Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Variability of Bone Collagen to Determine the Number of Isotopically Distinct Specimens

Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory - Archaeological and palaeontological excavations frequently produce large quantities of highly fragmentary bone. These bones can help to answer...     

Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Spacing Between Bone and Tooth Collagen and Hydroxyapatite in Human Archaeological Remains

Spacing between stable isotope values in bones and teeth is a valuable tool for examining dietary influences and diagenesis. This study examines carbon and oxygen isotope values from collagen and hydroxyapatite (structural carbonate and phosphate) in archaeological human bones and teeth to derive species‐specific correlation equations and isotope spacing values. The δ¹³C_collagen and δ¹³C_{structural carbonate} in bone and dentin collagen show a strong correlation (R = 0.87, 0.90, respectively) with an average Δ¹³C_carb‐coll spacing of 5.4‰. The consistency of this isotope spacing with other large mammals and in humans with both low and high protein intake (as indicated by enriched δ¹⁵N values) suggests a similar allocation of protein‐derived carbon and whole diet‐derived carbon to collagen and structural carbonates, respectively, as other terrestrial mammals regardless of absolute meat intake. The δ¹⁸O_{structural carbonate} and δ¹⁸O_phosphate show the strongest correlation in enamel (R = 0.65), weaker correlations in dentin (R = 0.59) and bone (R = 0.35), with an average Δ¹⁸O_carb‐phos of 7.8‰. This isotope spacing is slightly lower than previously reported for large mammals and limited available data for humans. The results potentially indicate species‐specific fractionations and differing access to body water and blood‐dissolved inorganic carbonates in the presence of collagen formation. The use of correlation between δ¹⁸O_{structural carbonate} and δ¹⁸O_phosphate to determine diagenetic state is not recommended. The strength of this correlation observed in bones and teeth is variable and alternate indicators of diagenetic state (i.e. C:N ratios of collagen) provide more robust and independent evidence of isotope preservation despite presence/absence of a strong isotope correlation. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Carbon Isotope Variability in the Bone Collagen of Red Kangaroos (Macropus rufus) is Age Dependent: Implications for Palaeodietary Studies

Isotopic assessment of bone collagen is often used as an environmental tracer in both contemporary and palaeoenvironmental studies. However, variability in the isotopic composition of this tissue remains poorly understood for naturally occurring and wild populations of animals. In this study the stable carbon isotope composition of both diet and bone collagen was assessed for a population of red kangaroos (Macropus rufus). Animals sampled ranged in age from approximately 10 months to 15 years. The diet of this population, estimated from faeces collected in the field, varied from predominantly C₄grasses in late summer (δ¹³C⋍−16·5‰) to mostly C₃herbage in late winter (δ¹³C⋍−22·5‰), with a long-term average δ¹³C of between −19 and −20‰. Bone collagen was enriched in¹³C by 3 to 4‰ in older animals relative to pouch young. Isotopic analysis of hair, used to assess more recent diet in individuals, indicated that diet selection was similar in all animals that had been weaned. We suggest that the most likely explanation for the age-dependent relationship in the δ¹³C of bone collagen occurs because milk (the only source of nutrition in suckling kangaroos) is not fractionated in the same manner as plant-derived carbon during its assimilation into skeletal tissue. If this is the case, then such a relationship should be most predominant in mammals that have low birth weights (relative to the adult mother) and gain significant weight from milk. Whatever the precise mechanism(s) for the observed fractionation, bone collagen of kangaroos seems to retain an isotopic memory of the carbon laid down prior to weaning, which takes several years to be diluted and replaced with carbon derived from an “adult” herbaceous diet. These results have implications for palaeoecological research where fossil skeletal tissue is used as dietary or environmental tracers particularly if the relative age of the animals sampled is unknown.     

