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Smithers R, Miller ARV, Fernandes R. North Central Asia isotopic database for archaeological samples. Data Brief 2024; 53:110032. [PMID: 38348325 PMCID: PMC10859260 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2024.110032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The North Central Asia Isotopic Database (NCAID) is an open-access dataset of stable isotope measurements from archaeological remains, spanning from the Early Neolithic until present-day in North Central Asia. With 3,143 individual entries corresponding to data accumulated over more than 20 years of research, this comprehensive dataset encompasses measurements of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in organic fractions from archaeological humans, animals, and plants. NCAID incorporates diverse supporting information, providing geographical information, archaeological context descriptions, and chronology. This resource facilitates research into past human lifeways, paleo-environments/climates, and animal management practices throughout North Central Asia and will be continually updated as more novel data is released.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Smithers
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Kings Manor, York, UK
| | - A. R. Ventresca Miller
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, MI, United States
- Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, MI, United States
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - R. Fernandes
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Department of Bioarchaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927 Warszawa, Poland
- Masaryk University, Arne Faculty of Arts, Nováka 1, 602 00, Brno-střed, Czech Republic
- Princeton University, Climate Change and History Research Initiative, Princeton, USA
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Mir-Makhamad B, Lurje P, Parshuto V, Pulotov A, Aminov F, Shenkar M, Saidov M, Semenov N, Kurbanov S, Mirzaakhmedov S, Rakhmanov K, dal Martello R, Spengler R. Agriculture along the upper part of the Middle Zarafshan River during the first millennium AD: A multi-site archaeobotanical analysis. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297896. [PMID: 38547085 PMCID: PMC10977675 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297896] [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: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The Zarafshan River runs from the mountains of Tajikistan and terminates in the sands of the Kyzyl-Kum Desert in Uzbekistan; it served as a communication route and homeland for the Sogdians. The Sogdians are historically depicted as merchants existing from the end of the first millennium BC through the first millennium AD. While recent research has provided the first glimpse into cultivation, commerce, communication, and consumption in the Lower Zarafshan, the agricultural heartland of the Middle Zarafshan Basin has remained unstudied. This paper presents the results of archaeobotanical investigations conducted at five ancient urban sites/areas spanning the fifth to the twelfth centuries AD: Kainar (Penjikent citadel), Penjikent (shahristan), Sanjar-Shah, Kuk-Tosh (pre-Mongol Penjikent), and Afrasiab. Collectively, these data show that cereals, legumes, oil/fiber crops, fruits, and nuts were cultivated on the fertile Zarafshan floodplains. In this paper, we discuss evidence for the diversification of the agricultural assemblage over time, including the introduction of new staple crops and fruits into an already complex cultivation system. In addition, we contrast our data with previously published results from sites along the course of the Zarafshan to determine whether there is a dietary difference between pre-and post-Islamic conquest periods at settlements located along the river.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basira Mir-Makhamad
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Thuringia, Germany
- Department of Archaeology, Domestication and Anthropogenic Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Thuringia, Germany
- Ancient Oriental Studies Department, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Pavel Lurje
- State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia
| | - Vikentiy Parshuto
- Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University, New York City, New York, United States of America
| | - Abdurahmon Pulotov
- Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography, Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
| | - Firuz Aminov
- Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg, Russia
| | - Michael Shenkar
- Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- "New Uzbekistan" University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
| | - Muminkhon Saidov
- Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, Agency of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
- Department of History and Cultural Heritage, “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
| | | | - Sharof Kurbanov
- Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography, Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
| | - Sirojiddin Mirzaakhmedov
- Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, Agency of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
| | - Khusniddin Rakhmanov
- Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, Agency of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
| | - Rita dal Martello
- Department of Asian and North African Studies, Università Ca’Foscari, Dorsoduro, Venezia, Italy
| | - Robert Spengler
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Thuringia, Germany
- Department of Archaeology, Domestication and Anthropogenic Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Thuringia, Germany
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Li S, Li Y, Wang W, Jiao J, Degen AA, Zhang T, Bai Y, Zhao J, Kreuzer M, Shang Z. Dietary habits of pastoralists on the Tibetan plateau are influenced by remoteness and economic status. Food Res Int 2023; 174:113627. [PMID: 37981357 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
In general, dietary habits of pastoralists are livestock-derived, but are also influenced by external food sources under globalization. We hypothesized that dietary habits of pastoralists would be influenced by their remoteness, and that changes from the traditional diet would result in deviations in the local ecological chain. To test this hypothesis, we determined the δ13C and δ15N values of soil, plants, and hair of animals and pastoralists (n = 885). The δ13C value in human hair reflects the proportions of protein originating from C3 and C4 plants; whereas, the δ15N value reflects the proportions of protein derived from plants and animals, with higher values indicating a greater consumption of meat. The isotopic signatures enabled us to estimate the variation in dietary habits of pastoralists across a socio-economic gradient of easily accessible to remote areas on the Tibetan plateau, and to determine the trophic transfer of the isotopes along an ecological chain. The trophic magnification factor (TMF) evaluated the trophic transfer of δ15N in the soil-plants-animals-pastoralists ecological chain. The high δ15N values in soil and plants were not recovered in animals and pastoralists in easily accessible and developed areas, indicating the use of external feed and food resources, and that they deviated from the ecological chain. The mean δ13C (-22.0 ‰) and δ15N values (6.9 ‰) of pastoralists indicated diets consisting mainly of local C3 plants and animal products. However, pastoralists in remote areas relied more on meat protein and on the local ecological chain than pastoralists in easily accessible areas, as their δ15N values and trophic magnification factor of δ15N in the ecological chain were greater. In addition to remoteness, per capita GDP influenced dietary changes in pastoralists, with richer pastoralists consuming more external food. We concluded that dietary changes of pastoralists in the easily accessible areas were due to external food resources and alterations in the local ecological chain of animals and plant-based foods available to the pastoralists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China
| | - Yinfeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wenyin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jianxin Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - A Allan Degen
- Desert Animal Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410500, Israel
| | - Tao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yanfu Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jingxue Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Michael Kreuzer
- ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Eschikon 27, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland
| | - Zhanhuan Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
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Mir-Makhamad B, Stark S, Mirzaakhmedov S, Rahmonov H, Spengler RN. Food globalization in southern Central Asia: archaeobotany at Bukhara between antiquity and the Middle Ages. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2023; 15:124. [PMID: 37484657 PMCID: PMC10361866 DOI: 10.1007/s12520-023-01827-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
The Silk Road is a modern name for a globalization phenomenon that marked an extensive network of communication and exchange in the ancient world; by the turn of the second millennium AD, commercial trade linked Asia and supported the development of a string of large urban centers across Central Asia. One of the main arteries of the medieval trade routes followed the middle and lower Zarafshan River and was connected by mercantile cities, such as Samarkand and Bukhara. Bukhara developed into a flourishing urban center between the fourth and sixth centuries AD, served as the capital of the Samanid court between AD 893 and 999, and remained prosperous into the Qarakhanid period (AD 999-1220), until the Mongol invasion in AD 1220. We present the first archaeobotanical study from this ancient center of education, craft production, artistic development, and commerce. Radiocarbon dates and an archaeological chronology that has been developed for the site show that our samples cover a range between the third and eleventh centuries AD. These samples from Bukhara represent the richest systematically collected archaeobotanical assemblage thus far recovered in Central Asia. The assemblage includes spices and both annual and perennial crops, which allowed Sogdians and Samanids to feed large cities in river oases surrounded by desert and arid steppe and supported a far-reaching commercial market in the first millennium AD. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-023-01827-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basira Mir-Makhamad
