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Smith TM, Ávila JN, Arora M, Austin C, Drake T, Kinaston R, Sudron E, Wang Y, Williams IS. Brief communication: New method for measuring nitrogen isotopes in tooth dentine at high temporal resolution. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024:e24991. [PMID: 38923412 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) are widely used to study human nursing and weaning ages. Conventional methods involve sampling 1-mm thick sections of tooth dentine-producing an averaging effect that integrates months of formation. We introduce a novel protocol for measuring δ15N by multicollector secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). MATERIALS AND METHODS We sampled dentine δ15N on a weekly to monthly basis along the developmental axis in two first molars of healthy children from Australia and New Zealand (n = 217 measurements). Nitrogen isotope ratios were determined from measurements of CN- secondary molecular ions in ~35 μm spots. By relating spot position to enamel formation, we identified prenatal dentine, as well as sampling ages over more than 3 years. We also created calcium-normalized barium and strontium maps with laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. RESULTS We found rapid postnatal δ15N increases of ~2‰-3‰, during which time the children were exclusively breastfed, followed by declines as the breastfeeding frequency decreased. After weaning, δ15N values remained stable for several months, coinciding with diets that did not include meat or cow's milk; values then varied by ~2‰ starting in the third year of life. Barium did not show an immediate postnatal increase, rising after a few months until ~1-1.5 years of age, and falling until or shortly after the cessation of suckling. Initial strontium trends varied but both individuals peaked months after weaning. DISCUSSION Developmentally informed SIMS measurements of δ15N minimize time averaging and can be precisely related to an individual's early dietary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M Smith
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Janaína N Ávila
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Manish Arora
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Christine Austin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Teresa Drake
- Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Rebecca Kinaston
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
- BioArch South, Waitati, New Zealand
| | - Emma Sudron
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yue Wang
- Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Ian S Williams
- Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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Martín-Alonso JF, Laffranchi Z, Milella M, Coppola-Bove L, Mena-Sánchez LA, Jiménez-Brobeil SA. North and South in Medieval Iberia: A historical and environmental estimate through isotopic analyses. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304313. [PMID: 38838003 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The Middle Ages in the Iberian Peninsula is a period of special interest for studying the relationship of climate change with historical and socioeconomic processes. Between the 8th and 15th centuries AD, the Peninsula was characterized not only by complex political, cultural, and social transitions but also by major variations in the climate. The objective of this study was to examine differences in diet and mobility between distinct populations of the Peninsula and explore the possible relationship of diet, mobility, and culture with environmental variables and geographical settings. For this purpose, we obtained stable isotopic ratios of carbon and oxygen (δ13C and δ18O) from the enamel apatite of first upper incisors from 145 individuals at eight archeological sites that represent both Christian and Islamic communities and both rural and urban social settings. Results revealed a dietary difference between Christian and Islamic populations, observing a greater contribution of C4 plants, possibly sorghum, in the diet of the latter, especially in a rural setting. The disparity in oxygen isotopic ratios between populations from the North and South of the Peninsula is consistent with modern climatic differences between these regions. In this line, intraregional variability in oxygen isotopic ratios may hint at diachronic occupation phases under varying climatic conditions. The few isotopic outliers in our sample suggest overall low mobility levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zita Laffranchi
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marco Milella
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lorenza Coppola-Bove
- Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Luis A Mena-Sánchez
- Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Sylvia A Jiménez-Brobeil
- Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Riccomi G, Simonit R, Maudet S, Scott E, Lucas M, Giuffra V, Roberts P. Diets, stress, and disease in the Etruscan society: Isotope analysis and infantile skeletal palaeopathology from Pontecagnano (Campania, southern Italy, 730-580 BCE). PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302334. [PMID: 38748638 PMCID: PMC11095689 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Susceptibility to morbidity and mortality is increased in early life, yet proactive measures, such as breastfeeding and weaning practices, can be taken through specific investments from parents and wider society. The extent to which such biosocialcultural investment was achieved within 1st millennium BCE Etruscan society, of whom little written sources are available, is unkown. This research investigates life histories in non-adults and adults from Pontecagnano (southern Italy, 730-580 BCE) in order to track cross-sectional and longitudinal breastfeeding and weaning patterns and to characterize the diet more broadly. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of incrementally-sampled deciduous and permanent dentine (n = 15), bulk bone collagen (n = 38), and tooth enamel bioapatite (n = 21) reveal the diet was largely based on C3 staple crops with marginal contributions of animal protein. Millet was found to play a role for maternal diet and trajectories of breastfeeding and feeding for some infants and children at the site. The combination of multiple isotope systems and tissues demonstrates exclusive breastfeeding was pursued until 0.6 years, followed by progressive introduction of proteanocius supplementary foods during weaning that lasted between approximately 0.7 and 2.6 years. The combination of biochemical data with macroscopic skeletal lesions of infantile metabolic diseases and physiological stress markers showed high δ15Ndentine in the months prior to death consistent with the isotopic pattern of opposing covariance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Riccomi
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Division of Paleopathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
| | - Rachele Simonit
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Division of Paleopathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Erin Scott
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
| | - Mary Lucas
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, isoTROPIC Research Group, Jena, Germany
| | - Valentina Giuffra
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Division of Paleopathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Patrick Roberts
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, isoTROPIC Research Group, Jena, Germany
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4
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Pezo-Lanfranco L, Colonese AC. The role of farming and fishing in the rise of social complexity in the Central Andes: a stable isotope perspective. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4582. [PMID: 38403727 PMCID: PMC10894859 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55436-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
For many years, the rise of stratified societies along the Central Andean coast, known as the birthplace of Andean civilization, has been closely linked to a marine-oriented economy. This hypothesis has recently been challenged by increasing evidence of plant management and cultivation among Andean populations long before the emergence of complex societies and monumental architecture. The extent to which marine and plant-based economies were integrated and their contributions to early sedentism, population growth, and intra-community stratification, however, remain subjects of ongoing and contentious debate. Using Bayesian Mixing Models we reanalyze the previously published stable isotopes (δ15Ncollagen, δ13Ccollagen, δ13Capatite) values of 572 human individuals from 39 archaeological sites in the Central Andes dated between ca. 7000 BCE and 200 CE to reconstruct dietary regimes in probabilistic terms. Our results reveal that fish, terrestrial fauna, and cultivated plants variably contributed to the diet of prehistoric Andean populations; in coastal and middle valley settlements plant cultivation, not fishing, fueled the development of the earliest complex societies during the Formative Period (from 3000 BCE). Similarly, in the highlands the societies that built ceremonial centers show a plant-based economy. Our findings also show that maize only became a staple food (> 25% dietary contribution) in more recent phases of Andean prehistory, around 500 BCE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Pezo-Lanfranco
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
- Department of Prehistory, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - André Carlo Colonese
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Prehistory, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
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Clark CT, Yang P, Halden N, Ferguson SH, Matthews CJD. Patterns of trace element deposition in beluga whale teeth reflect early life history. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 340:139938. [PMID: 37634591 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Determination of trace element concentrations in continuously growing biological structures such as otoliths, whiskers, and teeth can provide important insight into physiological and ontogenetic processes. We examined concentrations of 11 trace elements (Li, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Cs, Ba, Pb) in the annual dentine growth layer groups (GLGs) of teeth of 66 Eastern Canadian Arctic belugas (Delphinapterus leucas). Several of these trace elements displayed clear and consistent patterns in early life, though few longer term trends or signals were present in trace element data for either females or males. Large changes in Sr and Ba concentrations in fetal dentine reflected in utero shifts in element deposition in the teeth of developing belugas. Marked changes in these elements during the first years after birth were likely associated with the onset of nursing and subsequent weaning. Mg, Mn, and Zn also displayed clear and consistent patterns in early life that correlated strongly with dentine stable nitrogen isotope (δ15N) data, suggesting these elements merit further study as potential tools for studying nursing and weaning. Depositional patterns of Zn and Pb, which have been linked to sexual maturation in female Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), were inconsistent in beluga teeth. Some individuals (including males) displayed patterns strongly resembling those observed in female walruses, whereas many animals did not, perhaps because they had not yet reached sexual maturity. The lack of clear patterns in trace element deposition after the first few years of life may have resulted from pooling samples from multiple populations/regions collected across more than two decades, but may also indicate that elemental concentrations are primarily driven by other, extrinsic processes later in life, and might be useful as biomonitors of environmental element concentrations or tools for delineating population structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey T Clark
- Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Olympia, WA, USA.
