1
|
Fewlass H, Zavala EI, Fagault Y, Tuna T, Bard E, Hublin JJ, Hajdinjak M, Wilczyński J. Chronological and genetic analysis of an Upper Palaeolithic female infant burial from Borsuka Cave, Poland. iScience 2023; 26:108283. [PMID: 38047066 PMCID: PMC10690573 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108283] [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: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Six infant human teeth and 112 animal tooth pendants from Borsuka Cave were identified as the oldest burial in Poland. However, uncertainties around the dating and the association of the teeth to the pendants have precluded their association with an Upper Palaeolithic archaeological industry. Using <67 mg per tooth, we combined dating and genetic analyses of two human teeth and six herbivore tooth pendants to address these questions. Our interdisciplinary approach yielded informative results despite limited sampling material, and high levels of degradation and contamination. Our results confirm the Palaeolithic origin of the human remains and herbivore pendants, and permit us to identify the infant as female and discuss the association of the assemblage with different Palaeolithic industries. This study exemplifies the progress that has been made toward minimally destructive methods and the benefits of integrating methods to maximize data retrieval from precious but highly degraded and contaminated prehistoric material.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helen Fewlass
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Ancient Genomics Lab, Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Elena I. Zavala
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
| | - Yoann Fagault
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Collège de France, Technopôle de l’Arbois BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 4, France
| | - Thibaut Tuna
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Collège de France, Technopôle de l’Arbois BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 4, France
| | - Edouard Bard
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Collège de France, Technopôle de l’Arbois BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 4, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Chaire de Paléoanthropologie, CIRB (UMR 7241 – U1050), Collège de France, 75231 Paris, France
| | - Mateja Hajdinjak
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jarosław Wilczyński
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Krakow, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Talamo S, Fewlass H, Maria R, Jaouen K. "Here we go again": the inspection of collagen extraction protocols for 14C dating and palaeodietary analysis. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 7:62-77. [PMID: 34381618 PMCID: PMC8300532 DOI: 10.1080/20548923.2021.1944479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Archaeological bone collagen is highly useful for radiocarbon (14C) dating and palaeodietary reconstruction. However, collagen preservation and carbon contamination are essential considerations when extracting collagen, becoming especially crucial close to the limit of the method (50,000 years before present = BP). Strong progress has been achieved in the past two decades by 14C and stable isotopic laboratories in removing contamination from archaeological bones, but different pretreatment protocols have been proven to produce varying results. Here we compare three collagen extraction protocols used for palaeodietary studies and 14C dating, considering collagen yield, elemental and stable isotopic data, FTIR analysis, and 14C dates. We focus on the impact of ultrafiltration on the yield and quality of the extracted material. The results again underline the importance of rigorous decontamination methods to gain accurate 14C dates and demonstrate that different protocols have significant effects on the quality and yield of extracted collagen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sahra Talamo
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Chemistry G. Ciamician, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Helen Fewlass
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Raquel Maria
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Klervia Jaouen
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lugli F, Sciutto G, Oliveri P, Malegori C, Prati S, Gatti L, Silvestrini S, Romandini M, Catelli E, Casale M, Talamo S, Iacumin P, Benazzi S, Mazzeo R. Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) and normalized difference image (NDI) data processing: An advanced method to map collagen in archaeological bones. Talanta 2021; 226:122126. [PMID: 33676680 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, an innovative and highly efficient near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) method is proposed to provide spectral maps able to reveal collagen distribution in large-size bones, also offering semi-quantitative estimations. A recently introduced method for the construction of chemical maps, based on Normalized Difference Images (NDI), is declined in an innovative approach, through the exploitation of the NDI values computed for each pixel of the hyperspectral image to localize collagen and to extract information on its content by a direct comparison with known reference samples. The developed approach addresses an urgent issue of the analytical chemistry applied to bioarcheology researches, which rely on well-preserved collagen in bones to obtain key information on chronology, paleoecology and taxonomy. Indeed, the high demand for large-sample datasets and the consequent application of a wide variety of destructive analytical methods led to the considerable destruction of precious bone samples. NIR-HSI pre-screening allows researchers to properly select the sampling points for subsequent specific analyses, to minimize costs and time and to preserve integrity of archaeological bones (which are available in a very limited amount), providing further opportunities to understand our past.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Lugli
- University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ravenna Campus, Via Degli Ariani, 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - G Sciutto
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Ravenna Campus, Via Guaccimanni, 42, 48121, Ravenna, Italy.
