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Álvarez-Fernández N, Martínez Cortizas A, López-Costas O. Structural equation modelling of mercury intra-skeletal variability on archaeological human remains. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158015. [PMID: 35970463 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158015] [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: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Archaeological burial environments are useful archives to investigate the long-term trends and the behaviour of mercury. In order to understand the relationship between mercury, skeletons and soil, we applied Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to a detailed, multisampling (n = 73 bone samples +37 soil samples) design of two archaeological graves dating to the 6th to 7th centuries CE (A Lanzada site, NW Spain). Mercury content was assessed using a DMA-80, and data about bone structure and the grave soil/sediments were obtained using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. The theoretical model is supported by proxies of bone structure, grave soil/sediments, and location of the bone within the skeleton. The general model explained 61 % of mercury variance. Additionally, Partial Least Square - Prediction Oriented Segmentation (PLS-POS) was also used to check for segmentation in the dataset. POS revealed two group of samples depending on the bone phase (hydroxyapatite or collagen) controlling the Hg content, and the corresponding models explained 86 % and 76 % of Hg variance, respectively. The results suggest that mercury behaviour in the graves is complex, and that mercury concentrations were influenced by i) the ante-mortem status of the bone matrix, related to the weight of each bone phase; ii) post-mortem evolution of bone crystallinity, where bone loses mercury with increasing alteration; and iii) the proximity of the skeletal pieces to mercury target organs, as decomposition and collapse of the thoracic and abdominal soft tissues causes a secondary mercury enrichment in bones from the body trunk during early post-mortem. Skeletons provide a source of mercury to the soil whereas soil/sediments contribute little to skeletal mercury content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemi Álvarez-Fernández
- CRETUS, EcoPast (GI-1553), Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 16782, Spain; Boscalia Technologies S.L., Spain.
| | - Antonio Martínez Cortizas
- CRETUS, EcoPast (GI-1553), Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 16782, Spain; Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-10691, Sweden
| | - Olalla López-Costas
- EcoPast (GI-1553), CRETUS, Area of Archaeology, Department of History, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain; Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University, Wallenberglaboratoriet, SE-10691, Sweden; Laboratorio de Antropología Física, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, 18012, Spain
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Dąbrowski P, Kulus MJ, Grzelak J, Olchowy C, Staniowski T, Paulsen F. Nutritional reconstruction in an early modern population: Searching for a relationship between dental microwear and bone element composition. Ann Anat 2022; 240:151884. [PMID: 34990775 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2021.151884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Observing the microwear patterns of the dental crowns enamel surface can provide information on the ingredients and structure of the food consumed, but also on eating habits and lifestyle. Major role in reconstructing the diet and lifestyle of past populations is played by the analysis of alkaline earth metals, such as strontium, barium, zinc and calcium. Ba and Sr are indicators of the consumption of vegetables, plants (cereals and legumes) and marine organisms. This study aims to assess dietary diversity and identify its components based on microscopic techniques and chemical analyses of material from early modern archaeological sites in Wrocław, Poland. METHODS The material consisted of 36 permanent molars and the intrasternal parts of 122 first ribs, collected from 6 Wroclaw early modern cemeteries. Tooth microwear was evaluated on Scanning electron microscopy images, with Microwear 4.02 software. Bone chemical composition (Ca, P, Ba, Sr content) was evaluated with mass spectrometry. RESULTS Most lines were present on the teeth from St. Mary Magdalene Cemetery, with the lowest average number of lines observed on the teeth from St. Barbara Cemetery. The Ca/P ratios calculated for different sites formed two clusters that allows to distinguish two groups of archaeological sites with different bone preservation status. Number of differences in Ba/Sr, Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca ratios was found between disctinct archaeological sites. A number of correlations were found between the concentration of the chemical elements, but no statistically significant correlation was found between the microwear characteristics and the proportion of the elements studied. Some strong correlations were found between microwear features and the Ca/P ratio. CONCLUSIONS the different values of Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca and Ba/Sr ratios indicate different diets in the different communities. The data obtained indicate a mixed diet, with a relatively high proportion of animal products throughout Wrocław. Conclusions should be treated with caution due to secondary diagenesis. The lack of interdependence between microwear and chemical composition characteristics suggests that the two methods should be considered complementary and not overlapping, as they provide different insights into the diets of past populations. The comparison of microwear between different sites should always take into account secondary diagenesis and the burial environment, as these influence the characteristics of microwear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Dąbrowski
- Division of Normal Anatomy, Department of Human Morphology and Embryology, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.