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
- Domestication and Anthropogenic Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
- Ancient Oriental Studies Department, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Sören Stark
- Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, New York, NY USA
| | - Sirojidin Mirzaakhmedov
- Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, Agency of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
| | - Husniddin Rahmonov
- Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, Agency of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
| | - Robert N. Spengler
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
- Domestication and Anthropogenic Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
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Ahn SV, Park JK. The association between carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of human hair and hypertension. Clin Hypertens 2023; 29:4. [PMID: 36721223 PMCID: PMC9890701 DOI: 10.1186/s40885-022-00228-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The relationship between stable isotope ratios and dietary protein sources has been reported. However, few studies have examined the effect of stable isotope ratios on metabolic risk in humans. We investigated whether the stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in human hair are associated with blood pressure and hypertension. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of 392 subjects (228 men and 164 women). Hair samples of the subjects were used for the measurement of stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N). RESULTS The δ13C and δ15N values showed positive correlations with diastolic blood pressure in the subjects without antihypertensive medication. In the subjects without antihypertensive medication, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for hypertension was 1.55 (1.04-2.30) per 1‰ increase in δ15N and 1.22 (0.86-1.73) per 1‰ increase in δ13C, respectively. However, in the subjects with antihypertensive medication, neither δ13C nor δ15N values showed a significant association with hypertension. CONCLUSIONS The stable isotopic ratio of nitrogen in scalp hair is independently associated with hypertension in subjects without antihypertensive medication. The hair δ15N value might be used as a surrogate marker to screen a high-risk population for hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Vogue Ahn
- grid.255649.90000 0001 2171 7754Department of Health Convergence, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Ku Park
- grid.15444.300000 0004 0470 5454Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Republic of Korea
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Dong J, Wang S, Chen G, Wei W, Du L, Xu Y, Ma M, Dong G. Stable Isotopic Evidence for Human and Animal Diets From the Late Neolithic to the Ming Dynasty in the Middle-Lower Reaches of the Hulu River Valley, NW China. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.905371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of human and animal paleodiets, representing the unique subsistence strategies and human-environment interactions adopted over evolutionary time, has attracted intensive research attention. Historically, the western Loess Plateau (WLP) served as a key area for the evolution of human-land relationship. The human subsistence patterns in the WLP changed significantly from prehistoric to historical periods based on archaeobotanical data. However, the trajectory and influencing factors of ancient human and animal diets in the WLP remain unclear, mainly due to the lack of isotopic data in the upper reaches of the Wei River. In this paper, we reported 172 human and animal isotope samples (C and N) and 23 radiocarbon dates from three sites in the middle-lower reaches of the Hulu River Valley (HRV). At least three periods of dietary patterns for humans were observed in the WLP from the late Neolithic to Ming Dynasty. During 5300–4000 Before Present (BP), humans and domesticated animals such as pigs and dogs consumed a greater proportion of millets and millet byproducts. Between 3000 and 2200 BP, the diets of pigs and dogs remained largely comprised of C4 foods, while humans consumed both C3 and C4 foods, which contradicted the evidence of an overwhelming proportion of wheat and barley (C3 crops) from the contemporaneous cultural sediment. The contradictions between plant remains and human diets are probably related to geopolitical factors. Between 1000–500 BP, human diets were more diverse and heterogeneous in this region. Combined with environmental and archaeological evidence, the changes in diets and subsistence strategies over the three periods can be attributed to the comprehensive influence of regional cultural development, geopolitics and technological innovation. This paper not only reveals the trajectory and influencing factors of ancient human and animal diets in the middle-lower HRV, but also explores how subsistence strategies, particularly in terms of dietary structure, will change in the context of cultural exchange and diffusion, and emphasizes the important influence of geopolitical interactions in the WLP.