| | - P Oliveri
- University of Genova, Department of Pharmacy, Viale Cembrano 4, I-16148, Genova, Italy.
| | - C Malegori
- University of Genova, Department of Pharmacy, Viale Cembrano 4, I-16148, Genova, Italy
| | - S Prati
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Ravenna Campus, Via Guaccimanni, 42, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - L Gatti
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Ravenna Campus, Via Guaccimanni, 42, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - S Silvestrini
- University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ravenna Campus, Via Degli Ariani, 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - M Romandini
- University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ravenna Campus, Via Degli Ariani, 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - E Catelli
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Ravenna Campus, Via Guaccimanni, 42, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - M Casale
- University of Genova, Department of Pharmacy, Viale Cembrano 4, I-16148, Genova, Italy
| | - S Talamo
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Via Selmi, 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - P Iacumin
- University of Parma, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Parco Area Delle Scienze, 11/a, Parma, Italy
| | - S Benazzi
- University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ravenna Campus, Via Degli Ariani, 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - R Mazzeo
- University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", Ravenna Campus, Via Guaccimanni, 42, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Martisius NL, Welker F, Dogandžić T, Grote MN, Rendu W, Sinet-Mathiot V, Wilcke A, McPherron SJP, Soressi M, Steele TE. Non-destructive ZooMS identification reveals strategic bone tool raw material selection by Neandertals. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7746. [PMID: 32385291 PMCID: PMC7210944 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64358-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Five nearly identical fragments of specialized bone tools, interpreted as lissoirs (French for “smoothers”), have been found at two Middle Paleolithic sites in southwest France. The finds span three separate archaeological deposits, suggesting continuity in the behavior of late Neandertals. Using standard morphological assessments, we determined that the lissoirs were produced on ribs of medium-sized ungulates. However, since these bones are highly fragmented and anthropogenically modified, species determinations were challenging. Also, conservative curation policy recommends minimizing destructive sampling of rare, fragile, or small artifacts for molecular identification methods. To better understand raw material selection for these five lissoirs, we reassess their taxonomy using a non-destructive ZooMS methodology based on triboelectric capture of collagen. We sampled four storage containers and obtained identifiable MALDI-TOF MS collagen fingerprints, all indicative of the same taxonomic clade, which includes aurochs and bison (Bos sp. and Bison sp.). The fifth specimen, which was stored in a plastic bag, provided no useful MALDI-TOF MS spectra. We show that the choice of large bovid ribs in an archaeological layer dominated by reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) demonstrates strategic selection by these Neandertals. Furthermore, our results highlight the value of a promising technique for the non-destructive analysis of bone artifacts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naomi L Martisius
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616-8522, USA.
| | - Frido Welker
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tamara Dogandžić
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6398, USA
| | - Mark N Grote
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616-8522, USA
| | - William Rendu
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, MCC, Préhistoire à l'Actuel, Cultures, Environnement, Anthropologie, UMR5199, Université de Bordeaux, FR-33615, Pessac, France
| | - Virginie Sinet-Mathiot
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Arndt Wilcke
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Perlickstraße 1, D-04013, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Shannon J P McPherron
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Marie Soressi
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Teresa E Steele
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616-8522, USA.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Sinet-Mathiot V, Smith GM, Romandini M, Wilcke A, Peresani M, Hublin JJ, Welker F. Combining ZooMS and zooarchaeology to study Late Pleistocene hominin behaviour at Fumane (Italy). Sci Rep 2019; 9:12350. [PMID: 31451791 PMCID: PMC6710433 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48706-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Collagen type I fingerprinting (ZooMS) has recently been used to provide either palaeoenvironmental data or to identify additional hominin specimens in Pleistocene contexts, where faunal assemblages are normally highly fragmented. However, its potential to elucidate hominin subsistence behaviour has been unexplored. Here, ZooMS and zooarchaeology have been employed in a complementary approach to investigate bone assemblages from Final Mousterian and Uluzzian contexts at Fumane cave (Italy). Both approaches produced analogous species composition, but differ significantly in species abundance, particularly highlighted by a six fold-increase in the quantity of Bos/Bison remains in the molecularly identified component. Traditional zooarchaeological methods would therefore underestimate the proportion of Bos/Bison in these levels to a considerable extent. We suggest that this difference is potentially due to percussion-based carcass fragmentation of large Bos/Bison bone diaphyses. Finally, our data demonstrates high variability in species assignment to body size classes based on bone cortical thickness and fragment size. Thus, combining biomolecular and traditional zooarchaeological methods allows us to refine our understanding of bone assemblage composition associated with hominin occupation at Fumane.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Sinet-Mathiot