| | - Panseok Yang
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB, R3T 2N6, Canada
| | - Norm Halden
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB, R3T 2N6, Canada
| | - Steven H Ferguson
- Arctic Aquatic Research Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Cory J D Matthews
- Arctic Aquatic Research Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Romboni M, Arienzo I, Di Vito MA, Lubritto C, Piochi M, Di Cicco MR, Rickards O, Rolfo MF, Sevink J, De Angelis F, Alessandri L. La Sassa cave: Isotopic evidence for Copper Age and Bronze Age population dynamics in Central Italy. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288637. [PMID: 37494366 PMCID: PMC10370757 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
This study focuses on the changes in diet and mobility of people buried in the La Sassa cave (Latium, Central Italy) during the Copper and Bronze Ages to contribute to the understanding of the complex contemporary population dynamics in Central Italy. To that purpose, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses, strontium isotope analyses, and FT-IR evaluations were performed on human and faunal remains from this cave. The stable isotope analyses evidence a slight shift in diet between Copper and Bronze Age individuals, which becomes prominent in an individual, dating from a late phase, when the cave was mainly used as a cultic shelter. This diachronic study documents an increased dietary variability due to the introduction of novel resources in these protohistoric societies, possibly related to the southward spread of northern human groups into Central Italy. This contact between different cultures is also testified by the pottery typology found in the cave. The latter shows an increase in cultural intermingling starting during the beginning of the middle Bronze Age. The local mobility during this phase likely involved multiple communities scattered throughout an area of a few kilometers around the cave, which used the latter as a burial site both in the Copper and Bronze ages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Romboni
- Centre of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Studies, Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ilenia Arienzo
- National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Vesuvius Observatory, Naples, Italy
| | - Mauro Antonio Di Vito
- National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Vesuvius Observatory, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmine Lubritto
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali Biologiche e Farmaceutiche (DISTABiF), Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
- INFN Naples - CHNet, Naples, Italy
| | - Monica Piochi
- National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Vesuvius Observatory, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Rosa Di Cicco
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali Biologiche e Farmaceutiche (DISTABiF), Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Olga Rickards
- Centre of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Studies, Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Mario Federico Rolfo
- Department of History, Culture and Society, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Jan Sevink
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Flavio De Angelis
- Centre of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Studies, Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
- Department of Mental, Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Alessandri
- Groningen Institute of Archaeology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Science of Antiquity, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
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Endo T, Kimura O, Terasaki M, Nakagun S, Kato Y, Fujii Y, Haraguchi K, Baker CS. Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotope ratios of striped dolphins and short-finned pilot whales stranded in Hokkaido, northern Japan, compared with those of other cetaceans stranded and hunted in Japan. ISOTOPES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH STUDIES 2023; 59:230-247. [PMID: 37549039 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2023.2234590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Strandings of striped dolphins (SD) and short-finned pilot whales (PW) in Hokkaido, northern Japan, are rare but have recently increased, probably due to global warming. We quantified δ13C, δ15N, and δ18O in muscles of SD (n = 7) and PW (n = 3) stranded in Hokkaido and compared these values with those in muscles (red meat products) of hunted SD and PW in three areas of central and southern Japan. δ18O in stranded SD, except for the calf, decreased with increasing body length (BL), whereas δ13C increased, with no BL-related changes in δ15N. The variability of δ18O (range of maximum and minimum) was larger in the stranded SD (7.5 ‰) than of the hunted SD in three areas (0.9, 1.9, and 1.4 ‰), whereas that of δ15N was smaller in the stranded SD than in the hunted SD. Similarly, the variability of δ18O was larger in the stranded PW in Hokkaido (3.3 ‰) than in the hunted PW in central Japan (1.4 ‰). The larger variability of δ18O and smaller variability of δ15N in stranded SD imply long-term sojourning in coastal waters and feeding on small amounts of limited prey species at low trophic levels before death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuya Endo
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Ishikari-Tobetsu, Japan
| | - Osamu Kimura
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Ishikari-Tobetsu, Japan
| | - Masaru Terasaki
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Ishikari-Tobetsu, Japan
| | - Shotaro Nakagun
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Yoshihisa Kato
- Kagawa School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokushima Bunri University, Sanuki, Japan
| | - Yukiko Fujii
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Daiichi University of Pharmacy, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Koichi Haraguchi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Daiichi University of Pharmacy, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - C Scott Baker
- Marine Mammal Institute and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
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Radini A, Nikita E. Beyond dirty teeth: Integrating dental calculus studies with osteoarchaeological parameters. QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR QUATERNARY RESEARCH 2023; 653-654:3-18. [PMID: 37089908 PMCID: PMC10109118 DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The study of ancient human dental calculus (mineralized dental plaque, also known as tartar) is becoming increasingly important in osteoarchaeology, human palaeoecology and environmental archaeology. Microremains of different origin (e.g. starch granules, pollen, phytoliths, feather barbules) as well as biomolecules and chemical compounds retrieved from its mineral matrix may represent an important link between past humans and their physical, biological and social environment, but they are rarely fully linked to the evidence from skeletal remains. This paper critically reviews the lines of evidence retrieved from dental calculus in relation to osteoarchaeological parameters, employing macroscopic, microscopic and biomolecular approaches, assessing synergy potential and limitations. The scope of this paper is also to contribute to the building of a much needed theoretical framework in this emerging subfield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Radini
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, The University of York, Wentworth Way, York, UK
- York JEOL Nanocentre, The University of York, Science Park, York, UK
- Corresponding author. BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, The University of York, Wentworth Way, York, UK.
| | - Efthymia Nikita
- Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, 2121, Aglantzia, Nicosia, Cyprus
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Tsutaya T, Mizushima N. Evolutionary biological perspectives on current social issues of breastfeeding and weaning. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 36815441 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Breastfeeding and weaning are actively studied from evolutionary, medical, and social research perspectives because of their close association with infant mortality, lifetime health, and human population dynamics. Each discipline benefits from an interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge regarding the bases, processes, and consequences of these phenomena. However, current social issues related to breastfeeding and weaning have received little attention from an evolutionary biology perspective. We address this gap by reviewing current social issues related to human breastfeeding and weaning in an evolutionary framework. This approach helps build a conceptual framework with the goal of better understanding ultimate causes of or influences on these current social issues. The six social issues reviewed here fall into three categories: the spatiotemporal constraints of breastfeeding, abuse of breast milk as valuable material, and mismatch in breastfeeding practices. Some of these issues have an evolutionary basis. We analyze the structure of these social issues and discuss their possible solutions in terms of extension of the trade-off theory in evolutionary biology. Our discussion on the current social issues in breastfeeding and weaning highlights the effectiveness of an approach rooted in evolutionary theory and biological anthropology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Tsutaya
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, Research Center for Integrative Evolutionary Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan.,Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nozomi Mizushima
- Department of Social System Design, Eikei University of Hiroshima, Naka-ku, Hiroshima, Japan
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Children of the grave: Investigating non-adult feeding practices in medieval and early modern Estonia through stable isotope analysis. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0279546. [PMID: 36598920 PMCID: PMC9812304 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying infant diet and feeding practices through stable isotope analysis provides direct insight into the life and health of vulnerable population groups in the past. Although the general diet in medieval and early modern Livonia has been reconstructed from written sources, little is known about childhood diet during this tumultuous period of Eastern European history. This study presents a comparative investigation of the staple non-adult diet in urban/rural communities during the 13th-17th centuries AD, with a special focus on feeding practices. We aim to reveal the impact of socio-economic circumstances on early childhood nutrition, which affects the physical development and overall survival of this susceptible population group. Bone collagen samples from 176 individuals between the fetal and the 7-15 age categories from four urban/rural South-Estonian cemeteries were cross-sectionally analyzed via EA-IRMS (Elemental Analysis with Isotope Ratio Mass Spectroscopy) for δ13C and δ15N. Results suggest that South-Estonian children had a staple terrestrial C3 diet integrated with animal proteins. Significant divergences were observed between urban and rural sites and slight variation occurred among rural subgroups, possibly resulting from a wider food choice available in towns, different consumption of C4 foods, and/or secular changes. This study provides the first data regarding infant feeding practices in medieval and early modern Livonia. These practices were similar among the different contexts, indicating comparable cultural traditions in child rearing. Breastfeeding was likely practiced for 1-2 years, with supplementary foods introduced around 1 year of age. The weaning process was probably concluded around the age of 3. The δ13C and δ15N values of older children are comparable to those of the adults from the same sites, indicating their diets became similar after weaning, when they started working and obtained a more mature social status.
