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Ventresca Miller AR, Wilkin S, Bayarsaikhan J, Ramsøe A, Clark J, Byambadorj B, Vanderwarf S, Vanwezer N, Haruda A, Fernandes R, Miller B, Boivin N. Permafrost preservation reveals proteomic evidence for yak milk consumption in the 13 th century. Commun Biol 2023; 6:351. [PMID: 37002413 PMCID: PMC10066276 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04723-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Domesticated yaks endure as iconic symbols of high-altitude frozen landscapes, where herding communities depend on their high-fat milk, transport, dung, and natural fibers. While there is established proteomic evidence for ancient consumption of ruminant and horse milk in the mountains and steppes of northern Eurasia, yak dairy products have yet to be detected. Yak domestication and the species' dispersal from Tibet into the mountainous zones to the north are also poorly resolved due to a paucity of zooarchaeological data. To examine the potential of paleoproteomics to shed light on domesticated yak in Mongolia, we analyzed human dental calculus from Mongol era elite individuals recovered from permafrost burials in Khovsgol province, where people continue to herd yak to this day. We report the first evidence for yak dairy consumption, linked to local resource control. In addition, we confirm a large diversity of recovered whey, curd, tissue, and blood proteins, likely reflecting the excellent preservation conditions found at permafrost sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia R Ventresca Miller
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48109, MI, USA.
- Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48109, MI, USA.
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745, Jena, Germany.
| | - Shevan Wilkin
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745, Jena, Germany.
- Institute for Evolutionary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zürich, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland.
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE), Griffith University, Brisbane, 4111, QLD, Australia.
| | - Jamsranjav Bayarsaikhan
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
- National Museum of Mongolia, Juulchin Street-1, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Abigail Ramsøe
- Section for GeoGenetics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Julia Clark
- NOMAD Science, Glen, MT, USA
- Flinders University: Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Bedford Park, 5042, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Batsuren Byambadorj
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, National University of Mongolia, Baga toiruu-44, Ulaanbaatar, 46a, Mongolia
| | | | - Nils Vanwezer
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Ashleigh Haruda
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 1 South Parks Road, Oxford, UK
- Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Laver Building, North Parks Road, Exeter, UK
| | - Ricardo Fernandes
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 1 South Parks Road, Oxford, UK
- Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arne Nováka 1, 602 00, Brno-střed, Czechia
| | - Bryan Miller
- Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48109, MI, USA
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
- History of Art Department University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48109, MI, USA
| | - Nicole Boivin
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
- School of Social Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Smithsonian Institution, New York, NY, USA
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Mapping the Northern Limit of Double Cropping Using a Phenology-Based Algorithm and Google Earth Engine. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14041004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Double cropping is an important cropping system in China, with more than half of China’s cropland adopting the practice. Under the background of global climate change, agricultural policies, and changing farming practices, double-cropping area has changed substantially. However, the spatial-temporal dynamics of double cropping is poorly understood. A better understanding of these dynamics is necessary for the northern limit of double cropping (NLDC) to ensure food security in China and the world and to achieve zero hunger, the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Here, we developed a phenology-based algorithm to identify double-cropping fields by analyzing time-series Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images during the period 2000–2020 using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. We then extracted the NLDC using the kernel density of pixels with double cropping and analyzed the spatial-temporal dynamics of NLDC using the Fishnet method. We found that our algorithm accurately extracted double-cropping fields, with overall, user, and producer accuracies and Kappa coefficients of 95.97%, 96.58%, 92.21%, and 0.91, respectively. Over the past 20 years, the NLDC generally trended southward (the largest movement was 66.60 km) and eastward (the largest movement was 109.52 km). Our findings provide the scientific basis for further development and planning of agricultural production in China.