陶寺遗址家畜饲养策略初探:来自碳、氮稳定同位素的证据

前言与其他农业起源地一样,华北地区的居民在进入全新世大暖期后,开始尝试驯化动物[1]。动物资源的获取策略由依赖型转向开发型,家畜饲养逐渐成为先民肉食的主要来源[2],畜牧经济也逐步成为史前社会重要的     

New Dietary Evidence on Medieval Rural Communities of the Basque Country (Spain) and Its Surroundings from Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Analyses: Social Insights,Diachronic Changes and Geographic Comparison

This paper presents the results of palaeodietary reconstruction based on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis on bone collagen of five medieval rural populations from the Basque Country (northern Spain) spanning from 5^th to 15^th centuries ad . One hundred forty‐seven human and 47 domestic faunal samples were successfully analysed with the objective of defining agrarian productive strategies and food consumption patterns. The results grouped the five sites in two clusters: on one side Zaballa and Treviño, whose inhabitants followed diets exclusively based on C₃ plants with significant intake of animal protein, and on the other, the populations from Aistra and Zornoztegi, who combined C₃ and C₄ plants and consumed lower amounts of animal protein. The isotopic values from Dulantzi were intermediate to these two groups. No differences were detected when individual status markers, such as grave goods, were available. Conversely, some restrictions on the access to certain food resources based on sex were uncovered. A relevant change in δ¹³C values was identified around 10^th century, a consequence of a shift in the consumption patterns of C₃ and C₄ plants. Finally, these Basque sites were compared with those of the medieval Iberian case studies available in the literature. This comparison made evident the distinctive nature of the diet of the Basque medieval rural contexts. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diet Variability and Stable Isotope Analyses: Looking for Variables Within the Late Neolithic and Iron Age Human Groups from Gougenheim Site and Surrounding Areas (Alsace,France)

Several human groups (from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age) have been analysed in France during the past decade (mainly for C and N stable isotope) as part of research programmes focusing on prehistoric dietary variability. The environment, cultural/social choices or even biological characteristics are among the parameters influencing food acquisition and consumption. This short report presents the first diachronic isotopic results on the palaeodiet in northeastern France. Because of the exceptional archaeological characteristics (human deposits in various positions in pits) of the bone collection from the site of Gougenheim and the surrounding areas (Late Neolithic‐Iron Age, Alsace, France), this assemblage provides a new isotopic dataset to study diet and the potential relationship with social elements or other factors involved in food choices. In order to obtain individual palaeodietary information, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses were performed on 23 adults and 20 immature human bone collagen samples as well as on 25 animal remains. Data were then combined with zooarchaeological and anthropological/archaeological results to reconstruct part of the dietary pattern (i.e. protein consumed) and to detect possible links between the deposit and individual or group social status, defined here by specific mortuary practices. For the Late Neolithic period, isotopic values show, among other things, a wide δ¹³C range within the female human group, which is statistically lower than the male one. Women probably consumed more diversified food sources, suggesting increased residential mobility. Although body deposits point to the presence of two distinct subgroups, no relationship with animal protein intake was identified. Moreover, the comparison with Iron Age individuals brought to light different dietary patterns between the two periods, indicating that stable isotope values were affected throughout time either by increased millet/legume consumption or environmental/anthropic changes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Detection of Dietary Changes by Intra-tooth Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopic Analysis: An Experimental Study of Dentine Collagen of Cattle (Bos taurus)

Hypsodont teeth potentially contain a record of dietary or environmental changes occurring during their growth. The aim of our study is to understand how a dietary change is recorded in dentine collagen. Analyses were conducted on five steers (Bos taurus) raised in an experimental farm. From birth until weaning the steers were fed on a C₃diet; after weaning they were fattened on a C₄/C₃mixed diet until slaughter. Dentine collagen was sampled on demineralized molars from top to bottom. The change from the C₃to the C₄/C₃diet and weaning are both reflected in intra-tooth variations in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values, respectively. The abrupt change in carbon isotopic composition of the diet is reflected by a progressive change of the dentine collagen δ¹³C values. The gradual change may reflect sampling strategy and/or gradual turnover of the metabolic nutrient pool. The weaning process is reflected by a decrease in δ¹⁵N that exactly coincides with increase in δ¹³C. This demonstrates that when steers are weaned to a protein-poor diet, δ¹⁵N traces the cessation of suckling. Archaeological applications of this study are considered, including determination of the duration of lactation in prehistoric herds, and detection of residential mobility in cattle herders.     