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Pospieszny Ł, Makarowicz P, Lewis J, Szczepanek A, Górski J, Włodarczak P, Romaniszyn J, Grygiel R, Belka Z. Assessing the mobility of Bronze Age societies in East-Central Europe. A strontium and oxygen isotope perspective on two archaeological sites. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282472. [PMID: 36930597 PMCID: PMC10022790 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
European Bronze Age societies are generally characterised by increased mobility and the application of isotopic methods to archaeology has allowed the rate and range of human travels to be quantified. However, little is known about the mobility of the people inhabiting East-Central Europe in the late Early and Middle Bronze Age (1950-1250 BC) whose primary subsistence strategy was herding supported by crop cultivation. This paper presents the results of strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope analyses in the enamel of people buried in collective graves at the cemeteries in Gustorzyn and Żerniki Górne. These sites are located in Kujawy and the Nida Basin, a lowland and an upland region with clearly different environmental conditions, respectively. Both sites are classified as belonging to the Trzciniec cultural circle and were used between 16th and 13th centuries BC. Among the 34 examined individuals only an adult female from Gustorzyn can be assessed as non-local based on both 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O signatures in her first molar. This may indicate the practice of exogamy in the studied population but more generally corresponds with the hypothesis of limited mobility within these societies, as has previously been inferred from archaeological evidence, anthropological analysis, and stable isotope-based diet reconstruction. New and existing data evaluated in this paper show that the 87Sr/86Sr variability in the natural environment of both regions is relatively high, allowing the tracking of short-range human mobility. A series of oxygen isotope analyses (conducted for all but one individuals studied with strontium isotopes) indicates that δ18O ratios measured in phosphate are in agreement with the predicted modern oxygen isotope precipitation values, and that this method is useful in detecting travels over larger distances. The challenges of using both 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O isotopic systems in provenance studies in the glacial landscapes of temperate Europe are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Pospieszny
- Institute of Archaeology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jamie Lewis
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Anita Szczepanek
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Science, Kraków, Poland
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
| | - Jacek Górski
- Department of History and Cultural Heritage, University of Pope Jan Paweł II, Kraków, Poland
- Archaeological Museum in Cracow, Kraków, Poland
| | - Piotr Włodarczak
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Science, Kraków, Poland
| | - Jan Romaniszyn
- Faculty of Archaeology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań, Poland
| | | | - Zdzislaw Belka
- Isotope Research Unit, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
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Smith TM, Arora M, Bharatiya M, Dirks W, Austin C. Brief Communication: Elemental Models of Primate Nursing and Weaning Revisited. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 180:216-223. [PMID: 37406034 PMCID: PMC10099337 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Objectives Intra-tooth patterns of trace elements barium (Ba) and strontium (Sr) have been used to infer human and nonhuman primate nursing histories, including australopithecine and Neanderthal juveniles. Here we contrast the two elemental models in first molars (M1s) of four wild baboons and explore the assumptions that underlie each. Materials and Methods Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was employed to create comprehensive calcium-normalized barium and strontium (Ba/Ca, Sr/Ca) maps of M1 enamel and dentine at 35 micron resolution. Results Postnatal Ba/Ca values were typically high, peaking ~0.5 years of age and then decreasing throughout M1 crown formation; all four individuals showed minimal Ba/Ca values between ~1.2-1.8 years, consistent with field reports of the cessation of suckling. Enamel Sr/Ca did not support patterns of previous LA-ICP-MS spot sampling as the enamel rarely showed discrete Sr/Ca secretory zonation. Increases in Sr/Ca appeared in coronal dentine beginning ~0.3 years, with varied peak value ages (~0.7-2.7 years) and no evidence of a predicted postweaning decline. Discussion Inferences of baboon weaning ages from initial Ba/Ca minima are more congruent with behavioral observations than Sr/Ca maxima; this is consistent with studies of captive macaques of known weaning ages. Elemental variation is more apparent in the coronal dentine than the enamel of these baboons, which may relate to its more rapid mineralization and protection from the oral environment. Inferences of nursing histories from enamel Sr/Ca patterns alone should be reconsidered, and elevated values of Ba/Ca and Sr/Ca in teeth formed after weaning require further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M. Smith
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural ResearchGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
- Australian Research Centre for Human EvolutionGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
| | - Manish Arora
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public HealthIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Maya Bharatiya
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural ResearchGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
- Australian Research Centre for Human EvolutionGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
| | - Wendy Dirks
- Department of AnthropologyDurham UniversityDurhamUK
| | - Christine Austin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public HealthIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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DeSantis LRG, Feranec RS, Southon J, Cerling TE, Harris J, Binder WJ, Cohen JE, Farrell AB, Lindsey EL, Meachen J, Robin O'Keefe F, Takeuchi GT. On the relationship between collagen- and carbonate-derived carbon isotopes with implications for the inference of carnivore dietary behavior. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1031383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of Rancho La Brea predators have yielded disparate dietary interpretations when analyzing bone collagen vs. enamel carbonate—requiring a better understanding of the relationship between stable carbon isotopes in these tissues. Stable carbon isotope spacing between collagen and carbonate (Δca-co) has also been used as a proxy for inferring the trophic level of mammals, with higher Δca-co values indicative of high carbohydrate consumption. To clarify the stable isotope ecology of carnivorans, past and present, we analyzed bone collagen (carbon and nitrogen) and enamel carbonate (carbon) of extinct and extant North American felids and canids, including dire wolves, sabertooth cats, coyotes, and pumas, supplementing these with data from African wild dogs and African lions. Our results reveal that Δca-co values are positively related to enamel carbonate values in secondary consumers and are less predictive of trophic level. Results indicate that the foraging habitat and diet of prey affects Δca-co in carnivores, like herbivores. Average Δca-co values in Pleistocene canids (8.7+/−1‰) and felids (7.0+/−0.7‰) overlap with previously documented extant herbivore Δca-co values suggesting that trophic level estimates may be relative to herbivore Δca-co values in each ecosystem and not directly comparable between disparate ecosystems. Physiological differences between felids and canids, ontogenetic dietary differences, and diagenesis at Rancho La Brea do not appear to be primary drivers of Δca-co offsets. Environmental influences affecting protein and fat consumption in prey and subsequently by predators, and nutrient routing to tissues may instead be driving Δca-co offsets in extant and extinct mammals.
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Lüdecke T, Leichliter JN, Aldeias V, Bamford MK, Biro D, Braun DR, Capelli C, Cybulski JD, Duprey NN, Ferreira da Silva MJ, Foreman AD, Habermann JM, Haug GH, Martínez FI, Mathe J, Mulch A, Sigman DM, Vonhof H, Bobe R, Carvalho S, Martínez-García A. Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotopes in modern tooth enamel: A case study from Gorongosa National Park, central Mozambique. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.958032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The analyses of the stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), and oxygen (δ18O) in animal tissues are powerful tools for reconstructing the feeding behavior of individual animals and characterizing trophic interactions in food webs. Of these biomaterials, tooth enamel is the hardest, most mineralized vertebrate tissue and therefore least likely to be affected by chemical alteration (i.e., its isotopic composition can be preserved over millions of years), making it an important and widely available archive for biologists and paleontologists. Here, we present the first combined measurements of δ13C, δ15N, and δ18O in enamel from the teeth of modern fauna (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores) from the well-studied ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park (GNP) in central Mozambique. We use two novel methods to produce high-precision stable isotope enamel data: (i) the “oxidation-denitrification method,” which permits the measurement of mineral-bound organic nitrogen in tooth enamel (δ15Nenamel), which until now, has not been possible due to enamel’s low organic content, and (ii) the “cold trap method,” which greatly reduces the sample size required for traditional measurements of inorganic δ13Cenamel and δ18Oenamel (from ≥0.5 to ≤0.1 mg), permitting analysis of small or valuable teeth and high-resolution serial sampling of enamel. The stable isotope results for GNP fauna reveal important ecological information about the trophic level, dietary niche, and resource consumption. δ15Nenamel values clearly differentiate trophic level (i.e., carnivore δ15Nenamel values are 4.0‰ higher, on average, than herbivores), δ13Cenamel values distinguish C3 and/or C4 biomass consumption, and δ18Oenamel values reflect local meteoric water (δ18Owater) in the park. Analysis of combined carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotope data permits geochemical separation of grazers, browsers, omnivores, and carnivores according to their isotopic niche, while mixed-feeding herbivores cannot be clearly distinguished from other dietary groups. These results confirm that combined C, N, and O isotope analyses of a single aliquot of tooth enamel can be used to reconstruct diet and trophic niches. Given its resistance to chemical alteration, the analysis of these three isotopes in tooth enamel has a high potential to open new avenues of research in (paleo)ecology and paleontology.
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Sugiyama N, Sugiyama S, Cagnato C, France CAM, Iriki A, Hughes KS, Singleton RR, Thornton E, Hofman CA. Earliest evidence of primate captivity and translocation supports gift diplomacy between Teotihuacan and the Maya. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2212431119. [PMID: 36399550 PMCID: PMC9704712 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2212431119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2023] Open
Abstract
A multimethod archaeometry study (zooarchaeological, isotopic, ancient DNA, paleobotanical, and radiocarbon dating) of a spider monkey sacrificed in the ceremonial center of Teotihuacan, Mexico (1 to 550 CE) is interpreted as a diplomatic gift exchange with neighboring Maya. Not only does this spider monkey provide the earliest known instance of primate translocation and captivity in Mesoamerica, it helps date incipient modes of interregional diplomacy between two major powers during Early Classic Mesoamerica: Teotihuacan and the Maya. Details of human-primate interaction include age at capture and transport (before ∼3 y of age), captive duration (over 2 y), anthropogenic diet (staple was maize, though secondary resources unique to anthropogenic diet including arrowroot and chili pepper were also found), context of sacrifice (tethered and associated with complete golden eagle and an array of other statecrafts), and general site context (including presence of Maya vessels and Maya-style murals). The timing of the spider monkey's sacrifice (250 to 300 CE) and its life history suggest a reconsideration of epigraphically attested militaristic involvement of Teotihuacan at certain Maya sites. We propose that a period of more multilateral and fluid ritual exchange with Maya dignitaries preceded the Teotihuacan state's eventual ascent to prominence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawa Sugiyama
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
| | - Saburo Sugiyama
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287
- Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | | | | | - Atsushi Iriki
- Laboratory for Symbolic Cognitive Development, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN Institute, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Karissa S. Hughes
- Department of Anthropology and Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019
| | - Robin R. Singleton
- Department of Anthropology and Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019
| | - Erin Thornton
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164
| | - Courtney A. Hofman
- Department of Anthropology and Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019
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Carboni S, Dezeure J, Cowlishaw G, Huchard E, Marshall HH. Stable isotopes reveal the effects of maternal rank and infant age on weaning dynamics in wild chacma baboons. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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A Neandertal dietary conundrum: Insights provided by tooth enamel Zn isotopes from Gabasa, Spain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2109315119. [PMID: 36252021 PMCID: PMC9618064 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109315119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The characterization of Neandertals' diets has mostly relied on nitrogen isotope analyses of bone and tooth collagen. However, few nitrogen isotope data have been recovered from bones or teeth from Iberia due to poor collagen preservation at Paleolithic sites in the region. Zinc isotopes have been shown to be a reliable method for reconstructing trophic levels in the absence of organic matter preservation. Here, we present the results of zinc (Zn), strontium (Sr), carbon (C), and oxygen (O) isotope and trace element ratio analysis measured in dental enamel on a Pleistocene food web in Gabasa, Spain, to characterize the diet and ecology of a Middle Paleolithic Neandertal individual. Based on the extremely low δ66Zn value observed in the Neandertal's tooth enamel, our results support the interpretation of Neandertals as carnivores as already suggested by δ15N isotope values of specimens from other regions. Further work could help identify if such isotopic peculiarities (lowest δ66Zn and highest δ15N of the food web) are due to a metabolic and/or dietary specificity of the Neandertals.