| | - Michał Jerzy Kulus
- Department of Ultrastructural Reasearch, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Joanna Grzelak
- Division of Normal Anatomy, Department of Human Morphology and Embryology, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Cyprian Olchowy
- Department of Dental Surgery, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Tomasz Staniowski
- Department of Conservative Dentistry and Pedodontics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Friedrich Paulsen
- Institute of Functional and Clinical Anatomy, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany; Department of Topographic Anatomy and Operative Surgery, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia
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Álvarez-Fernández N, Martínez Cortizas A, García-López Z, López-Costas O. Approaching mercury distribution in burial environment using PLS-R modelling. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21231. [PMID: 34707177 PMCID: PMC8551184 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00768-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Mercury environmental cycle and toxicology have been widely researched. Given the long history of mercury pollution, researching mercury trends in the past can help to understand its behaviour in the present. Archaeological skeletons have been found to be useful sources of information regarding mercury loads in the past. In our study we applied a soil multi-sampling approach in two burials dated to the 5th to 6th centuries AD. PLRS modelling was used to elucidate the factors controlling mercury distribution. The model explains 72% of mercury variance and suggests that mercury accumulation in the burial soils is the result of complex interactions. The decomposition of the bodies not only was the primary source of mercury to the soil but also responsible for the pedogenetic transformation of the sediments and the formation of soil components with the ability to retain mercury. The amount of soft tissues and bone mass also resulted in differences between burials, indicating that the skeletons were a primary/secondary source of mercury to the soil (i.e. temporary sink). Within burial variability seems to depend on the proximity of the soil to the thoracic area, where the main mercury target organs were located. We also conclude that, in coarse textured soils, as the ones studied in this investigation, the finer fraction (i.e. silt + clay) should be analysed, as it is the most reactive and the one with the higher potential to provide information on metal cycling and incipient soil processes. Finally, our study stresses the need to characterise the burial soil environment in order to fully understand the role of the interactions between soil and skeleton in mercury cycling in burial contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zaira García-López
- CRETUS, EcoPast (GI-1553), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago, Spain
| | - Olalla López-Costas
- EcoPast (GI-1553), CRETUS, Archaeology Department of History, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago, Spain.,Archaeological Research Laboratory, Wallenberglaboratoriet, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.,Laboratorio de Antropología Física, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, 18012, Granada, Spain
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Simpson R, Cooper DML, Swanston T, Coulthard I, Varney TL. Historical overview and new directions in bioarchaeological trace element analysis: a review. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2021; 13:24. [PMID: 33520004 PMCID: PMC7810633 DOI: 10.1007/s12520-020-01262-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Given their strong affinity for the skeleton, trace elements are often stored in bones and teeth long term. Diet, geography, health, disease, social status, activity, and occupation are some factors which may cause differential exposure to, and uptake of, trace elements, theoretically introducing variability in their concentrations and/or ratios in the skeleton. Trace element analysis of bioarchaeological remains has the potential, therefore, to provide rich insights into past human lifeways. This review provides a historical overview of bioarchaeological trace element analysis and comments on the current state of the discipline by highlighting approaches with growing momentum. Popularity for the discipline surged following preliminary studies in the 1960s to 1970s that demonstrated the utility of strontium (Sr) as a dietary indicator. During the 1980s, Sr/Ca ratio and multi-element studies were commonplace in bioarchaeology, linking trace elements with dietary phenomena. Interest in using trace elements for bioarchaeological inferences waned following a period of critiques in the late 1980s to 1990s that argued the discipline failed to account for diagenesis, simplified complex element uptake and regulation processes, and used several unsuitable elements for palaeodietary reconstruction (e.g. those under homeostatic regulation, those without a strong affinity for the skeleton). In the twenty-first century, trace element analyses have been primarily restricted to Sr and lead (Pb) isotope analysis and the study of toxic trace elements, though small pockets of bioarchaeology have continued to analyse multiple elements. Techniques such as micro-sampling, element mapping, and non-traditional stable isotope analysis have provided novel insights which hold the promise of helping to overcome limitations faced by the discipline. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-020-01262-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Simpson
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK Canada
- Present Address: Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada
| | - David M. L. Cooper
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK Canada
| | - Treena Swanston
- Department of Anthropology, Economics and Political Science, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB Canada
| | | | - Tamara L. Varney
- Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON Canada
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Lugli F, Cipriani A. Comment on: metals in bones of the middle-aged inhabitants of Sardinia island (Italy) to assess nutrition and environmental exposure [Bocca et al. (2018), Environ Sci Pollut Res]. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 25:33827-33831. [PMID: 30267343 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3330-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Federico Lugli
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi, 103-41125, Modena, Italy.
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy.
| | - Anna Cipriani
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi, 103-41125, Modena, Italy
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York, 10964, USA
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