Investigating Dietary Patterns with Stable Isotope Ratios of Collagen and Starch Grain Analysis of Dental Calculus at the Iron Age Cemetery Site of Heigouliang,Xinjiang, China

Here, we present δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N results for the dietary reconstruction of nomadic pastoralists from the Iron Age (ca. 1000 bc –8 ad ) site of Heigouliang. The human (n = 27) δ¹³C values range from −19.6‰ to −17.0‰ with a mean value of −18.5 ± 0.5‰, and the δ¹⁵N results range from 11.5‰ to 13.8‰ with a mean value of 12.4 ± 0.6‰. The results indicated that animals, like sheep, were part of the predominately C₃ terrestrial diet, but two individuals have values greater than −18‰ that is indicative of some input of C₄ foods in their diets. Because of a lack of faunal samples and to supply complementary information concerning plant consumption, teeth from four individuals were analysed for dental calculus microfossils. Starch grains were found to correspond to Triticeae and Poaceae, possibly including wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), highland barley (H. vulgare L var. nudum), foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and/or common millet (Panicum miliaceum). At the population level, no dietary differences were detected between burial owners and sacrificial victims, but variations were found when specific tombs were analysed. In particular, individuals with bone trauma associated with armed conflict also had distinct isotopic signatures possibly suggesting that some of the sacrificial victims could have been captured warriors that were sacrificed for the burial owners. While limited, the results are some of the first from an Iron Age population from Xinjiang and contribute to our understanding of the dietary patterns of this region. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing Prehispanic Herding Strategies through Stable Isotope Analysis: A Case Study from the Dry Puna of Argentina

ABSTRACT

The main goal of this work is to study the camelid herding and management strategies employed by the human groups that occupied the Dry Puna of Argentina during the late Holocene. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope compositions were measured on bone collagen from domesticated South American camelids (llamas: Lama glama) recovered at two archaeological sites (Huirunpure and Chayal Cave). These results were interpreted using an already published data set of δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N values measured on bone collagen from modern herds of llamas managed in a traditional way. Our results showed that even though the archaeological sites of Huirunpure and Chayal Cave are located within different settings – at 4020 and 3700?masl respectively – and present different chronologies – 0–650 and 1300–1500 CE respectively – the llamas from both sites exhibit similar δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N values. This pattern was explained considering the characteristics of the vegetation communities that grow in the vicinity of both sites as well as the paleoenvironmental records of the Andean highlands. In sum, this work presents and discusses some preliminary results on the study of prehispanic herding practices in the Dry Puna of Argentina during the first 1500 years of the Common Era through stable isotope analysis.     

Stable Isotope Analysis of Human and Faunal Remains from the Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Berinsfield,Oxfordshire: Dietary and Social Implications

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values were obtained from human and faunal bones from the Early Anglo-Saxon cemetery site at Wally Corner, Berinsfield, Oxfordshire, U.K. These values were used to characterize the diet of the burial community as a whole and to analyse dietary patterns within sub-groups determined by sex, age, grave goods, and possible household arrangement. While dietary variability is observed in all sub-groups tested, we identify an apparent distinction between the average diets of individuals classified as “wealthy” and “intermediately wealthy” and those classified as “poor”. A similar dietary difference indicates a status-based age differential between males under and over 30 years old, also reflected in the archaeological record. A notable absence of dietary differentiation was noted between males and females at Berinsfield, indicating that sex-based societal classification did not significantly influence an individual's access to the various food sources available to the Berinsfield community. Conclusions drawn from these isotopic data are of use in adding to the picture of daily life and social structure in early Anglo-Saxon Britain.     

The Whole Tooth and Nothing but the Tooth: Or why Temporal Resolution of Bone Collagen May Be Unreliable

The carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope ratios of human bone collagen have been used extensively over the last 40 years to investigate the diet of past populations. It has become apparent that bone collagen can give an unreliable temporal dietary signature especially in juveniles. With higher temporal resolution sampling of collagen from tooth dentine, it is possible to identify short-term changes in diet previously invisible in bone. This paper discusses the inherent problems of using bone collagen for dietary studies and suggests better sample choices, which can make our interpretations more robust, using breastfeeding and weaning as an example.     