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McCall A, Gamarra B, Carlson KSD, Bernert Z, Cséki A, Csengeri P, Domboróczki L, Endrődi A, Hellebrandt M, Horváth A, Király Á, Kiss K, Koós J, Kovács P, Köhler K, Szolnoki L, Zoffmann ZK, Sirak K, Szeniczey T, Dani J, Hajdu T, Pinhasi R. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes identify nuanced dietary changes from the Bronze and Iron Ages on the Great Hungarian Plain. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16982. [PMID: 36217009 PMCID: PMC9550812 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21138-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Great Hungarian Plain (GHP) served as a geographic funnel for population mobility throughout prehistory. Genomic and isotopic research demonstrates non-linear genetic turnover and technological shifts between the Copper and Iron Ages of the GHP, which influenced the dietary strategies of numerous cultures that intermixed and overlapped through time. Given the complexities of these prehistoric cultural and demographic processes, this study aims to identify and elucidate diachronic and culture-specific dietary signatures. We report on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from 74 individuals from nineteen sites in the GHP dating to a ~ 3000-year time span between the Early Bronze and Early Iron Ages. The samples broadly indicate a terrestrial C3 diet with nuanced differences amongst populations and through time, suggesting exogenous influences that manifested in subsistence strategies. Slightly elevated δ15N values for Bronze Age samples imply higher reliance on protein than in the Iron Age. Interestingly, the Füzesabony have carbon values typical of C4 vegetation indicating millet consumption, or that of a grain with comparable δ13C ratios, which corroborates evidence from outside the GHP for its early cultivation during the Middle Bronze Age. Finally, our results also suggest locally diverse subsistence economies for GHP Scythians.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Beatriz Gamarra
- grid.452421.4Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007 Tarragona, Spain ,grid.410367.70000 0001 2284 9230Departament d’Història i Història de l’Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Kellie Sara Duffett Carlson
- grid.10420.370000 0001 2286 1424Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria ,grid.10420.370000 0001 2286 1424Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Zsolt Bernert
- grid.424755.50000 0001 1498 9209Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Ludovika tér 1-3, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Piroska Csengeri
- Department of Archaeology, Herman Ottó Museum, Görgey Artúr u. 28, 3529 Miskolc, Hungary
| | - László Domboróczki
- Department of Archaeology, Dobó István Castle Museum, Vár 1, Eger, 3300 Hungary
| | - Anna Endrődi
- grid.452168.c0000 0001 0943 6204Department of Prehistoric and Migration Period, Budapest History Museum, Aquincum Museum and Archaeological Park, Szentendrei út 135, 1031 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Magdolna Hellebrandt
- Department of Archaeology, Herman Ottó Museum, Görgey Artúr u. 28, 3529 Miskolc, Hungary
| | - Antónia Horváth
- Department of Archaeology, Herman Ottó Museum, Görgey Artúr u. 28, 3529 Miskolc, Hungary
| | - Ágnes Király
- grid.5018.c0000 0001 2149 4407Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Tóth Kálmán utca 4, 1097 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krisztián Kiss
- grid.424755.50000 0001 1498 9209Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Ludovika tér 1-3, 1083 Budapest, Hungary ,grid.5591.80000 0001 2294 6276Department of Biological Anthropology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Science, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Judit Koós
- Department of Archaeology, Herman Ottó Museum, Görgey Artúr u. 28, 3529 Miskolc, Hungary
| | - Péter Kovács
- Damjanich János Museum, Kossuth tér 4, 5000 Szolnok, Hungary
| | - Kitti Köhler
- grid.5018.c0000 0001 2149 4407Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Tóth Kálmán utca 4, 1097 Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Zsuzsanna K. Zoffmann
- grid.452093.90000 0001 1957 0247Department of Anthropology, Hungarian National Museum, Múzeum krt. 14-16, Budapest, 1083 Hungary
| | - Kendra Sirak
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Tamás Szeniczey
- grid.5591.80000 0001 2294 6276Department of Biological Anthropology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Science, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - János Dani
- Déri Museum, Déri tér 1, 4026 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Tamás Hajdu
- grid.5591.80000 0001 2294 6276Department of Biological Anthropology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Science, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ron Pinhasi
- grid.10420.370000 0001 2286 1424Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria ,grid.10420.370000 0001 2286 1424Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
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Filipek KL, Roberts CA, Montgomery J, Gowland RL, Moore J, Tucker K, Evans JA. Creating communities of care: Sex estimation and mobility histories of adolescents buried in the cemetery of St. Mary Magdalen leprosarium (Winchester, England). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022. [PMCID: PMC9306906 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Objectives This study examines the biological sex and geographical origins of adolescents buried at the St Mary Magdalen leprosarium (Winchester, UK). The data are combined with archaeological and palaeopathological evidence to broaden the understanding of mobility and its relationship to leprosy and leprosaria in Medieval England. Materials and Methods Nineteen individuals (~10–25 at death) with skeletal lesions diagnostic of leprosy were analyzed using standard osteological methods. Amelogenin peptides were extracted from five individuals whose biological sex could not be assessed from macroscopic methods. Enamel samples were analyzed to produce 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O values to explore mobility histories. Results Amelogenin peptides revealed three males and two females. Tooth enamel samples provided an 87Sr/86Sr ratio range from 0.7084 to 0.7103 (mean 0.7090, ±0.0012, 2σ). δ18OP values show a wide range of 15.6‰–19.3‰ (mean 17.8 ± 1.6‰ 2σ), with corresponding δ18ODW values ranging from −9.7‰ to −4.1‰ (mean −6.3 ± 2.4‰ 2σ). Discussion Amelogenin peptide data reveal the presence of adolescent females with bone changes of leprosy, making them the youngest confirmed females with leprosy in the archaeological record. Results also show at least 12 adolescents were local, and seven were from further afield, including outside Britain. Since St. Mary Magdalen was a leprosarium, it is possible that these people traveled there specifically for care. Archaeological and palaeopathological data support the notion that care was provided at this facility and that leprosy stigma, as we understand it today, may not have existed in this time and place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kori Lea Filipek
- Department of Archaeology Durham University Durham UK
- Human Sciences Research Centre, School of Human Sciences University of Derby Derby UK
| | | | | | | | - Joanna Moore
- Department of Archaeology Durham University Durham UK
| | - Katie Tucker
- Department of Archaeology University of Winchester Winchester UK
| | - Jane A. Evans
- National Environmental Isotope Facility British Geological Survey Keyworth UK
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Waters-Rist AL, de Groot K, Hoogland MLP. Isotopic reconstruction of short to absent breastfeeding in a 19th century rural Dutch community. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265821. [PMID: 35417480 PMCID: PMC9007374 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Artificial feeding of young infants is considered a modern phenomenon. However, historical sources note its practice in some past European populations. This research explores factors that contributed to a short to absent period of breastfeeding in pre-modern Netherlands. Stable nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis is undertaken on 277 19th century individuals from Beemster, a, rural, mainly Protestant, dairy farming community. An intra-individual sampling approach for ≤6 year-olds compares newer metaphyseal to older diaphyseal long bone collagen to classify feeding status at death. Archivally identified individuals permit analyses of sex and year-of-death. Few infants have isotopic evidence for breastfeeding and, if present, it was likely of short duration or a minor source of dietary protein. From only a few weeks to months of age infants were fed cow’s milk and paps with sugar. There is broad dietary homogeneity with no sex or temporal isotopic differences, but young infants (1–11 months) have the most ẟ15N and ẟ13C variation highlighting the effect of multiple dietary and physiological processes. Beemster had many factors associated with high rates of breastfeeding in other Dutch communities, yet, most mothers did not breastfeed, or not for long, showing that regional variation in infant feeding is influenced by community values and traditions. On top of child rearing and domestic chores, female dairy farmers were in charge of milking cattle and dairy production, an important income source, suggesting high workload was also a factor in short or absent breastfeeding periods, aided by the constant supply of fresh milk that could be fed to an infant by an older sibling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L. Waters-Rist
- Department of Anthropology, University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, North Holland, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Kees de Groot
- Historical Society of Beemster, North Holland, The Netherlands
| | - Menno L. P. Hoogland
- Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal, Land en Volkenkunde (KITLV), Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Bădescu I, Watts DP, Katzenberg MA, Sellen DW. Maternal lactational investment is higher for sons in chimpanzees. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03153-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Maternal lactational investment can affect female reproductive rates and offspring survival in mammals and can be biased towards infants of one sex. We compared estimates of lactation effort among mothers, assessed as their potential milk contribution to age-specific infant diets (mother-infant differences in fecal stable nitrogen isotopes, δ15N), to the timing of weaning (infant age at last nursing bout) and to maternal inter-birth interval lengths for male and female infant chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at Ngogo, Uganda. Infant males had greater proportions of milk in their age-specific diets, indicated by higher mother-infant differences in δ15N (Generalized Estimating Equation, GEE: p < 0.01). This may mean that mothers of sons showed greater lactation effort than mothers of daughters. Infant males stopped nursing at older ages than infant females (Kaplan–Meier product limit estimate, Breslow estimator: p < 0.05). Mothers of sons showed longer interbirth intervals than mothers of daughters (GEE: p < 0.01). All three measures indicated maternal lactational investment was higher for sons. Male infants may cost mothers more to ensure infant survival than female infants because males are more vulnerable and/or because maternal genetic returns on investment are greater for sons than daughters, as male philopatry means that chimpanzee mothers can have more influence on the reproductive success of sons. Chimpanzee females may trade off growth-related benefits of high lactational investment in male offspring against reduced reproductive rates.
Significance statement
Maternal investment via lactation affects the reproductive success of female mammals and their offspring and can be biased towards infants of one sex. We investigated lactational variation among wild chimpanzees in relation to infant sex using three proxies for maternal lactational investment: fecal stable nitrogen isotopes, a physiological biomarker that may provide an estimate of lactation effort; observations of nursing, which we used to establish weaning ages; and the lengths of intervals between births of surviving infants. Chimpanzee mothers biased lactational investment toward sons on all three indicators and showed reduced fecundity due to longer inter-birth intervals for mothers of sons than for mothers of daughters. These results would be expected if greater maternal investment toward sons leads to better condition and higher reproductive success for sons later in life, thus to greater inclusive fitness for mothers.