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Abstract
This paper deals with the question about how early humans managed to feed themselves, and how they preserved and stored food for times of need. It attempts to show how humans interacted with their environments and demonstrate what lessons can be learnt from the about 3.4 million years of food processing and preservation. It includes a discussion about how hominins shifted from consumption of nuts and berries toward meat and learnt to control and use fire. Cooking with fire generated more food-related energy and enabled humans to have more mobility. The main trust of the paper is on historical food preservations, organized from the perspectives of key mechanical, thermal, biological and chemical processes. Emerging food processes are also highlighted. Furthermore, how humans historically dealt with food storage and packaging and how early humans interacted with their given environments are discussed. Learnings from the history of food preservation and culinary practices of our ancestors provide us with an understanding of their culture and how they adapted and lived with their given environments to ensure adequacy of food supply. Collaboration between food scientists and anthropologists is advocated as this adds another dimension to building resilient and sustainable food systems for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dietrich Knorr
- Food Biotechnology and Food Process Engineering, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Ebert CE, Rand AJ, Green-Mink K, Hoggarth JA, Freiwald C, Awe JJ, Trask WR, Yaeger J, Brown MK, Helmke C, Guerra RA, Danforth M, Kennett DJ. Sulfur isotopes as a proxy for human diet and mobility from the preclassic through colonial periods in the Eastern Maya lowlands. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254992. [PMID: 34383771 PMCID: PMC8360522 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Maya archaeologists have long been interested in understanding ancient diets because they provide information about broad-scale economic and societal transformations. Though paleodietary studies have primarily relied on stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of human bone collagen to document the types of food people consumed, stable sulfur (δ34S) isotope analysis can potentially provide valuable data to identify terrestrial, freshwater, or marine/coastal food sources, as well as determine human mobility and migration patterns. Here we assess applications of δ34S for investigating Maya diet and migration through stable isotope analyses of human bone collagen (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S) from 114 individuals from 12 sites in the Eastern Maya lowlands, temporally spanning from the Late Preclassic (300 BCE-300 CE) through Colonial periods (1520-1800 CE). Results document a diet dominated by maize and other terrestrial resources, consistent with expectations for this inland region. Because δ34S values reflect local geology, our analyses also identified recent migrants to the Eastern lowlands who had non-local δ34S signatures. When combined with other indicators of mobility (e.g., strontium isotopes), sulfur isotopic data provide a powerful tool to investigate movement across a person's lifespan. This study represents the largest examination of archaeological human δ34S isotope values for the Maya lowlands and provides a foundation for novel insights into both subsistence practices and migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire E. Ebert
- Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Asta J. Rand
- Department of Archaeology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Kirsten Green-Mink
- Department of Anthropology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Julie A. Hoggarth
- Department of Anthropology and Institute of Archaeology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States of America
| | - Carolyn Freiwald
- Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Mississippi, Mississippi, United States of America
| | - Jaime J. Awe
- Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
- Institute of Archaeology, National Institute of Culture and History, Belmopan, Belize
| | | | - Jason Yaeger
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - M. Kathryn Brown
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Christophe Helmke
- Institute of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rafael A. Guerra
- Institute of Archaeology, National Institute of Culture and History, Belmopan, Belize
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United State of America
| | - Marie Danforth
- School of Social Science and Global Studies, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States of America
| | - Douglas J. Kennett
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United State of America
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Spengler RN, Miller AV, Schmaus T, Matuzevičiūtė GM, Miller BK, Wilkin S, Taylor WTT, Li Y, Roberts P, Boivin N. An Imagined Past? CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1086/714245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Taché K, Jaffe Y, Craig OE, Lucquin A, Zhou J, Wang H, Jiang S, Standall E, Flad RK. What do "barbarians" eat? Integrating ceramic use-wear and residue analysis in the study of food and society at the margins of Bronze Age China. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250819. [PMID: 33914818 PMCID: PMC8084173 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Siwa archaeological culture (ca. 3350 and 2650 cal yr BP) has often been associated with the tribes referenced in textual sources as Qiang and Rong: prized captives commonly sacrificed by the Shang and marauding hordes who toppled the Western Zhou dynasty. In early Chinese writings, food plays a key role in accentuating the 'sino-barbarian' dichotomy believed to have taken root over 3000 years ago, with the Qiang and Rong described as nomadic pastoralists who consumed more meat than grain and knew little of proper dining etiquette. To date, however, little direct archaeological evidence has allowed us to reconstruct the diet and foodways of the groups who occupied the Loess Plateau during this pivotal period. Here we present the results of the first ceramic use-wear study performed on the Siwa ma'an jars from the site of Zhanqi, combined with the molecular and isotopic characterization of lipid residues from foodcrusts, and evidence from experimental cooking. We report molecular data indicating the preparation of meals composed of millet and ruminant dairy among the Siwa community of Zhanqi. Use-wear analysis shows that Zhanqi community members were sophisticated creators of ceramic equipment, the ma'an cooking pot, which allowed them to prepare a wide number of dishes with limited fuel. These findings support recent isotope studies at Zhanqi as well as nuance the centrality of meat in the Siwa period diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Taché
