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Stable Isotope Ecology and Paleodiet in the Lake Baikal Region of Siberia
Abstract
Human and non-human faunal bone from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age periods of Cis-Baikal were analysed for stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in order to study regional and temporal variation in diet and subsistence. Both prehistoric and modern faunal species were analysed with all fish from the modern context. Results indicate that regional variation is greater than temporal variation and can be attributed to proximity to Lake Baikal and its rich aquatic resources. Stable isotope analyses of fish and seals from Lake Baikal indicate a wide range of variation in isotope values. δ15N values for the freshwater seals of Lake Baikal average 14 ± 1·1 per mil. Freshwater fish are highly variable in the δ13C values ranging from − 24·6 per mil for the pelagic omul (Coregonus autumnalis migratorius) to − 12·9 per mil for littoral species such as ide (Leuciscus idus). Terrestrial herbivores have much lower δ15N values, ranging from 4 to 5 per mil for deer and elk. These data demonstrate that even in temperate, inland regions, there is sufficient variation in stable isotope values of various food resources to provide useful information about variation in human palaeodiet.
... Individuals analyzed for isotopic tests ( 14 C, 13 C, 15 N, and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) in previous studies have been overwhelmingly adults (e.g., Katzenberg and Weber, 1999;Weber et al., 2002;Weber et al., 2016a). Individuals who died before adulthood have been studied separately (e.g., Waters-Rist et al., 2011). ...
... Based on the consolidated records (Katzenberg et al., 2012;Katzenberg and Weber, 1999;Weber et al., 2002Weber et al., , 2011, δ 13 C and δ 15 N values are available for a broad spectrum of Cis-Baikal fauna. Modern reference data for flora and fauna were converted to archaeological proxies using δ 13 C + 1.5‰ correction of terrestrial end members to account for the effect of fossil fuel burning, i.e., the 'Suess effect' (Stuiver, 1961;Tans et al., 1979) or following localized archaeological comparative values where available (Katzenberg et al., 2012;Weber et al., 2011). ...
... Regional dietary studies (Katzenberg et al., 2010;Katzenberg et al., 2009;Katzenberg et al., 2012;Katzenberg and Weber, 1999;Weber et al., 2016a;Weber et al., 2011) have discussed the potential importance of fishing, hunting, and sealing activities in EN subsistence activities but have not attributed specific percentages that would permit direct comparisons with the current study. Earlier studies (Link, 1999;Weber et al., 2002) considered the possibility of pine nuts as a significant dietary food source, including isotopic signatures to look for, but concluded that this was unlikely. ...
Dietary reconstructions increasingly rely on Bayesian techniques such as Food Reconstruction Using Isotopic Transferred Signals (FRUITS). These models benefit from the use of additional isotopic proxies (¹³C, ¹⁵N, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr), which help refine proportional contributions of potentially overlapping reference groups. However, each new isotope comes with additional considerations and uncertainties. Strontium isotopes are typically discussed as recording primarily geographic information (place of origin) that can be used to infer the movements of individuals through different phases of their lives. Yet, strontium is incorporated into the body through the foods consume, as are ¹³C and ¹⁵N, raising the question of whether strontium ratios are informing primarily about movement of the individual or changes in the diet. Inferring human movement across landscape thus relies on demonstration that observed values could not have come from local sources and required inputs from other geographic regions. Contemporary biogeochemical records are necessary to resolve these possibilities. Refinements in the developmental age estimates for the specific sampling locations on human teeth enable the integration of additional isotopic data through matching of biochemical signatures obtained from dentin and enamel micro-samples. Using multi-isotopic dietary modeling allows better assessment of relative contributions to overall diet of food groups such as terrestrial large game, lake or riverine fish, seal, and plants (inner bark, willow shoots, mushrooms). Notable variability between human molars and adult bone strontium isotopic ratios has been inferred as representing the presence of non-locals at the Shamanka II cemetery. Dietary reconstruction suggests that plants are the primary variable responsible for this “mobility” indicator.