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Pezo-Lanfranco L, Machacuay M, Novoa P, Peralta R, Mayer E, Eggers S, Shady R. The diet at the onset of the Andean Civilization: New stable isotope data from Caral and Áspero, North-Central Coast of Peru. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 177:402-424. [PMID: 36787651 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The subsistence system of the first urban centers with monumental architecture from the North-Central Coast of Peru, the core area for the social complexity process of Central Andes, has been debated since the late 1960s. To shed light on this aspect, we report paleodietary data from the two most important sites of the Supe Valley: Caral (3000-200 BC), the major settlement of the middle valley, and Áspero (3000-1800 BC), a notable coastal settlement. Our main objective was to test the Maritime Foundations of Andean Civilization hypothesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Stable isotope values (δ13 Ccol , δ13 Cap , and δ15 N) from 52 individuals (70 samples: 44 bones and 26 teeth) were analyzed using conventional methods and Bayesian Mixing Models to address the role of marine products and plants in people's diet at both sites over time. RESULTS Our results suggest high C3 carbohydrate consumption (55%-68% total calories in Áspero and >70% in Caral). The consumption of marine resources was stable for Áspero between 3300 and 1800 BC, but it decreased for Caral between 2550 and 200 BC. DISCUSSION Marine protein was more important in Áspero than in Caral over time. C3 plants, possibly tubers, formed the foundation of the diet in both sites during the Formative period (~3000-200 BC). Maize was a marginal food (<12% of calories) at least until 800 BC (29% of calories). The Maritime Foundations hypothesis does not completely account for these findings. Our results suggest the predominance of crop-focused agriculture during the evaluated period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Pezo-Lanfranco
- Laboratório de Antropologia Biológica, Instituto de Biociências-Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marco Machacuay
- Zona Arqueológica Caral, Unidad Ejecutora 003, Ministerio de Cultura del Peru, Lima, Peru
| | - Pedro Novoa
- Zona Arqueológica Caral, Unidad Ejecutora 003, Ministerio de Cultura del Peru, Lima, Peru.,Escuela Profesional de Arqueología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
| | - Rodolfo Peralta
- Zona Arqueológica Caral, Unidad Ejecutora 003, Ministerio de Cultura del Peru, Lima, Peru
| | - Elver Mayer
- Instituto de Estudos do Xingu, São Félix do Xingu, Brazil
| | - Sabine Eggers
- Anthropologische Abteilung, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ruth Shady
- Zona Arqueológica Caral, Unidad Ejecutora 003, Ministerio de Cultura del Peru, Lima, Peru.,Escuela Profesional de Arqueología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
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Pospieszny Ł, Nowaczyk S. Radiocarbon dates and stable isotope data for human and animal skeletal remains from a passage grave in Kierzkowo, Poland (Late Neolithic and modern period). Data Brief 2022; 41:108011. [PMID: 35295871 PMCID: PMC8918827 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.108011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This dataset is comprised of paired radiocarbon (14C) dates, and carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratios received for skeletal remains of 18 humans and 6 animals. These remains were archaeologically-derived from a Late Neolithic passage grave in Kierzkowo, located in today's north-central Poland. All human individuals were sexed and aged by physical anthropologists; animal skeletal remains were identified by zooarchaeologists. Collagen samples were extracted from bones, radiocarbon dated by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The samples were collected and analysed to establish the absolute chronology of the tomb, estimate the frequency of burials, reconstruct the diets of humans and animals and trace their temporal changes. This is a largest dataset for skeletal samples (n = 24) from a single megalithic tomb in East-Central Europe and has a utility to be reused in various archaeological and palaeoenvironmental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Pospieszny
- Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Rubież 46, Poznań 61-612, Poland
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, United Kingdom
- Corresponding author at: Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Rubież 46, Poznań 61-612, Poland. @luke_pospieszny
| | - Szymon Nowaczyk
- Archaeological Museum in Biskupin, Biskupin 17, Gąsawa 88-410, Poland
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24
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Chinique de Armas Y, Mavridou AM, Garcell Domínguez J, Hanson K, Laffoon J. Tracking breastfeeding and weaning practices in ancient populations by combining carbon, nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes from multiple non-adult tissues. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262435. [PMID: 35108296 PMCID: PMC8809549 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper explores the potential of combining different isotope systems from different tissues to improve resolution when reconstructing breastfeeding and weaning practices (BWP) in archaeology. Additionally, we tested whether changes in diet can be detected in deciduous teeth. Rib collagen samples from 22 infants/children from the archaeological site of Bacuranao I (Mayabeque, Cuba) were processed for nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13Cco) stable isotopes and assessed using a Bayesian model (WARN). In addition, enamel of 48 teeth from 30 infants/children were analyzed for oxygen (δ18Oen) and carbon (δ13Cen) stable isotopes. Data revealed that the timing of weaning cannot be characterized precisely by analyzing either δ18O or δ15N. While a depletion in both δ15N and δ13Cco is only evident after one year, the WARN model suggested that the weaning process started at around 3 months and ended around 1.7 years. Most teeth were enriched in δ18Oen compared to deciduous incisors, suggesting a breastfeeding signal. However, a high variability in δ18O was found between similar teeth from the same individuals. Higher enrichment in δ18Oen, and variability, was observed in tissues formed during the first six months of life. A δ13C enrichment of 1.0‰ was observed among deciduous teeth and ribs. While most individuals enriched in δ15N showed enrichment in δ13C, the δ18O values were more variable. Our data suggests that stable isotopes of deciduous teeth, especially δ13Cen, can be used to detect changes in diet during the weaning process. It is also possible that the δ18O enrichment observed in M1 is influenced by the effects of cooking techniques on weaning foods. The combination of multiple isotope systems and tissues overcome some of the limitations posed by single tissue approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Kaitlyn Hanson
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Jason Laffoon
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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25
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Hart SL. Jealousy and the Terrible Twos. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-76000-7_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
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26
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Stantis C, Maaranen N, Kharobi A, Nowell GM, Macpherson C, Doumet‐Serhal C, Schutkowski H. Sidon on the breadth of the wild sea: Movement and diet on the Mediterranean coast in the Middle Bronze Age. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 177:116-133. [PMID: 36787764 PMCID: PMC9298383 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Excavations at Sidon (Lebanon) have revealed dual identities during the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000-1600 BCE): a maritime port and center for local distribution, as well as a settlement with a heavy subsistence dependence on the extensive inland hinterlands. We aim to investigate residential mobility at Sidon using isotopic analyses of 112 individuals from 83 burials (20 females, 26 males, and 37 subadults). Veneration and remembrance of the dead is evident from funerary offerings in and near the tombs. With marine fish a major component in funerary offerings, we predict major marine reliance in this coastal population. MATERIALS AND METHODS New isotopic evidence of paleomobility (87 Sr/86 Sr, δ18 O) and diet (δ13 Ccarbonate ) is the focus of this research. Previous bulk bone collagen δ13 C and δ15 N analysis is strengthened by further sampling, along with δ34 S where collagen yield was sufficient. RESULTS The five non-locals identified (8.9% of the 56 analyzed) come from constructed tombs with high-status grave goods except for one, which was heavily disturbed in antiquity. Dietary investigation of the population confirms reliance on terrestrial resources with no significant marine input. No significant differences in diet between the sexes or burial types are present. CONCLUSIONS Although Sidon was part of a growing Mediterranean network evidenced through artefactual finds, relatively low immigration is evident. While religious feasts venerating the dead may have involved significant piscine components, no appreciable marine input in diet is observed. Fish may have been reserved for the deceased or only consumed on feast days alongside the dead rather than a regular part of the Bronze Age menu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Stantis
- Department of Archaeology and AnthropologyBournemouth UniversityPooleUK,Department of AnthropologyNational Museum of Natural HistoryWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Nina Maaranen
- Department of Archaeology and AnthropologyBournemouth UniversityPooleUK
| | - Arwa Kharobi
- Department of Archaeology and AnthropologyBournemouth UniversityPooleUK,PACEA ‐ De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et AnthropologieUMR CNRS 5199, Université de BordeauxBordeauxFrance
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27
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An infant burial from Arma Veirana in northwestern Italy provides insights into funerary practices and female personhood in early Mesolithic Europe. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23735. [PMID: 34907203 PMCID: PMC8671481 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02804-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution and development of human mortuary behaviors is of enormous cultural significance. Here we report a richly-decorated young infant burial (AVH-1) from Arma Veirana (Liguria, northwestern Italy) that is directly dated to 10,211-9910 cal BP (95.4% probability), placing it within the early Holocene and therefore attributable to the early Mesolithic, a cultural period from which well-documented burials are exceedingly rare. Virtual dental histology, proteomics, and aDNA indicate that the infant was a 40-50 days old female. Associated artifacts indicate significant material and emotional investment in the child's interment. The detailed biological profile of AVH-1 establishes the child as the earliest European near-neonate documented to be female. The Arma Veirana burial thus provides insight into sex/gender-based social status, funerary treatment, and the attribution of personhood to the youngest individuals among prehistoric hunter-gatherer groups and adds substantially to the scant data on mortuary practices from an important period in prehistory shortly following the end of the last Ice Age.