- Department of Historical Sciences, Université Laval, Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Yitzchak Jaffe
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Oliver E. Craig
- Department of archaeology, BioArch, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Alexandre Lucquin
- Department of archaeology, BioArch, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Jing Zhou
- Gansu Institute of Archaeology, Lanzhou, Gansu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Institute of Archaeological Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shengpeng Jiang
- School of Archaeology, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Edward Standall
- Department of archaeology, BioArch, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Rowan K. Flad
- Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
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Gnecchi-Ruscone GA, Khussainova E, Kahbatkyzy N, Musralina L, Spyrou MA, Bianco RA, Radzeviciute R, Martins NFG, Freund C, Iksan O, Garshin A, Zhaniyazov Z, Bekmanov B, Kitov E, Samashev Z, Beisenov A, Berezina N, Berezin Y, Bíró AZ, Évinger S, Bissembaev A, Akhatov G, Mamedov A, Onggaruly A, Voyakin D, Chotbayev A, Kariyev Y, Buzhilova A, Djansugurova L, Jeong C, Krause J. Ancient genomic time transect from the Central Asian Steppe unravels the history of the Scythians. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/13/eabe4414. [PMID: 33771866 PMCID: PMC7997506 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe4414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Scythians were a multitude of horse-warrior nomad cultures dwelling in the Eurasian steppe during the first millennium BCE. Because of the lack of first-hand written records, little is known about the origins and relations among the different cultures. To address these questions, we produced genome-wide data for 111 ancient individuals retrieved from 39 archaeological sites from the first millennia BCE and CE across the Central Asian Steppe. We uncovered major admixture events in the Late Bronze Age forming the genetic substratum for two main Iron Age gene-pools emerging around the Altai and the Urals respectively. Their demise was mirrored by new genetic turnovers, linked to the spread of the eastern nomad empires in the first centuries CE. Compared to the high genetic heterogeneity of the past, the homogenization of the present-day Kazakhs gene pool is notable, likely a result of 400 years of strict exogamous social rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elmira Khussainova
- Laboratory of Population Genetics, Institute of General Genetics and Cytology, 050060, al-Farabi Ave., 93 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Nurzhibek Kahbatkyzy
- Laboratory of Population Genetics, Institute of General Genetics and Cytology, 050060, al-Farabi Ave., 93 Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Kazakh National University by al-Farabi, 050040, al-Farabi Ave., 71 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Lyazzat Musralina
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Laboratory of Population Genetics, Institute of General Genetics and Cytology, 050060, al-Farabi Ave., 93 Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Kazakh National University by al-Farabi, 050040, al-Farabi Ave., 71 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Maria A Spyrou
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Raffaela A Bianco
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Rita Radzeviciute
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Nuno Filipe Gomes Martins
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Caecilia Freund
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Olzhas Iksan
- Laboratory of Population Genetics, Institute of General Genetics and Cytology, 050060, al-Farabi Ave., 93 Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Kazakh National University by al-Farabi, 050040, al-Farabi Ave., 71 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Alexander Garshin
- Laboratory of Population Genetics, Institute of General Genetics and Cytology, 050060, al-Farabi Ave., 93 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Zhassulan Zhaniyazov
- Laboratory of Population Genetics, Institute of General Genetics and Cytology, 050060, al-Farabi Ave., 93 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Bakhytzhan Bekmanov
- Laboratory of Population Genetics, Institute of General Genetics and Cytology, 050060, al-Farabi Ave., 93 Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Kazakh National University by al-Farabi, 050040, al-Farabi Ave., 71 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Egor Kitov
- Kazakh National University by al-Farabi, 050040, al-Farabi Ave., 71 Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Center of Human Ecology, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
- Institute of Arсhaeology by A.Kh. Margulan, 050010, Dostyk Ave., 44 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Zainolla Samashev
- State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Berel," village Zhambyl, Katon-Karagay district, East Kazakhstan region, 070906, Kazakhstan
- Branch of Institute of Archaeology by A.Kh. Margulan, 010011, Republic Ave., 24, of. 511, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
| | - Arman Beisenov