... It has been shown that the isotopic composition of fish and mammals from the largest freshwater lake in Eurasia -Baikaldepends on their habitat and nature of their diet. Littoral fish (white grayling Thymallus arcticus, ide Leuciscus idus, lenok Branchimystax lenok) are higher in δ 13 C (− 15.2 to − 12.9‰) than pelagic (Baikal grayling Thymallus arcticus baicalensis, perch Perca fluviatalis, omul Coregonus autumnalis migratorius) and benthic detritivore (carp Carassius auratus) species (− 24.6 to − 20.4‰; Katzenberg and Weber, 1999). The δ 15 N in fish collagen range from 7.3 to 13.7‰. ...
... The δ 15 N in fish collagen range from 7.3 to 13.7‰. The highest values are typical for pelagic fish (11.5-13.7‰), the lowest values for benthic detritivores (carps Carassius auratus, 7.3‰), and values for littoral fish lie in between (9.4-12‰; Katzenberg and Weber, 1999). Research by Yoshii (1999) on the Baikal ecosystem has shown that stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values can vary significantly even within a single species, such as sculpins and gammarids. ...
... The δ 13 C values in fish bones from the Neolithic midden vary from − 15.2 to − 12.6‰ (δ 13 C − 13.9 ± 1.1‰), which differ significantly from the fish bone δ 13 C results (from − 25.3 to − 15.9‰, δ 13 C − 22.4 ± 2.0‰) for the Late Bronze Age town of Chicha, located on the shore of the Malaya (Little) Chicha Lake 137 km south from Preobrazhenka 6 (Molodin and Parzinger, 2001, 2009Ventresca Miller et al., 2014;SI Table and Fig). Similar values are also characteristic of some pelagic fish species of Lake Baikal (Katzenberg and Weber, 1999;Katzenberg et al., 2012). The δ 15 N values in fish collagen from Preobrazhenka 6 were typical for river fish in the south of Western Siberia and varied slightly depending on species: lower in detritivores (carassius) -from 6.8 to 8.3‰, and higher in predatory speciesperch (8.1‰) and pike (9.7‰; Marchenko et al., 2015). ...
Here, we present new δ¹³С and δ¹⁵N data for modern and archaeological freshwater fish bone collagen from Siberia, together with summarized isotopic data for the Eurasian Steppe from previous research. Bioarchaeological material is an important source of information about people's lifestyle, economy and diets, and palaeoenvironment. Stable isotope analysis of fish bones, along with other palaeozoological and palaeobotanical material, is used for reconstruction of past human subsistence. The earlier isotopic study of human and faunal bones from the Preobrazhenka 6 site (south of Western Siberia) revealed elevated δ¹³C values in fish bones (from −15.2 to −12.6‰), not typical for inland regions, from the settlement Neolithic layer of the site (Marchenko et al. 2015). In order to determine the possible sources of origin of the archaeological fish with high δ¹³C in inland Central Eurasia, the isotopic composition of modern fish from rivers and lakes of the south of Western Siberia was analysed. The results show a large range of δ¹³C in modern fish bones – from −29.6 to −8.3‰. Fish with high carbon isotopic values came from small, rather ancient (within the Holocene period) endorheic lakes.
... Cis-Baikal presents great potential to explore isotopic, and hence dietary, variability among HGs in boreal settings. Its innate advantages are: (1) The unique isotopic ecology of Lake Baikal, with different species of fish and an endemic seal exhibiting the range of isotopic variability reminiscent of marine rather than northern lacustrine settings [Katzenberg and Weber, 1999a;Katzenberg et al., 2009Katzenberg et al., , 2012Weber et al., 2011]; and (2) The availability for analysis of a very substantial number of HG skeletal remains with generally excellent bone preservation (from cemeteries ranging in size from a few burials to hundreds) and spanning the entire Middle Holocene. The large sample size allows the robust (i.e., statistically significant) identification of even relatively subtle differences within and between groups, as well as over time. ...