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28
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Hata A, Nakashita R, Fukasawa K, Minami M, Fukue Y, Higuchi N, Uno H, Nakajima Y, Saeki M, Kozakai C, Takada MB. Occurrence patterns of crop-foraging sika deer distribution in an agriculture-forest landscape revealed by nitrogen stable isotopes. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:15303-15311. [PMID: 34765179 PMCID: PMC8571634 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Conflicts arising from the consumption of anthropogenic foods by wildlife are increasing worldwide. Conventional tools for evaluating the spatial distribution pattern of large terrestrial mammals that consume anthropogenic foods have various limitations, despite their importance in management to mitigate conflicts. In this study, we examined the spatial distribution pattern of crop-foraging sika deer by performing nitrogen stable isotope analyses of bone collagen. We evaluated whether crop-foraging deer lived closer to agricultural crop fields during the winter and spring, when crop production decreases. We found that female deer in proximity to agricultural crop fields during the winter and spring were more likely to be crop-foraging individuals. Furthermore, the likelihood of crop consumption by females decreased by half as the distance to agricultural crop fields increased to 5-10 km. We did not detect a significant trend in the spatial distribution of crop-foraging male deer. The findings of spatial distribution patterns of crop-foraging female deer will be useful for the establishment of management areas, such as zonation, for efficient removal of them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayaka Hata
- Institute of Livestock and Grassland ScienceNational Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO)TsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - Rumiko Nakashita
- Forestry and Forest Products Research InstituteTsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - Keita Fukasawa
- Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem StudiesNational Institute for Environmental StudiesTsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - Masato Minami
- School of Veterinary MedicineAzabu UniversitySagamiharaKanagawaJapan
| | - Yuko Fukue
- Insutitute for Biodiversity Research and Education EarthwormKaruizawaNaganoJapan
| | - Naoko Higuchi
- Insutitute for Biodiversity Research and Education EarthwormKaruizawaNaganoJapan
| | - Hikaru Uno
- Advanced Analysis CenterNAROTsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | | | - Midori Saeki
- Institute of Livestock and Grassland ScienceNational Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO)TsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - Chinatsu Kozakai
- Institute of Livestock and Grassland ScienceNational Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO)TsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - Mayura B. Takada
- Faculty of Science and EngineeringChuo UniversityBunkyo‐kuTokyoJapan
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29
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Tsutaya T, Yoneda M. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic data of premodern human skeletons from mainland Japan and the Ryukyu islands. Data Brief 2021; 38:107359. [PMID: 34604476 PMCID: PMC8473651 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2021.107359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This dataset consists of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of bulk collagen extracted from 229 human skeletons from premodern Japan. All samples were derived from different individuals excavated from mainland Japan and the Ryukyu Islands. Most of the skeletal individuals were identified, sexed, and aged by physical anthropologists. Collagen samples were extracted from bone or root portion of tooth dentin. Collagen samples were measured by an elemental analyzer coupled to stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Stable isotope ratios are the useful proxy of palaeodiet, and this dataset can be used for dietary reconstruction of premodern people living in the Japan archipelago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Tsutaya
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan
| | - Minoru Yoneda
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
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30
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Loponte D, Mazza B. Breastfeeding and weaning in Late Holocene hunter-gatherers of the lower Paraná wetland, South America. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:504-520. [PMID: 34338320 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In this study, we analyze breastfeeding and weaning practices in pre-Columbian complex hunter-gatherers from the lower Paraná River basin (South America). MATERIALS AND METHODS We carried out bone isotope analyses concerning δ13 C in collagen and apatite, the spacing between both carbon sources and δ15 N in a sample of 23 subadult and adult individuals of both sexes recovered from Late Holocene archaeological sites, ranging from 1665 ± 45 to 680 ± 80 14 C years BP. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The results indicate that exclusive breastfeeding continued until the age of ~2 years, and weaning probably until 4 years of age. Supplementary foods included C3 plants and probably animal fats and C4 carbohydrates. A high fractionation of 4.9‰ in δ15 N values was recognized between breastfeeding infants and adult females, perhaps reflecting episodic hyper-protein diets in women linked to men's food provisioning during women's gestational/postpartum period. Additionally, male adults present a higher protein intake than females. Although this difference is not statistically significant with the current sample size, it could be a clue related to a sexual division in food procurement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Loponte
- CONICET-Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano, CABA, Argentina
| | - Bárbara Mazza
- CONICET-Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano, CABA, Argentina
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31
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Adler CJ, Cao KAL, Hughes T, Kumar P, Austin C. How does the early life environment influence the oral microbiome and determine oral health outcomes in childhood? Bioessays 2021; 43:e2000314. [PMID: 34151446 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The first 1000 days of life, from conception to 2 years, are a critical window for the influence of environmental exposures on the assembly of the oral microbiome, which is the precursor to dental caries (decay), one of the most prevalent microbially induced disorders worldwide. While it is known that the human microbiome is susceptible to environmental exposures, there is limited understanding of the impact of prenatal and early childhood exposures on the oral microbiome trajectory and oral health. A barrier has been the lack of technology to directly measure the foetal "exposome", which includes nutritional and toxic exposures crossing the placenta. Another barrier has been the lack of statistical methods to account for the high dimensional data generated by-omic assays. Through identifying which early life exposures influence the oral microbiome and modify oral health, these findings can be translated into interventions to reduce dental decay prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Jane Adler
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kim-Anh Lê Cao
- Melbourne Integrative Genomics, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Toby Hughes
- Adelaide Dental School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Piyush Kumar
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Christine Austin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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32
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Tsutaya T, Mackie M, Sawafuji R, Miyabe-Nishiwaki T, Olsen JV, Cappellini E. Faecal proteomics as a novel method to study mammalian behaviour and physiology. Mol Ecol Resour 2021; 21:1808-1819. [PMID: 33720532 PMCID: PMC8360081 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian faeces can be collected noninvasively during field research and provide valuable information on the ecology and evolution of the source individuals. Undigested food remains, genome/metagenome, steroid hormones, and stable isotopes obtained from faecal samples provide evidence on diet, host/symbiont genetics, and physiological status of the individuals. However, proteins in mammalian faeces have hardly been studied, which hinders the molecular investigations into the behaviour and physiology of the source individuals. Here, we apply mass spectrometry-based proteomics to faecal samples (n = 10), collected from infant, juvenile, and adult captive Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), to describe the proteomes of the source individual, of the food it consumed, and its intestinal microbes. The results show that faecal proteomics is a useful method to: (i) investigate dietary changes along with breastfeeding and weaning, (ii) reveal the taxonomic and histological origin of the food items consumed, and (iii) estimate physiological status inside intestinal tracts. These types of insights are difficult or impossible to obtain through other molecular approaches. Most mammalian species are facing extinction risk and there is an urgent need to obtain knowledge on their ecology and evolution for better conservation strategy. The faecal proteomics framework we present here is easily applicable to wild settings and other mammalian species, and provides direct evidence of their behaviour and physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Tsutaya
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Hayama, Japan.,Biogeochemistry Research Center, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Meaghan Mackie
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Proteomics Program, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rikai Sawafuji
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Hayama, Japan
| | | | - Jesper V Olsen
- Proteomics Program, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Enrico Cappellini
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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33
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Hata A, Nakashita R, Anezaki T, Minami M, Fukue Y, Higuchi N, Uno H, Nakajima Y, Saeki M, Kozakai C, Takada MB. Agricultural crop consumption induces precocious maturity in deer by improving physical and reproductive performance. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ayaka Hata
- Central Region Agricultural Research Center National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) 2‐1‐18 Kannondai Tsukuba Ibaraki 305‐8666 Japan
| | - Rumiko Nakashita
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute 1 Matsunosato Tsukuba Ibaraki 305‐8687 Japan
| | - Tomoko Anezaki
- Gunma Museum of Natural History 1674‐1 Kamikuroiwa Tomioka Gunma 370‐2345 Japan
| | - Masato Minami
- School of Veterinary Medicine Azabu University 1‐17‐71 Fuchinobe, Chuo‐ku Sagamihara Kanagawa 252‐5201 Japan
| | - Yuko Fukue
- Institute for Biodiversity Research and Education Earthworm 1549‐3‐1 Oiwake Karuizawa Nagano 389‐0115 Japan
| | - Naoko Higuchi
- Institute for Biodiversity Research and Education Earthworm 1549‐3‐1 Oiwake Karuizawa Nagano 389‐0115 Japan
| | - Hikaru Uno
- Institute for Agro‐Environmental Sciences NARO 3‐1‐3 Kannondai Tsukuba Ibaraki 305‐8604 Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Nakajima
- Institute for Agro‐Environmental Sciences NARO 3‐1‐3 Kannondai Tsukuba Ibaraki 305‐8604 Japan
| | - Midori Saeki
- Central Region Agricultural Research Center National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) 2‐1‐18 Kannondai Tsukuba Ibaraki 305‐8666 Japan
| | - Chinatsu Kozakai
- Central Region Agricultural Research Center National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) 2‐1‐18 Kannondai Tsukuba Ibaraki 305‐8666 Japan
| | - Mayura B. Takada
- Faculty of Science and Engineering Chuo University 1‐13‐27 Kasuga Bunkyo‐ku Tokyo 112‐8551 Japan
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34
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Smith TM, Cook L, Dirks W, Green DR, Austin C. Teeth reveal juvenile diet, health and neurotoxicant exposure retrospectively: What biological rhythms and chemical records tell us. Bioessays 2021; 43:e2000298. [PMID: 33721363 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Integrated developmental and elemental information in teeth provide a unique framework for documenting breastfeeding histories, physiological disruptions, and neurotoxicant exposure in humans and our primate relatives, including ancient hominins. Here we detail our method for detecting the consumption of mothers' milk and exploring health history through the use of laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) mapping of sectioned nonhuman primate teeth. Calcium-normalized barium and lead concentrations in tooth enamel and dentine may reflect milk and formula consumption with minimal modification during subsequent tooth mineralization, particularly in dentine. However, skeletal resorption during severe illness, and bioavailable metals in nonmilk foods, can complicate interpretations of nursing behavior. We show that explorations of the patterning of multiple elements may aid in the distinction of these important etiologies. Targeted studies of skeletal chemistry, gastrointestinal maturation, and the dietary bioavailability of metals are needed to optimize these unique records of human health and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M Smith
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia.,Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Luisa Cook
- School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Wendy Dirks
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, Durham, UK
| | - Daniel R Green
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christine Austin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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35
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Exploring mobility in Italian Neolithic and Copper Age communities. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2697. [PMID: 33514802 PMCID: PMC7846752 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81656-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
As a means for investigating human mobility during late the Neolithic to the Copper Age in central and southern Italy, this study presents a novel dataset of enamel oxygen and carbon isotope values (δ18Oca and δ13Cca) from the carbonate fraction of biogenic apatite for one hundred and twenty-six individual teeth coming from two Neolithic and eight Copper Age communities. The measured δ18Oca values suggest a significant role of local sources in the water inputs to the body water, whereas δ13Cca values indicate food resources, principally based on C3 plants. Both δ13Cca and δ18Oca ranges vary substantially when samples are broken down into local populations. Statistically defined thresholds, accounting for intra-site variability, allow the identification of only a few outliers in the eight Copper Age communities, suggesting that sedentary lifestyle rather than extensive mobility characterized the investigated populations. This seems to be also typical of the two studied Neolithic communities. Overall, this research shows that the investigated periods in peninsular Italy differed in mobility pattern from the following Bronze Age communities from more northern areas.