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Taylor W, Hart I, Pan C, Bayarsaikhan J, Murdoch J, Caspari G, Klinge M, Pearson K, Bikhumar U, Shnaider S, Abdykanova A, Bittner P, Zahir M, Jarman N, Williams M, Pettigrew D, Petraglia M, Lee C, Dixon EJ, Boivin N. High altitude hunting, climate change, and pastoral resilience in eastern Eurasia. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14287. [PMID: 34253789 PMCID: PMC8275782 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93765-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The transition from hunting to herding transformed the cold, arid steppes of Mongolia and Eastern Eurasia into a key social and economic center of the ancient world, but a fragmentary archaeological record limits our understanding of the subsistence base for early pastoral societies in this key region. Organic material preserved in high mountain ice provides rare snapshots into the use of alpine and high altitude zones, which played a central role in the emergence of East Asian pastoralism. Here, we present the results of the first archaeological survey of melting ice margins in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, revealing a near-continuous record of more than 3500 years of human activity. Osteology, radiocarbon dating, and collagen fingerprinting analysis of wooden projectiles, animal bone, and other artifacts indicate that big-game hunting and exploitation of alpine ice played a significant role during the emergence of mobile pastoralism in the Altai, and remained a core element of pastoral adaptation into the modern era. Extensive ice melting and loss of wildlife in the study area over recent decades, driven by a warming climate, poaching, and poorly regulated hunting, presents an urgent threat to the future viability of herding lifeways and the archaeological record of hunting in montane zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Taylor
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany. .,Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Isaac Hart
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Caleb Pan
- Innov8.ag Solutions, Walla Walla, WA, USA
| | - Jamsranjav Bayarsaikhan
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.,National Museum of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - James Murdoch
- Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Program, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Gino Caspari
- Institute for Archaeological Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Archaeology, Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Michael Klinge
- Institute of Geography, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstr. 5, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Umirbyek Bikhumar
- Preservation Management Office for the Mongolian Altai Rock Art Complex, Bayan-Ulgii, Mongolia
| | - Svetlana Shnaider
- ArchaeoZOOlogy in Siberia and Central Asia - ZooSCAn, CNRS - Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS International Research Laboratory, IRL, 2013, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | | | - Peter Bittner
- University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Muhammad Zahir
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.,Department of Archaeology, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan
| | - Nicholas Jarman
- Valles Caldera National Preserve, U.S. National Park Service, Jemez Springs, NM, USA
| | - Mark Williams
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.,SWCA Environmental Consultants, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Devin Pettigrew
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Michael Petraglia
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.,School of Social Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C, USA
| | - Craig Lee
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - E James Dixon
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Nicole Boivin
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.,School of Social Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
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Taylor W, Clark JK, Reichhardt B, Hodgins GWL, Bayarsaikhan J, Batchuluun O, Whitworth J, Nansalmaa M, Lee CM, Dixon EJ. Investigating reindeer pastoralism and exploitation of high mountain zones in northern Mongolia through ice patch archaeology. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224741. [PMID: 31747407 PMCID: PMC6867603 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In interior Eurasia, high mountain zones are crucial to pastoral subsistence, providing seasonally productive pastures and abundant wild resources. In some areas of northern Mongolia, mountainous tundra zones also support a low-latitude population of domestic reindeer herders–a lifestyle whose origins are poorly characterized in the archaeological record of early Mongolia. Traditionally, reindeer pastoralists make significant seasonal use of munkh mus (eternal ice) for their domestic herds, using these features to cool heat-stressed animals and provide respite from insect harassment. In recent years, many of these features have begun to melt entirely for the first time, producing urgent threats to traditional management techniques, the viability of summer pastures, and reindeer health. The melting ice is also exposing fragile organic archaeological materials that had previously been contained in the patch. We present the results of horseback survey of ice patches in Baruun Taiga special protected area, providing the first archaeological insights from the region. Results reveal new evidence of historic tool production and wild resource use for fishing or other activities, and indicate that ice patches are likely to contain one of the few material records of premodern domestic reindeer use in Mongolia and lower Central Asia. The area’s ancient ice appears to be rapidly melting due to changing climate and warming summer temperatures, putting both cultural heritage and traditional reindeer herding at extreme risk in the years to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Taylor
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Julia K. Clark
- Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
- NOMAD Science, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Björn Reichhardt
- Central Asian Seminar, Institute for Asian and African Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Gregory W. L. Hodgins
- Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | | | | | - Jocelyn Whitworth
- Clearview Animal Hospital, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Myagmar Nansalmaa
- Unit of Diagnosis and Surveillance for Infectious and Parasitic Disease, State Central Veterinary Laboratory, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Craig M. Lee
- Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
| | - E. James Dixon
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
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