scholarly journals Provenance analysis of human cremations by 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios: migration into an Iron Age mining region in North-Rhine Westphalia

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidney V. Sebald ◽  
Manuel Zeiler ◽  
Gisela Grupe
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Isotopic Ratio ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Isotopic Ratios ◽  
Burial Mound ◽  
Age At Death ◽  
Provenance Analysis ◽  
Morphological Examination ◽  
Non Local

The Siegerland (North-Rhine Westphalia, FRG) is famous for its early mining industry and ore exploitation. The archaeological context of cremated burials as well as grave goods indicate parallels to today's Wetterau (Hesse), suggesting migration into the Siegerland. After morphological examination of the cremations augmented by a histological age-at-death determination, provenance analysis by use of stable strontium isotope analysis was carried out. 60 individuals from the burial mound at Netphen-Deuz in the Siegerland were available for anthropological examination. The 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratio was measured in 29 dentine and 15 bone samples. At least 19 individuals exhibited a non-local isotopic signal which was compatible with a provenance from the Wetterau region. Since 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios in the bioapatite are thermally stable, provenance analysis of cremated finds is thus possible, whereby a testable archaeological hypothesis is prerequisite. Histological examination of cremated bones proved indispensable for the age-at-death estimation.

scholarly journals Feasting and Mobility in Iron Age Ireland: Multi-isotope analysis reveals the vast catchment of Navan Fort, Ulster

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Madgwick ◽  
Vaughan Grimes ◽  
Angela L. Lamb ◽  
Alexandra J. Nederbragt ◽  
Jane A. Evans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Faunal Assemblage ◽  
Barbary Macaque ◽  
Isotope Data ◽  
Irish Data ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Site Catchment

AbstractNavan Fort is an iconic prehistoric Irish ceremonial centre and the legendary capital of Ulster. The fort has produced an exceptional pig-dominated faunal assemblage that also contained a barbary macaque skull. Dating from the 4th to 1st century BC, it is likely to be a ceremonial feasting centre that may have drawn people and their animals from across Ulster and beyond. This study uses a multi-isotope (87Sr/86Sr, δ34S, δ13C, δ15N) approach to identify non-local animals and reconstruct site catchment. New biosphere mapping means that isotope data can be more confidently interpreted and the combination of strontium and sulphur analysis has the potential to estimate origins. In the absence of human remains, fauna provide the best proxy for human movement. Results for the 35 analysed animals are wide-ranging, especially in terms of strontium (0.707–0.715), which has the largest range for an Irish site. Sulphur values are more restricted (13.1‰−17.1‰) but are high in the context of British and Irish data. Results provide clear evidence for animals (and thus people) coming from across Ulster and beyond, demonstrating the site’s wide catchment. Navan Fort was clearly a major ceremonial centre with far-reaching influence and hosted feasts that drew people and animals from afar.

scholarly journals Detecting Mobility in Early Iron Age Thessaly by Strontium Isotope Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 590-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Panagiotopoulou ◽  
Janet Montgomery ◽  
Geoff Nowell ◽  
Joanne Peterkin ◽  
Argiro Doulgeri-Intzesiloglou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Tooth Enamel ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Strontium Isotope ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Population Movements ◽  
Burial Practices ◽  
Strontium Isotope Analysis ◽  
Cultural Transformations ◽  
Non Local

This article presents evidence of population movements in Thessaly, Greece, during the Early Iron Age (Protogeometric period, eleventh–ninth centuriesbc). The method we employed to detect non-local individuals is strontium isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr) of tooth enamel integrated with the contextual analysis of mortuary practices and osteological analysis of the skeletal assemblage. During the Protogeometric period, social and cultural transformations occurred while society was recovering from the disintegration of the Mycenaean civilization (twelfth centurybc). The analysis of the cemeteries of Voulokaliva, Chloe, and Pharsala, located in southern Thessaly, showed that non-local individuals integrated in the communities we focused on and contributed to the observed diversity in burial practices and to the developments in the formation of a social organization.

