sampling, allowing intra-sample heterogeneity to be quantified. This provides the opportunity to determine not only the overall provenance of a material, but also the degree of mobility during biomineral formation.This research applies laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (LA-MC-ICPMS) to 90 teeth of Lower and Middle Palaeolithic faunal prey from Lower and Middle Palaeolithic archaeological sites within Israel and France. These sites span a crucial period in human evolution, characterised by the radiation of multiple hominin species and by dynamic oscillations of climate with attendant changes in fauna and flora. The strontium isotope values from LA-MC-ICPMS analysis in this thesis show a high level of intra-sample variability, which would not have been captured by a traditional analytical methodology. This suggests that, despite some problems in obtaining accurate results due to offsets between solution and laser values, strontium isotope studies that do not utilise spatially resolved micro-analysis are unable to accurately determine mobility.The results of this research demonstrate that fauna from the archaeological sites of interest—including Amud, Qafzeh, Tabun, Skhull, Holon, Bois Roche, Le Moustier, La Chapelle-aux-Saints, Les Fieux, Pech de l’Azé II and Rescoundudou—appear to have patterns of mobility that are controled by variables such as species, marine isotope stages (MIS) and regional physiography. Specifically, Persian fallow deer, bison, mountain goat/chamois and fox are frequently mobile between different geological environments during amelogenesis while wild boar and rhinoceros are sessile. The calculated range of distance for minimum possible mobility for each sample is large, ranging from 0 km to 350 km. The median values for minimum possible mobility for each species suggest that wild boar, bison and fox are mobile over the greatest distance while Bos, rhinoceros, Persian fallow deer and unidentified deer are mobile over the least. Furthermore, fauna in MIS 4 and 3 are significantly more mobile than in MIS 6 and 5. Fauna from France are more mobile than those from Israel, which is attributed to the location of the archaeological sites adjacent to significant river systems that could serve as conduits of mobility, even during inhospitable climate periods. Overall, these insights show that strontium isotope analysis can be usefully applied to quantifying mobility on a broad temporal and geographic scale, rather than simply being used, as is typical, for locating the source of material within a specific archaeological site.

Strontium isotope analysis of curved tooth enamel surfaces by laser-ablation multi-collector ICP-MS

2014 ◽  
Vol 416 ◽  
pp. 142-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Le Roux ◽  
J.A. Lee-Thorp ◽  
S.R. Copeland ◽  
M. Sponheimer ◽  
D.J. de Ruiter
Keyword(s):  
Laser Ablation ◽  
Tooth Enamel ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Strontium Isotope ◽  
Strontium Isotope Analysis ◽  
Icp Ms

scholarly journals Spatially resolved LA-MC-ICPMS strontium isotope microanalysis of archaeological fauna

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Moffat ◽  
Chris Stringer ◽  
Rainer Grün
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Strontium Isotope ◽  
Strontium Isotope Analysis ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Geographic Origins ◽  
Archaeological Materials ◽  
Strontium Isotope Composition

The analysis of the strontium isotope composition of archaeological materials can provide important information about the mobility of a range of mammals, including humans. The basis of this method is that, prior to any postburial diagenesis, the Sr87/Sr86 ratio of bone and teeth reflects the geological environment from which food and water were sourced while these biominerals were forming. Teeth are particularly amenable to tracing the geographic origins of humans as they mineralize during the first 12–13 years of life (White and Folkens, 2005) and do not subsequently change strontium composition after this time (Schweissing and Grupe, 2003). Strontium isotope analysis can be used to determine if individuals are local or nonlocal by comparison to the isotopic composition in and around their burial location (i.e., Schweissing and Grupe, 2000; Bentley et al., 2007; Conlee et al., 2009). In order to quantify the extent of faunal mobility, the strontium isotope composition of biominerals from fossil samples needs to be compared with a regional map of values obtained either from local faunal material (Price et al., 2002) or from analysis of the bioavailable component of strontium from plants, regolith, or bedrock (Capo et al., 1998).Strontium isotope analysis has been extensively applied to the determination of archaeological mobility, as reviewed by Price et al. (2002), Budd et al. (2004), Bentley (2006), and Montgomery (2010). Although studies of Paleolithic or older archeological material are rare, some have been undertaken on hominins (Sillen et al., 1995, 1998; Richards et al., 2008; Copeland et al., 2011) and faunal material (Horn et al., 1994; Copeland et al., 2010; Britton et al., 2011).Enamel has been shown to be the most favorable material for strontium isotope analysis based on its ability to resist postburial alteration far better than dentine, cement, or bone (Trickett et al., 2003). Enamel of some species grows over extended periods and, when analyzed with microprofiling or laser ablation analysis, can be used to reconstruct comprehensive life histories. This approach demonstrated the seasonal mobility of cattle in Iron Age Britain (Horstwood et al., 2008), Neolithic Germany (Bentley and Knipper, 2005), and England (Viner et al., 2010).

scholarly journals Spondylus shells at prehistoric sites in Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aldona Kurzawska ◽  
Iwona Sobkowiak-Tabaka
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Strontium Isotope ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Neolithic Period ◽  
Strontium Isotope Analysis ◽  
The Mediterranean

This article presents the results of research concerning shell ornaments discovered in Poland and described in the literature as made of Spondylus shells. Our study focuses on the identification and revision of these artefacts in terms of species, ornament types, and locations of discovery. Additionally, we address the issue of the role of Spondylus shell ornaments and their meaning to the Neolithic communities inhabiting the area of present-day Poland. Our research involved specialist analyses, which allowed us to identify seven Spondylus shell artefacts discovered at five archaeological sites. The strontium isotope analysis 87Sr / 86Sr indicated the Quaternary age of the shells, confirming that they were contemporaneous with prehistoric communities and originated from areas located around the Mediterranean Sea. Presenting the results of our study, we would like to join a wider discussion on the importance of Spondylus shell ornaments in Central Europe in the Neolithic period.

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