- Institute of Arсhaeology by A.Kh. Margulan, 050010, Dostyk Ave., 44 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Natalia Berezina
- Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Mokhovaya Str. 11, Moscow 125009, Russian Federation
| | - Yakov Berezin
- Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Mokhovaya Str. 11, Moscow 125009, Russian Federation
| | - András Zsolt Bíró
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Ludovika tér 2-6, Budapest H-1083, Hungary
| | - Sándor Évinger
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Ludovika tér 2-6, Budapest H-1083, Hungary
| | - Arman Bissembaev
- Branch of Institute of Archaeology by A.Kh. Margulan, 010011, Republic Ave., 24, of. 511, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
- Regional Center of History, Ethnography and Archeology of Aktobe region, Turgenev Str. 86, Aktobe 030020, Kazakhstan
| | - Gaziz Akhatov
- Institute of Arсhaeology by A.Kh. Margulan, 050010, Dostyk Ave., 44 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Aslan Mamedov
- Aktobe Regional Historical Museum, Oraza Tateuly Ave. 3, Batys-2 microdistrict, Astana district, Aktobe 030000, Kazakhstan
| | - Akhan Onggaruly
- Scientific-Research Institute "Halyq qazynasy," National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Tauelsizdik Ave. 54, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
| | - Dmitriy Voyakin
- Institute of Arсhaeology by A.Kh. Margulan, 050010, Dostyk Ave., 44 Almaty, Kazakhstan
- International Institute for Central Asian Studies, University Boulevard Street 9, Samarkand 140129, Uzbekistan
| | - Aidos Chotbayev
- Institute of Arсhaeology by A.Kh. Margulan, 050010, Dostyk Ave., 44 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Yeldos Kariyev
- Scientific Center "Altaytanu" of East-Kazakhstan State University by S.A. Amanzholov, Kazakhstan Str. 55, Ust-Kamenogorsk 070004, Kazakhstan
| | - Alexandra Buzhilova
- Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Mokhovaya Str. 11, Moscow 125009, Russian Federation
| | - Leyla Djansugurova
- Laboratory of Population Genetics, Institute of General Genetics and Cytology, 050060, al-Farabi Ave., 93 Almaty, Kazakhstan.
| | - Choongwon Jeong
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany.
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 08826 Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Johannes Krause
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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12
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Betsinger TK, DeWitte SN. Toward a bioarchaeology of urbanization: Demography, health, and behavior in cities in the past. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 175 Suppl 72:79-118. [PMID: 33619721 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Urbanization is one of the most important settlement shifts in human history and has been the focus of research within bioarchaeology for decades. However, there have been limited attempts to synthesize the results of these studies in order to gain a broader perspective on whether or how urbanization affects the biology, demography, and behavior of humans, and how these potential effects are embodied in the human skeleton. This paper outlines how bioarchaeology is well-suited to examine urbanization in the past, and we provide an overview and examples of three main ways in which urbanization is studied in bioarchaeological research: comparison of (often contemporaneous) urban and rural sites, synchronic studies of the variation that exists within and between urban sites, and investigations of changes that occur within urban sites over time. Studies of urbanization, both within bioarchaeology and in other fields of study, face a number of limitations, including a lack of a consensus regarding what urban and urbanization mean, the assumed dichotomous nature of urban versus rural settlements, the supposition that urbanization is universally bad for people, and the assumption (at least in practice) of homogeneity within urban and rural populations. Bioarchaeologists can address these limitations by utilizing a wide array of data and methods, and the studies described here collectively demonstrate the complex, nuanced, and highly variable effects of urbanization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sharon N DeWitte
- Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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13
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Multi-isotopic and morphometric evidence for the migration of farmers leading up to the Inka conquest of the southern Andes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21171. [PMID: 33273534 PMCID: PMC7712914 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78013-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
We present isotopic and morphometric evidence suggesting the migration of farmers in the southern Andes in the period AD 1270–1420, leading up to the Inka conquest occurring ~ AD 1400. This is based on the interdisciplinary study of human remains from archaeological cemeteries in the Andean Uspallata Valley (Argentina), located in the southern frontier of the Inka Empire. The studied samples span AD 800–1500, encompassing the highly dynamic Late Intermediate Period and culminating with the imperial expansion. Our research combines a macro-regional study of human paleomobility and migration based on a new strontium isoscape across the Andes that allows identifying locals and migrants, a geometric morphometric analysis of cranio-facial morphology suggesting separate ancestral lineages, and a paleodietary reconstruction based on stable isotopes showing that the migrants had diets exceptionally high in C4 plants and largely based on maize agriculture. Significantly, this migration influx occurred during a period of regional demographic increase and would have been part of a widespread period of change in settlement patterns and population movements that preceded the Inka expansion. These processes increased local social diversity and may have been subsequently utilized by the Inka to channel interaction with the local societies.