Mobility and diet in Prehistoric Denmark: strontium isotope analysis and incremental stable isotope analysis of human remains from the Limfjord area

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
LG Van der Sluis ◽  
JS Daly ◽  
KM Frei ◽  
PJ Reimer
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Strontium Isotope ◽  
Viking Age ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Strontium Isotope Analysis ◽  
Non Local

The Limfjord in Denmark held a prominent position throughout Prehistory as a natural communication port between east and west. Identifying the presence of non-local individuals might shed light on socio-economic and cultural changes occurring in the Limfjord area. Existing studies attempting to do so using strontium isotope analysis on Danish prehistoric remains focus on certain archaeological time periods and geographic locations, resulting in an uneven distribution of analysed material. This study aimed at filling a gap in the existing literature, both from a geographical as well as a chronological point of view. Additionally, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis on bone and tooth dentine from these individuals was carried out to examine dietary changes between childhood and adulthood. The strontium isotope results revealed four non-local individuals, two from the Neolithic, one from the Early Roman Iron Age and one from the Germanic Iron/Viking Age. We conducted incremental stable isotope analysis of tooth dentine from the four non-local individuals to investigate the palaeodietary information in their dental records at a higher resolution and potentially pinpoint their age at the time of movement. The two Neolithic individuals revealed stable isotope ratios that might be indicative of stress.

scholarly journals Molecular clocks in ancient proteins: Do they reflect the age at death even after millennia?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Sophia Mahlke ◽  
Silvia Renhart ◽  
Dorothea Talaa ◽  
Alexandra Reckert ◽  
Stefanie Ritz-Timme
Keyword(s):  
Protein Degradation ◽  
Forensic Medicine ◽  
Molecular Clocks ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Age At Death ◽  
Morphological Examination ◽  
Dental Tissues ◽  
Ancient Proteins ◽  
Age Estimates ◽  
Age At Death Estimation

AbstractAge at death estimation in cases of human skeletal finds is an important task in forensic medicine as well as in anthropology. In forensic medicine, methods based on “molecular clocks” in dental tissues and bone play an increasing role. The question, whether these methods are applicable also in cases with post-depositional intervals far beyond the forensically relevant period, was investigated for two “protein clocks”, the accumulation of D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) and the accumulation of pentosidine (Pen) in dentine. Eight teeth of skeletons from different burial sites in Austria and with post-depositional intervals between c. 1216 and c. 8775 years were analysed. The results of age at death estimation based on D-Asp and Pen in dentine were compared to that derived from a classical morphological examination. Age at death estimation based on D-Asp resulted consistently in false high values. This finding can be explained by a post-mortem accumulation of D-Asp that may be enhanced by protein degradation. In contrast, the Pen-based age estimates fitted well with the morphological age diagnoses. The described effect of post-mortem protein degradation is negligible in forensically relevant time horizons, but not for post-depositional intervals of thousands of years. That means that the “D-Asp clock” loses its functionality with increasing post-depositional intervals, whereas Pen seems to be very stable. The “Pen-clock” may have the potential to become an interesting supplement to the existing repertoire of methods even in cases with extremely long post-depositional intervals. Further investigations have to test this hypothesis.

Catacomb culture wagons of the Eurasian steppes

Antiquity ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 88 (340) ◽  
pp. 378-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.I. Shishlina ◽  
D.S. Kovalev ◽  
E.R. Ibragimova
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Burial Mound ◽  
Careful Selection ◽  
Southern Russia ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Wheeled Vehicles ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Catacomb Culture

The origin and development of wheeled vehicles continues to fascinate today no less than when Stuart Piggott (1974) first wrote about the subject inAntiquity40 years ago. A growing number of examples from the steppes of southern Russia and Ukraine are providing new insights into the design and construction of these complex artefacts. A recent example from the Ulan IV burial mound illustrates the techniques employed and the mastery of materials, with careful selection of the kinds of wood used for the wheels, axles and other elements. Stable isotope analysis of the individual interred in this grave showed that he had travelled widely, emphasising the mobility of steppe populations.

scholarly journals The earliest archaeological materials from excavations of 2013–2014 in the area of Yaroslavovo Dvorishche

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 85-92
Author(s):  
A. Andrienko ◽  
◽  
A. Shureyev ◽  
M. Zheltova ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Morphological Examination ◽  
Lower Horizon ◽  
Archaeological Materials ◽  
Metal Age

This paper considers the archaeological artefacts from the lower horizon of cultural deposits of the site excavated in 2013–2014 at Yaroslavovo Dvorishche in Veliky Novgorod. On the basis of morphological examination of the finds, three chronological groups have been distinguished dating from the mediaeval period (10th–11th century), early Iron Age and the Early Metal Age.