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36
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Kendall E, Millard A, Beaumont J. The "weanling's dilemma" revisited: Evolving bodies of evidence and the problem of infant paleodietary interpretation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 175 Suppl 72:57-78. [PMID: 33460467 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Breastfeeding is known to be a powerful mediator of maternal and childhood health, with impacts throughout the life course. Paleodietary studies of the past 30 years have accordingly taken an enduring interest in the health and diet of young children as a potential indicator of population fertility, subsistence, and mortality patterns. While progress has been made in recent decades toward acknowledging the agency of children, many paleodietary reconstructions have failed to incorporate developments in cognate disciplines revealing synergistic dynamics between maternal and offspring biology. Paleodietary interpretation has relied heavily on the "weanling's dilemma," in which infants are thought to face a bleak choice between loss of immunity or malnutrition. Using a review of immunological and epidemiological evidence for the dynamic and supportive role that breastfeeding plays throughout the complementary feeding period, this article offers context and nuance for understanding past feeding transitions. We suggest that future interpretative frameworks for infant paleodietary and bioarchaeological research should include a broad knowledge base that keeps pace with relevant developments outside of those disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Kendall
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Andrew Millard
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Julia Beaumont
- School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
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37
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Early specialized maritime and maize economies on the north coast of Peru. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:32308-32319. [PMID: 33288695 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2009121117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We assess diet and economies of middle Holocene (∼7,500 to 4,000 calibrated [cal] B.P.) humans at coexisting mound sites (Huaca Prieta and Paredones) in north coastal Peru and document regular consumption of maize by ∼6,500 to 6,000 cal B.P. and its earliest use as a staple food in this area of the Andes between 5,000 and 4,500 cal B.P. Stable isotope data from enamel carbonates and dentin collagen (childhood diet) and dental microwear texture analysis (adult diet) demonstrate dietary and economic specialization. Previous studies revealed maize and mixed-food refuse at both sites, but this study documents actual food consumption, showing that these communities situated a few hundred meters apart had significantly distinct diets in childhood and adulthood. Huaca Prieta focused on marine resources, although there are some contributions from terrestrial meat. Paredones individuals primarily consumed maize during childhood (up to 70% of the juvenile diet), as shown by δ13C values, apatite-collagen spacing, and discriminant analysis of δ13Ccoll, δ13Ccarb, and δ15N values. Maize was likely used as a weaning food (e.g., gruel and/or chicha-a maize beverage), hinting at the significant role of breastfeeding mothers, weanling infants, and children in the development of maize as a staple crop. Additionally, dental microwear data show Paredones adult diets are high in abrasives, potentially from maize processing. The distinct foodways at these neighboring sites result from and also reflect their social and political distinctions. These differences in food production, distribution, and consumption generated opportunities for exchange, an interaction that bound them together in mutual benefit.
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Matsuda A, Yamada TK, Tajima Y, Kunisue T, Amano M, Matsuishi TF. Diet of Mass-Stranded Striped Dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) in Southern Japan (East China Sea). MAMMAL STUDY 2020. [DOI: 10.3106/ms2020-0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ayaka Matsuda
- Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1 Minato-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, Japan
| | - Tadasu K. Yamada
- Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science, 4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan
| | - Yuko Tajima
- Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science, 4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Kunisue
- Center for Marine Environmental Studies, Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan
| | - Masao Amano
- Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan
| | - Takashi F. Matsuishi
- Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1 Minato-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, Japan
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Clark CT, Horstmann L, Misarti N. Evaluating tooth strontium and barium as indicators of weaning age in Pacific walruses. Methods Ecol Evol 2020; 11:1626-1638. [PMID: 33381293 PMCID: PMC7756818 DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Lactation length and weaning age provide important information about maternal investment, which can reflect the health and nutritional status of the mother, as well as broader reproductive strategies in mammals. Calcium-normalized strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba) concentrations in the growth layers of mammalian teeth differ for nursing animals and those consuming non-milk foods, thus can be used to estimate age-at-weaning. To date, this approach has been used only for terrestrial animals, and almost exclusively for primates.The goal of this study was to determine whether Sr and Ba concentrations in the cementum of Pacific walrus Odobenus rosmarus divergens teeth can be used to estimate weaning age. Teeth from 107 walruses were analysed using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and calcium-normalized 88Sr and 137Ba concentrations were quantified.For most walruses, both Sr and Ba concentrations exhibited rapid changes in early life. Ba concentrations matched closely with expected patterns in the published literature, rapidly declining from high to low concentrations (typically from ~10 ppm to ~5 ppm). In contrast, Sr exhibited a pattern opposite to that presented in studies of terrestrial mammals, appearing nearly identical to Ba (typically declining from ~400 ppm to ~200 ppm). To explain these findings, we present conceptual models of the factors generating weaning signals in Sr and Ba for terrestrial mammals, as well as a new, hypothetical model for walruses. Both a visual and mathematical approach to weaning age estimation indicated a median weaning age of walruses at the end of the second year of life (in the second dark layer of the tooth cementum), with many walruses estimated to have weaned in their third year of life, and a smaller group weaning in their fourth or fifth year. This is later than expected, given a published estimate of walrus weaning at 18-24 months.These results do not conclusively support the use of tooth Sr and Ba for estimating weaning age in walruses, and further research is warranted to better understand the drivers of the observed patterns of Ba and Sr accumulation in walrus teeth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey T. Clark
- Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and OceanUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWAUSA
- Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem StudiesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWAUSA
| | - Lara Horstmann
- College of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAKUSA
| | - Nicole Misarti
- Water and Environmental Research CenterUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAKUSA
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French JC, Riris P, Fernandéz-López de Pablo J, Lozano S, Silva F. A manifesto for palaeodemography in the twenty-first century. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 376:20190707. [PMID: 33250019 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer C French
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Philip Riris
- Institute for the Modelling of Socio-Environmental Transitions, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
| | | | | | - Fabio Silva
- Institute for the Modelling of Socio-Environmental Transitions, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
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41
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Abstract
The early onset of weaning in modern humans has been linked to the high nutritional demand of brain development that is intimately connected with infant physiology and growth rate. In Neanderthals, ontogenetic patterns in early life are still debated, with some studies suggesting an accelerated development and others indicating only subtle differences vs. modern humans. Here we report the onset of weaning and rates of enamel growth using an unprecedented sample set of three late (∼70 to 50 ka) Neanderthals and one Upper Paleolithic modern human from northeastern Italy via spatially resolved chemical/isotopic analyses and histomorphometry of deciduous teeth. Our results reveal that the modern human nursing strategy, with onset of weaning at 5 to 6 mo, was present among these Neanderthals. This evidence, combined with dental development akin to modern humans, highlights their similar metabolic constraints during early life and excludes late weaning as a factor contributing to Neanderthals' demise.