Stable Isotope Analysis of Human and Animal Remains at the Qijiaping Site in Middle Gansu,China

Intercontinental exchanges between communities living in different parts of Eurasia during the late prehistoric period have become increasingly popular as a topic of archaeological research. The Qijia culture, found in northwest China, is one of the key archaeological cultures that can shed light on trans‐Eurasian exchange because a variety of imports are found in this cultural context. These imports include new cereals and animals, which suggest that human diets may also have changed compared with previous periods. To understand human and animal diets of the Qijia culture, carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from human and animal skeletal remains were analysed from the type site of the Qijia culture at Qijiaping. The results demonstrate that human diet at the site mainly consisted of millet and animals fed on millet. C₃ cereals, such as wheat and barley, did not contribute significantly to human diet, and no isotopic differences were found between adult and subadult diets. Furthermore, three outlying human results raise the possibility of exogenous individuals, perhaps in relation to the parallel movement of animals, crops and goods. This study provides human and animal dietary information for evaluating the nature of exchange and diffusion in eastern Eurasia at this time. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stable Isotope Record of Human and Sheep Enamel Carbonate from the Ancient Middle Euphrates Valley (Syria)

Stable isotope analyses of human tooth enamel have allowed us to reconstruct the isotope composition of dietary carbon, changes in the oxygen isotope composition of drinking water and the possible migration of humans in ancient Terqa and Tell Masaikh (SE Syria). δ¹⁸O_carbonate values of human tooth enamel from the interval comprising the Neo‐Assyrian to the modern Islamic periods (from 900 BC to AD 1949) generally mirror the isotope composition of Euphrates water, which is believed to have been a major drinking water source. Lower δ¹⁸O_carbonate values of human Bronze Age apatite are linked to a different hydrologic system that was present in the Middle Euphrates valley at that time (2650–1700 BC). Higher δ¹⁸O_carbonate values of some individuals in the Neo‐Assyrian (900–700 BC) and Islamic periods (AD 600–1200) may indicate human migration from the interior of the Near East. Low δ¹³C_carbonate values (−11.3 to −12.4‰) of human tooth enamel from the interval comprising the Early Bronze to the Islamic periods (from 2650 BC to AD 1200) indicate C₃ plants as a predominant source of dietary carbon. Changes in human dietary customs in SE Syria (with inferred usage of C₄ plants) occurred in the modern Islamic period only (AD 1850–1949). Oxygen and carbon isotope data of sheep enamel show the usage of water bodies characterised by an enhanced evaporation rate during the Neo‐Assyrian time (900–700 BC) and grazing sheep herds on drier areas during the Islamic and the modern Islamic periods (after AD 600). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterizing the Alabastro listato or fiorito of Hierapolis in Phrygia: A Simple Method to Identify its Provenance using Carbon Stable Isotopes

Alabastro listato or fiorito of Hierapolis in Phrygia was a prestigious coloured marble widely used in Roman architecture and decoration. This stone is generally identified in artefacts on autoptic examination, but it may sometimes be confused with alabasters of different provenances. This study describes a simple, but effective, scientific method to contribute to the determination of Hierapolis alabaster. Due to its unique genetic context, it is characterized by a distinctive carbon isotope signature. A comparison between the stable carbon isotope data from this paper and from the literature confirms the uniqueness of the isotopic character of Hierapolis alabaster. Carbon isotopes can ensure a reliably provenance attribution of the alabaster artefacts along with visual recognition by an expert eye.     

New Insights into Mesolithic Human Diet in the Mediterranean from Stable Isotope Analysis: The Sites of Campu Stefanu and Torre d'Aquila,Corsica