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14
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Hermes TR, Frachetti MD, Voyakin D, Yerlomaeva AS, Beisenov AZ, Doumani Dupuy PN, Papin DV, Motuzaite Matuzeviciute G, Bayarsaikhan J, Houle JL, Tishkin AA, Nebel A, Krause-Kyora B, Makarewicz CA. High mitochondrial diversity of domesticated goats persisted among Bronze and Iron Age pastoralists in the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0233333. [PMID: 32437372 PMCID: PMC7241827 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Goats were initially managed in the Near East approximately 10,000 years ago and spread across Eurasia as economically productive and environmentally resilient herd animals. While the geographic origins of domesticated goats (Capra hircus) in the Near East have been long-established in the zooarchaeological record and, more recently, further revealed in ancient genomes, the precise pathways by which goats spread across Asia during the early Bronze Age (ca. 3000 to 2500 cal BC) and later remain unclear. We analyzed sequences of hypervariable region 1 and cytochrome b gene in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of goats from archaeological sites along two proposed transmission pathways as well as geographically intermediary sites. Unexpectedly high genetic diversity was present in the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor (IAMC), indicated by mtDNA haplotypes representing common A lineages and rarer C and D lineages. High mtDNA diversity was also present in central Kazakhstan, while only mtDNA haplotypes of lineage A were observed from sites in the Northern Eurasian Steppe (NES). These findings suggest that herding communities living in montane ecosystems were drawing from genetically diverse goat populations, likely sourced from communities in the Iranian Plateau, that were sustained by repeated interaction and exchange. Notably, the mitochondrial genetic diversity associated with goats of the IAMC also extended into the semi-arid region of central Kazakhstan, while NES communities had goats reflecting an isolated founder population, possibly sourced via eastern Europe or the Caucasus region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor R. Hermes
- Graduate School “Human Development in Landscapes”, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- Institute of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- * E-mail: (TRH); (CAM)
| | - Michael D. Frachetti
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Dmitriy Voyakin
- Archaeological Expertise, LLC, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- International Institute for Central Asian Studies, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
| | | | | | | | - Dmitry V. Papin
- The Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Studies in Archaeology of Western Siberia and Altai, Altai State University, Barnaul, Russia
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | | | | | - Jean-Luc Houle
- Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States of America
| | - Alexey A. Tishkin
- Department of Archaeology, Ethnography and Museology, Altai State University, Barnaul, Russia
| | - Almut Nebel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ben Krause-Kyora
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Cheryl A. Makarewicz
- Graduate School “Human Development in Landscapes”, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- Institute of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- * E-mail: (TRH); (CAM)
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15
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Wilkin S, Ventresca Miller A, Miller BK, Spengler RN, Taylor WTT, Fernandes R, Hagan RW, Bleasdale M, Zech J, Ulziibayar S, Myagmar E, Boivin N, Roberts P. Economic Diversification Supported the Growth of Mongolia's Nomadic Empires. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3916. [PMID: 32127564 PMCID: PMC7054399 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60194-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations in Mongolia from the late second millennium B.C.E. through the Mongol Empire are traditionally assumed, by archaeologists and historians, to have maintained a highly specialized horse-facilitated form of mobile pastoralism. Until recently, a dearth of direct evidence for prehistoric human diet and subsistence economies in Mongolia has rendered systematic testing of this view impossible. Here, we present stable carbon and nitrogen isotope measurements of human bone collagen, and stable carbon isotope analysis of human enamel bioapatite, from 137 well-dated ancient Mongolian individuals spanning the period c. 4400 B.C.E. to 1300 C.E. Our results demonstrate an increase in consumption of C4 plants beginning at c. 800 B.C.E., almost certainly indicative of millet consumption, an interpretation supported by archaeological evidence. The escalating scale of millet consumption on the eastern Eurasian steppe over time, and an expansion of isotopic niche widths, indicate that historic Mongolian empires were supported by a diversification of economic strategies rather than uniform, specialized pastoralism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shevan Wilkin
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany.
| | - Alicia Ventresca Miller
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
- University of Michigan, Department of Anthropology, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Bryan K Miller
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
| | - Robert N Spengler
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
| | - William T T Taylor
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
- University of Colorado, Department of Anthropology, Museum of Natural History, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Ricardo Fernandes
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Richard W Hagan
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeogenetics, Jena, Germany
| | - Madeleine Bleasdale
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
| | - Jana Zech
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
| | - S Ulziibayar
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Jukoviin orgon chuloo 77, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | | | - Nicole Boivin
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Patrick Roberts
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany.