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Geoff M Smith
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matteo Romandini
- University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ravenna, Italy.,University of Ferrara, Department of Humanities, Section of Prehistory and Anthropology, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Arndt Wilcke
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Marco Peresani
- University of Ferrara, Department of Humanities, Section of Prehistory and Anthropology, Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Frido Welker
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. .,Section for Evolutionary Genomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Talamo S, Samsel M, Jaouen K, Delvigne V, Lafarge A, Raynal JP, Hublin JJ. A reassessment of the presumed Badegoulian skull from Rond-du-Barry cave (Polignac, France), using direct AMS radiocarbon dating. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 166:921-929. [PMID: 29719044 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sahra Talamo
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D-04103, Germany
| | - Mathilde Samsel
- Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5199 PACEA, bâtiment B8, Allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire CS 50023, Pessac Cedex 33615, France
| | - Klervia Jaouen
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D-04103, Germany
| | - Vincent Delvigne
- Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5199 PACEA, bâtiment B8, Allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire CS 50023, Pessac Cedex 33615, France.,Université de Liège, Service de Préhistoire, place du XX août, Liège 4000, Belgique
| | - Audrey Lafarge
- Université de Montpellier III, UMR 5140 Archéologie des sociétés méditerranéenne, route de Mende, Montpellier 34199, France
| | - Jean-Paul Raynal
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D-04103, Germany.,Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5199 PACEA, bâtiment B8, Allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire CS 50023, Pessac Cedex 33615, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D-04103, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Central European Woolly Mammoth Population Dynamics: Insights from Late Pleistocene Mitochondrial Genomes. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17714. [PMID: 29255197 PMCID: PMC5735091 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17723-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The population dynamics of the Pleistocene woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) has been the subject of intensive palaeogenetic research. Although a large number of mitochondrial genomes across Eurasia have been reconstructed, the available data remains geographically sparse and mostly focused on eastern Eurasia. Thus, population dynamics in other regions have not been extensively investigated. Here, we use a multi-method approach utilising proteomic, stable isotope and genetic techniques to identify and generate twenty woolly mammoth mitochondrial genomes, and associated dietary stable isotopic data, from highly fragmentary Late Pleistocene material from central Europe. We begin to address region-specific questions regarding central European woolly mammoth populations, highlighting parallels with a previous replacement event in eastern Eurasia ten thousand years earlier. A high number of shared derived mutations between woolly mammoth mitochondrial clades are identified, questioning previous phylogenetic analysis and thus emphasizing the need for nuclear DNA studies to explicate the increasingly complex genetic history of the woolly mammoth.
Collapse
|
8
|
|
9
|
Douka K, Slon V, Stringer C, Potts R, Hübner A, Meyer M, Spoor F, Pääbo S, Higham T. Direct radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis of the Darra-i-Kur (Afghanistan) human temporal bone. J Hum Evol 2017; 107:86-93. [PMID: 28526291 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2016] [Revised: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The temporal bone discovered in the 1960s from the Darra-i-Kur cave in Afghanistan is often cited as one of the very few Pleistocene human fossils from Central Asia. Here we report the first direct radiocarbon date for the specimen and the genetic analyses of DNA extracted and sequenced from two areas of the bone. The new radiocarbon determination places the find to ∼4500 cal BP (∼2500 BCE) contradicting an assumed Palaeolithic age of ∼30,000 years, as originally suggested. The DNA retrieved from the specimen originates from a male individual who carried mitochondrial DNA of the modern human type. The petrous part yielded more endogenous ancient DNA molecules than the squamous part of the same bone. Molecular dating of the Darra-i-Kur mitochondrial DNA sequence corroborates the radiocarbon date and suggests that the specimen is younger than previously thought. Taken together, the results consolidate the fact that the human bone is not associated with the Pleistocene-age deposits of Darra-i-Kur; instead it is intrusive, possibly re-deposited from upper levels dating to much later periods (Neolithic). Despite its Holocene age, the Darra-i-Kur specimen is, so far, the first and only ancient human from Afghanistan whose DNA has been sequenced.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Douka
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, United Kingdom.
| | - Viviane Slon
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Chris Stringer
- The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Potts
- Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560, USA
| | - Alexander Hübner
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Meyer
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fred Spoor
- Research Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tom Higham
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|