Mesolithic human remains are rare in the archaeological record of the French Mediterranean. Only the island of Corsica has so far produced relatively well‐preserved burials, and recent archaeological excavations have brought to light new Mesolithic human remains. The site of Campu Stefanu , located in Sollacaro in the southeast of the island, contained a collective burial of seven to eight individuals in a previously unobserved funerary context. A re‐evaluation of collections in regional museums yielded the remains from another Mesolithic individual from the site of Torre d 'Aquila , excavated at Pietracorbara, in the northern part of the island, at the beginning of the 1990s. These two discoveries presented the rare opportunity to obtain new radiocarbon dates and paleodietary insights from this crucial time period using stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) on collagen. From Campu Stefanu, one individual had sufficient collagen preserved for radiocarbon dating, revealing that it is the oldest Mesolithic human known on the island, dated to 10216–9920 cal. BP. At Torre d'Aquila, radiocarbon dates indicate that the individual belonged to a younger Mesolithic phase than Campu Stefanu, dated to 9903–9596 cal. BP. δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotope ratios are similar between the Campu Stefanu and Torre d'Aquila individuals and indicate a diet dominated by the consumption of terrestrial animal protein and a lack of marine resources. These findings are in contrast with the previous results from two other Mesolithic individuals from Corsica from the sites of Araguina Sennola and Monte Leone , for which about 25–30% of the consumed proteins came from a marine diet. The dietary variability recorded in Corsica is consistent with results obtained from Mesolithic human remains of Sicily and the Iberian Peninsula. We can hypothesise, that despite the nomadic lifestyle, the distance to the sea played a major role in Mesolithic food choices in Corsica. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stable Lead Isotope Analysis of Rio Grande Glaze Paints and Ores Using ICP-MS: A Comparison of Acid Dissolution and Laser Ablation Techniques

High resolution inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analyses of stable lead isotopes in Rio Grande glaze paints and New Mexico lead ores (galena) are compared using both acid dissolution and laser ablation techniques. These comparisons demonstrate that acid dissolution is preferable when more accurate measurements are required. In particular, acid dissolution with aqueous induction provided a better match between the archaeological glaze paints and their potential ore sources. However, these comparative studies also show that laser ablation may be an acceptable alternative for examining archaeological materials when the emphasis is on rapid, relatively non-destructive analyses of large data sets.     

Integrating Stable Isotope and Zooarchaeological Analyses in Historical Archaeology: A Case Study from the Urban Nineteenth-Century Commonwealth Block Site,Melbourne, Australia

This paper presents the first use of bone collagen stable isotope analyses for the purpose of reconstructing historical animal husbandry and trade practices in Australia. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of 51 domesticate and commensal specimens demonstrate that meats consumed at the mid to late nineteenth-century Commonwealth Block site in Melbourne derived from animals with a diverse range of isotopic signatures. Potential factors contributing to this diversity including animal trade and variability in local animal husbandry practices are discussed. From these results we suggest that stable isotope-based paleodietary reconstructions have significant potential to illuminate a variety of human-animal relations in Australia’s historical period as well as other New World contexts.     

Isolation and Isotopic Analysis of Individual Amino Acids from Archaeological Bone Collagen: A New Method Using Rp‐hplc

This paper presents a new method for the isolation and isotopic analysis of some individual amino acids from proteins. The technique and its constituent steps are discussed; then isotopic analyses of amino acids from several samples of bone collagen from the Late Roman site of Poundbury, Dorset, UK are presented. The applications of the method are discussed, as well as some advantages of this technique relative to other methods. Although developed for use with archaeological bone collagen, the technique is equally applicable to other proteinaceous materials. The use of reversed‐phase HPLC avoids problems of isotopic fractionation inherent in using ion‐exchange HPLC. Amino acids are isolated preparatively, allowing both carbon and nitrogen isotopic values to be measured on a single sample using CF‐IRMS. Since amino acids are isotopically analysed in an underivatized form (unlike GC‐C‐IRMS), the method also presents the possibility of collecting the CO₂ generated during CF‐IRMS: this would allow the subsequent dating by ¹⁴C‐AMS of individual amino acids isolated from archaeological samples.     

Adding Hydrogen to the Isotopic Inventory—Combining δ13C, δ15N and δ2H Stable Isotope Analysis for Palaeodietary Purposes on Archaeological Bone

Few papers using hydrogen stable isotope analysis for human palaeodietary reconstruction purposes have been published and the usefulness of this additional dietary indicator is highlighted here. The hydrogen stable isotope results provide evidence for the continued exploitation of aquatic resources throughout the prehistory of the Limfjord area in Denmark, which is supported by FRUITS estimates using three (CNH) isotopic proxies. While aquatic dietary input has been identified in Mesolithic and Viking Age individuals before, our results show that, in fact, this continued throughout the periods in between (Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age), albeit on a small scale.