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Ryan SE, Reynard LM, Pompianu E, van Dommelen P, Murgia C, Subirà ME, Tuross N. Growing up in Ancient Sardinia: Infant-toddler dietary changes revealed by the novel use of hydrogen isotopes (δ2H). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0235080. [PMID: 32639959 PMCID: PMC7343138 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Detailed information about the lives and deaths of children in antiquity is often in short supply. Childhood dietary histories are, however, recorded and maintained in the teeth of both juveniles and adults. Primary tooth dentinal collagen does not turn over, preserving a sequential record of dietary changes. The use of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotope values of incrementally sampled dentin are used in the study of breastfeeding practices but evidence for the addition of weaning foods, both in terms of mode and, particularly, duration, has remained analytically inaccessible to date. Here, we demonstrate how the novel use hydrogen isotope (δ2H) values of sequentially micro-sampled dentin collagen, measured from individuals excavated from a Punic cemetery, in Sardinia, Italy, can serve as a proxy for weaning food type and duration in ancient childhood diet. The weaning rate and age, based on the decline in δ15N and δ13C values of permanent first molars and the concomitant increase in δ2H, appears to be broadly similar among six individuals. Hydrogen isotopes vary systematically from a low value soon after birth, rising through early childhood. The early post-birth values can be explained by the influence of 2H-depleted lipids from mother's breastmilk and the later δ2H rise is consistent with, among other things, a substantial portion of boiled foodstuffs, such as the higher δ2H values observed in porridge. Overall δ2H in dentin shows great promise to elucidate infant and childhood feeding practices, and especially the introduction of supplementary foods during the weaning process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia E. Ryan
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, Unitied States of America
| | - Linda M. Reynard
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, Unitied States of America
| | | | - Peter van Dommelen
- Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Clizia Murgia
- Departament de Biologia Animal, Unitat d’Antropologia Biològica, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M. Eulàlia Subirà
- Grup de Recerca en Antropologia Biològica, Unitat d’Antropologia Biològica, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Noreen Tuross
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, Unitied States of America
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King CL, Buckley HR, Petchey P, Kinaston R, Millard A, Zech J, Roberts P, Matisoo-Smith E, Nowell G, Gröcke DR. A multi-isotope, multi-tissue study of colonial origins and diet in New Zealand. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 172:605-620. [PMID: 32424829 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Colonial period New Zealand was lauded as a land of plenty, where colonists could improve their station in life and secure a future for their families. Our understanding of colonial experience, however, is often shaped by historical records which communicate a state-sponsored version of history. This study aims to reconstruct the lives of settlers using isotopic evidence from the colonial skeletons themselves. MATERIALS AND METHODS We use skeletal remains from recently excavated colonial sites in Otago (South Island, New Zealand) to illustrate the information that can be gleaned from the isotopic analysis of individuals. We use 87 Sr/86 Sr to identify European settlers, and δ13 C and δ15 N from collagen and hair keratin, as well as dental enamel carbonate δ13 C to trace dietary change over their life-courses. RESULTS Strontium isotope analysis shows that all adults in our sample are non-local. Dietary isotopes show that while most individuals had relatively consistent childhood diet, one individual with more rural origins likely had seasonal use of resources during childhood. While some members of the population seem to have increased their meat intake in the new colony most do not have clear evidence for this. DISCUSSION We show the diversity of human experience in first-generation New Zealanders both prior to emigration and in the new colony. Despite colonial propaganda claiming that circumstances in New Zealand were improved for all settlers, we have little evidence for this, aside from among individuals of potentially high status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte L King
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Hallie R Buckley
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - Rebecca Kinaston
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Andrew Millard
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Jana Zech
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Patrick Roberts
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | | | - Geoff Nowell
- Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
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Reconstructing Bronze Age diets and farming strategies at the early Bronze Age sites of La Bastida and Gatas (southeast Iberia) using stable isotope analysis. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229398. [PMID: 32160202 PMCID: PMC7065743 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The El Argar society of the Bronze Age in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula (2200–1550 cal BCE) was among the first complex societies in Europe. Its economy was based on cereal cultivation and metallurgy, it was organized hierarchically, and successively expanded its territory. Most of the monumentally fortified settlements lay on steeply sloped mountains, separated by fertile plains, and allowed optimal control of the area. Here, we explore El Argar human diets, animal husbandry strategies, and food webs using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of charred cereal grains as well as human and animal bone collagen. The sample comprised 75 human individuals from the sites of La Bastida (n = 52) and Gatas (n = 23), 32 domesticated and wild animals as well as 76 barley and 29 wheat grains from two chronological phases of a total time span of ca. 650 years. The grains indicate extensive cereal cultivation under rain-fed conditions with little to moderate application of manure. Especially at La Bastida, crops and their by-products contributed significantly to the forage of the domesticated animals, which attests to a strong interrelation of cultivation and animal husbandry. Trophic level spacing and Bayesian modelling confirm that human diets were largely based on barley with some contribution of meat or dairy products. A cross-sectional analysis of bone collagen suggests that children were breastfed until about 1.5–2 years old, and infants from Gatas may have suffered from more metabolic stress than those at La Bastida. Adults of both sexes consumed similar diets that reflect social and chronological variation to some extent. Despite significantly higher δ13C and δ15N values at La Bastida than at Gatas, the isotopic data of the staple crops and domestic animals from both sites indicate that such differences do not necessarily correspond to different average human diets, but to agricultural strategies. These results urge for a reassessment of previous isotope studies in which only human remains have been taken into account. The study highlights that disentangling the complex influences on human isotope compositions requires a firm set of comparative data.
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Goude G, Dori I, Sparacello VS, Starnini E, Varalli A. Multi-proxy stable isotope analyses of dentine microsections reveal diachronic changes in life history adaptations, mobility, and tuberculosis-induced wasting in prehistoric Liguria (Finale Ligure, Italy, northwestern Mediterranean). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2020; 28:99-111. [PMID: 32044292 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2019.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To reconstruct breastfeeding and weaning practices, metabolic stress including tuberculosis-induced wasting, and residential mobility of children in Neolithic and Metal Ages to infer their local ecologies. MATERIALS Seven permanent teeth from individuals dated to the Neolithic, Copper, Bronze, and Iron Ages buried in nearby caves in western Liguria, Italy. METHODS Carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur stable isotope analyses on dentine microsections. Tooth maturation was used to calculate age at death. RESULTS Two Neolithic children present longer pattern of weaning and appear to have been weaned using animal protein in contrast to the earlier weaning of Metal Ages children, which were probably weaned with vegetable resources. Sulfur isotopes suggest local origin of Neolithic and Cooper Age children, and non-local origins for Bronze and Iron Age children. Intense catabolism in the last two years is apparent in the adolescent with tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS Shortening in weaning patterns during the Metal Ages are likely driven by the intensification of agricultural practices and cultivation of new crops during Bronze and Iron Ages. Neolithic food choices and delayed weaning patterns may represent one of the strategies to maximize growth and immune potential in a local economy/ecology with high-infectious load. Tuberculosis was a chronic and long-lasting disease. SIGNIFICANCE The first combined carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur analysis on prehistoric dentine microsections revealing changing human life history adaptations within the same region. LIMITATIONS Small sample size. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Increase the sulfur isotope dataset, use new EA-IRMS equipment, and provide data on amino acid to better define weaning food composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Goude
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Minist Culture, LAMPEA, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - I Dori
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33616, Pessac, France; Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di Verona, Rovigo e Vicenza, Piazza S. Fermo 3, 37121, Verona, Italy; Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
| | - V S Sparacello
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33616, Pessac, France.
| | - E Starnini
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Genova e le province di Imperia, La Spezia e Savona, via Balbi 10, I-16126, Genova, Italy; Dipartimento di Cività e Forme del Sapere, Università degli Studi di Pisa, Italy
| | - A Varalli
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, UK
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46
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Abstract
DeSantis et al. respond to the concerns raised by Van Valkenburgh et al. on their original study.
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47
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Dailey-Chwalibóg T, Huneau JF, Mathé V, Kolsteren P, Mariotti F, Mostak MR, Alim MA, Khan MMST, Khan MAH, Guesdon B, Fouillet H. Weaning and stunting affect nitrogen and carbon stable isotope natural abundances in the hair of young children. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2522. [PMID: 32054911 PMCID: PMC7018826 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59402-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural abundances of stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes (δ15N and δ13C) can vary with both dietary intake and metabolic (specifically catabolic) state. In low-income countries, weaning is a period of dietary transition from milk to plant-based foods and a high-risk period for malnutrition. We explored how diet and malnutrition impact hair δ15N and δ13C in young children by an observational, cross-sectional study in Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh [255 children, 6–59 months with 19.6% wasted (7.1% severely) and 36% stunted (9.8% severely)]. Hair δ15N and δ13C exhibited exponential decreases with age, with the loss of one trophic level (3.3‰ and 0.8‰, respectively) from 6 to 48 months, which we associate with the shift from exclusive breastfeeding to complete weaning. After adjustment for age and breastfeeding status, hair isotopic values were unaffected by wasting but lower in severe stunting (−0.45‰ to −0.6‰, P < 0.01). In this population of young children, whose isotopic values in hair primarily depended on age, we failed to observe any effect of wasting, likely due to opposite, compensating effects between dietary and metabolic changes involved. In contrast, we evidenced low δ15N and δ13C values in severely stunted children that likely indicate chronic exposure to diets low in animal products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trenton Dailey-Chwalibóg
- Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR PNCA, 75005, Paris, France.,Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Expertise and Advocacy, Action Contre la Faim (ACF), Paris, France
| | | | - Véronique Mathé
- Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR PNCA, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Patrick Kolsteren
- Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - François Mariotti
- Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR PNCA, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Md Rayhan Mostak
- Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), Dhaka, Bangladesh.,Action Against Hunger (AAH), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Abdul Alim
- National Nutrition Service (NNS), Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | | | - Benjamin Guesdon
- Department of Expertise and Advocacy, Action Contre la Faim (ACF), Paris, France
| | - Helene Fouillet
- Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR PNCA, 75005, Paris, France.
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Tsutaya T, Kakinuma Y, Yoneda M. Reconstructed Weaning Ages in Urbanized Cities of Premodern Japan: Insight into the Relationship Between Employment and Fertility. BIOARCHAEOLOGY AND SOCIAL THEORY 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-53417-2_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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49
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Potential Use of Stable Isotope and Multi-element Analyses for Regional Geographical Traceability of Bone Raw Materials for Gelatin Production. FOOD ANAL METHOD 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s12161-019-01687-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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50
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Stefanović S, Petrović B, Porčić M, Penezić K, Pendić J, Dimitrijević V, Živaljević I, Vuković S, Jovanović J, Kojić S, Starović A, Blagojević T. Bone spoons for prehistoric babies: Detection of human teeth marks on the Neolithic artefacts from the site Grad-Starčevo (Serbia). PLoS One 2019; 14:e0225713. [PMID: 31856238 PMCID: PMC6922321 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Around 8000 years ago, throughout the Neolithic world a new type of artefact appeared, small spoons masterly made from cattle bone, usually interpreted as tools, due to their intensive traces of use. Contrary to those interpretations, the small dimensions of spoons and presence of intensive traces of use led us to the assumption that they were used for feeding babies. In order to test that assumption we compared 2230 marks on three spoons from the Neolithic site of Grad-Starčevo in Serbia (5800-5450 cal BC) with 3151 primary teeth marks produced experimentally. This study has shown that some of the marks on spoons were made by primary teeth, which indicate their usage in feeding babies. The production of a new type of artefact to feed babies is probably related to the appearance of a new type of weaning food, and the abundance of spoons indicates that new baby gruels became an important innovation in prehistoric baby-care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofija Stefanović
- BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Laboratory for Bioarchaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Bojan Petrović
- BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Dentistry Clinic of Vojvodina, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Marko Porčić
- BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Laboratory for Bioarchaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Jugoslav Pendić
- BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Vesna Dimitrijević
- BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Laboratory for Bioarchaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Sonja Vuković
- Laboratory for Bioarchaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jelena Jovanović
- BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Laboratory for Bioarchaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Sanja Kojić
- BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
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