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
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16
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Shevtsova E, Vergnaud G, Shevtsov A, Shustov A, Berdimuratova K, Mukanov K, Syzdykov M, Kuznetsov A, Lukhnova L, Izbanova U, Filipenko M, Ramankulov Y. Genetic Diversity of Brucella melitensis in Kazakhstan in Relation to World-Wide Diversity. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1897. [PMID: 31456793 PMCID: PMC6700508 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe the genetic diversity of 1327 Brucella strains from human patients in Kazakhstan using multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA). All strains were assigned to the Brucella melitensis East Mediterranean group and clustered into 16 MLVA11 genotypes, nine of which are reported for the first time. MLVA11 genotype 116 predominates (86.8%) and is present all over Kazakhstan indicating existence and temporary preservation of a “founder effect” among B. melitensis strains circulating in Central Eurasia. The diversity pattern observed in humans is highly similar to the pattern previously reported in animals. The diversity observed by MLVA suggested that the epidemiological status of brucellosis in Kazakhstan is the result of the introduction of a few lineages, which have subsequently diversified at the most unstable tandem repeat loci. This investigation will allow to select the most relevant strains for testing these hypotheses via whole genome sequencing and to subsequently adjust the genotyping scheme to the Kazakhstan epidemiological situation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gilles Vergnaud
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | | | | | | | - Kasim Mukanov
- National Center for Biotechnology, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
| | - Marat Syzdykov
- Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Andrey Kuznetsov
- Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Larissa Lukhnova
- Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Uinkul Izbanova
- Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Maxim Filipenko
- National Center for Biotechnology, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.,Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Synthetic Biology Department, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Yerlan Ramankulov
- National Center for Biotechnology, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.,School of Science and Technology, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
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17
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Spengler RN, Maksudov F, Bullion E, Merkle A, Hermes T, Frachetti M. Arboreal crops on the medieval Silk Road: Archaeobotanical studies at Tashbulak. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0201409. [PMID: 30106958 PMCID: PMC6091944 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 07/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During the first millennium A.D., Central Asia was marked by broad networks of exchange and interaction, what many historians collectively refer to as the “Silk Road”. Much of this contact relied on high-elevation mountain valleys, often linking towns and caravanserais through alpine territories. This cultural exchange is thought to have reached a peak in the late first millennium A.D., and these exchange networks fostered the spread of domesticated plants and animals across Eurasia. However, few systematic studies have investigated the cultivated plants that spread along the trans-Eurasian exchange during this time. New archaeobotanical data from the archaeological site of Tashbulak (800–1100 A.D.) in the mountains of Uzbekistan is shedding some light on what crops were being grown and consumed in Central Asia during the medieval period. The archaeobotanical assemblage contains grains and legumes, as well as a wide variety of fruits and nuts, which were likely cultivated at lower elevations and transported to the site. In addition, a number of arboreal fruits may have been collected from the wild or represent cultivated version of species that once grew in the wild shrubby forests of the foothills of southern Central Asia in prehistory. This study examines the spread of crops, notably arboreal crops, across Eurasia and ties together several data sets in order to add to discussions of what plant cultivation looked like in the central region of the Silk Road.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert N. Spengler
- Archaeology Department, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (Max-Planck-Institut für Menschheitsgeschichte), Jena, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Farhod Maksudov
- Institute for Archaeological Research, Academy of Sciences, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
| | - Elissa Bullion
- Anthropology Department, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Ann Merkle
- Anthropology Department, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Taylor Hermes
- Institute for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Michael Frachetti
- Institute for Archaeological Research, Academy of Sciences, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
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