Paleodietary Patterns of the Cherepakha 13 Site Population (Early Iron Age) in Primorye (Maritime) Province, Russian Far East, based on Stable Isotope Analysis

Radiocarbon ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1611-1620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaroslav V Kuzmin ◽  
Vsevolod S Panov ◽  
Viacheslav V Gasilin ◽  
Sergei V Batarshev
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Russian Far East ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Far East ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Maritime Province

ABSTRACTNew paleodietary data were obtained after the discovery and excavation in 2015–2017 of the Cherepakha 13 site in the southern part of Primorye (Maritime) Province in far eastern Russia. The site is located near the coast of Ussuri Bay (Sea of Japan) and belongs to the Yankovsky cultural complex of the Early Iron Age 14C-dated to ca. 3000 BP (ca. 1200 cal BC). The stable isotope composition of the bone collagen for 11 humans and 30 animals was determined. For humans, the following values (with±1 sigma) were yielded: δ13C=–10.2±0.8‰; and δ15N=+12.4±0.3‰. The majority of terrestrial animals show the usual isotopic signals: δ13C=–19.4 ÷ –23.3‰; and δ15N=+4.6÷+6.6‰ (for wolves, up to +10.1‰); dogs, however, have an isotopic composition similar to humans: δ13C= –11.7±1.2‰; and δ15N=+12.4±0.4‰. Marine mammals have common values for pinnipeds: δ13C=–13.7 ÷ –14.6‰; and δ15N=+17.4 ÷ +18.0‰. The main food resources for the population of Cherepakha 13 site were (1) marine mollusks, fish, and mammals; and (2) terrestrial mammals; and possibly C4 plants (domesticated millets).

The Contribution of Stable Isotope Analysis to the Study of Childhood Movement and Migration

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie A. Hemer ◽  
Jane A. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Tooth Enamel ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Human Tooth ◽  
Population Mobility ◽  
Single Tooth ◽  
Non Local ◽  
And Migration

Stable isotope analysis is firmly established as a method for the investigation of past population mobility. The distinction between local and non-local individuals within a cemetery population relies on identifying an individual’s place of childhood residence through the analysis of strontium and oxygen isotopes present in human tooth enamel. Traditionally, studies investigating mobility focus on the analysis of a single tooth. More recently, however, it has become apparent that in order to investigate the mobility of an individual during childhood—and thus to consider the importance of children in the migration process—it is necessary to analyse a series of teeth which form at different stages during the early years of life. This chapter will consider the potential of—and challenges surrounding—this scientific approach to the investigation of childhood mobility in the past.

Geochemical and isotope analysis of produced water from the Utica/Point Pleasant Shale, Appalachian Basin

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 1224-1232 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Tasker ◽  
N. R. Warner ◽  
W. D. Burgos
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Contamination ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Appalachian Basin ◽  
Isotopic Ratios

Elemental and isotopic ratios can be used to identify environmental contamination form the increasing development of the Utica/Point Pleasant Shale.

scholarly journals Stable Isotope Enrichment (Δ15N) in the Predatory Flower Bug (Orius majusculus) Predicts Fitness-Related Differences between Diets

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Marta Montoro ◽  
Per M. Jensen ◽  
Lene Sigsgaard
Keyword(s):  
Diet Quality ◽  
Isotopic Ratio ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Mass Rearing ◽  
Isotope Enrichment ◽  
Orius Majusculus ◽  
Food And Feed ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Biochemical Analyses ◽  
Δ15n And Δ13c

Mass rearing of insects, used both as biological control agents and for food and feed, is receiving increasing attention. Efforts are being made to improve diets that are currently in use, and to identify alternative diets, as is the case with the predatory flower bug (Orius majusculus) and other heteropteran predators, due to the high costs of their current diet, the eggs of the Mediterranean flour moth (E. kuehniella). The assessment of alternative diets may include measurements of the predator’s fitness-related traits (development time, weight, etc.), and biochemical analyses such as lipid and protein content in the diet and the insects. However, assessing diet quality via the predator’s fitness-related traits is laborious, and biochemical composition is often difficult to relate to the measured traits. Isotope analysis, previously used for diet reconstruction studies, can also serve as a tool for the assessment of diet quality. Here, the variation in discrimination factors or isotope enrichment (Δ15N and Δ13C) indicates the difference in isotopic ratio between the insect and its diet. In this study, we investigated the link between Δ15N and diet quality in the predatory bug Orius majusculus. Three groups of bugs were fed different diets: Ephestia kuehniella eggs, protein-rich Drosophila melanogaster and lipid-rich D. melanogaster. The isotopic enrichment and fitness-related measurements were assessed for each group. Results show a relation between Δ15N and fitness-related measurements, which conform to the idea that lower Δ15N indicates a higher diet quality.

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