... Importantly, of these three, the black grayling population migrates between the lake and the very upper section of the Angara. Since in freshwater fishes, the δ 13 C values are directly related to the primary productivity of the aquatic habitat [France, 1995;Kiyashko et al., 1991Kiyashko et al., , 1998Katzenberg and Weber, 1999a;Ogawa et al., 2000;Yoshii, 1999;Yoshii et al., 1999], the black grayling is thus expected to carry a δ 13 C signature that is a product of stable isotope ecologies characterizing these two ecosystems. The modern specimens obtained from Bol'shie Koty near the source of the Angara are our best available proxy of this migrating population of black grayling and their δ 13 C values range between − 14.0 and − 11.0‰ . ...
Analyses of radiocarbon dates (all corrected for the freshwater reservoir effect) and associated stable isotope values obtained from the skeletal remains of ~560 individuals provide many new insights about Middle Holocene hunter-gatherers (HG) of the Cis-Baikal region, Eastern Siberia. The new radiocarbon evidence clarifies the culture history of the region by defining better the boundaries between the chronological (archaeological periods) and cultural (mortuary traditions) units, as well as our understanding of the transitions between them. Furthermore, differences between the four archaeological micro-regions with regard to the timing and duration of these culture historical units have come into focus for the first time. In terms of dietary patterns, the Early Neolithic foragers of the Angara and Southwest Baikal trended towards a greater reliance on aquatic foods. A similar trend was found in the Late Neolithic Isakovo group on the Angara, while the Late Neolithic Serovo group in the Little Sea trended towards an increased dietary reliance on terrestrial game. In the Early Bronze Age HG, a mosaic of dietary patterns was found: some groups experienced dietary shifts (frequently emphasizing different foods), while other groups displayed stability. Such differences were found even between close neighbours. All these results suggest significant variation in patterns of culture change within and between archaeological periods, mortuary traditions, and micro-regions. Some cultural patterns developed at a quick pace, others much more slowly; some appear to have collapsed rapidly, while others probably went through a more gradual transition to a different pattern. Additionally, this large set of radiocarbon dates allows novel insights into patterns of cemetery use: some seem to have been used continuously, others only sporadically, and some show long periods of disuse. Moreover, some cemeteries of the same mortuary tradition were apparently in use substantially earlier than others were even established. In sum, Cis-Baikal Middle Holocene HG strategies underwent a range of changes not only at the boundaries between relevant culture historical units but also within such units. New insights suggest considerable spatio-temporal variation in the nature, pace, and timing of these developments.
... Attempts at using modern reference materials initially had limited success in providing an isotopic baseline for Cis-Baikal (Katzenberg and Weber, 1999;Weber et al., 2002Weber et al., , 2011. Anthropogenic influences rendered many samples unusable and hinted that there may have been significant changes to aquatic ecosystems as a result of both pollution and dam construction. ...
... bulk, protein, lipids) determine the isotopic proxy signal (Ambrose and Norr, 1993;Tieszen and Fagre, 1993). Siberian hunter-gatherers, anticipated to have protein-rich diets (Katzenberg and Weber, 1999;Weber et al., 2002Weber et al., , 2011, should be excellent candidates for collagenbased studies such as incremental dentin analysis. Plant foods high enough in protein to impact collagen studies were thought to be available in only small quantities; however, recent modeling efforts on agrarian populations in Europe (Bickle, 2018), have underestimated contributions from low-protein sources. ...
Re-examination of the relationships between diets as inferred isotopically and grave goods in light of new data has revealed the importance of parental investment for Early Neolithic populations in Cis-Baikal, Siberia. The Kitoi Culture developed and maintained a flexible but expensive broad-spectrum subsistence strategy. Moderately high extrinsic risk factors produced periodic famines and metabolic stress evidence in skeletons. The small-scale efforts of parents to support their offspring through increased breast milk and plant food provisioning led to a restructuring of subsistence priorities with ramifications for group structuring over the course of centuries.
... This problem is magnified if we have the goal of inferring diet and the source of animal proteins on collagen data alone due to the vast and often overlapping range of values for different species potentially consumed. Here, we argue for the usefulness of using δ 13 C col-apa spacing to infer the origin of lipids, which is deemed to partially overlap with the degree of carnivory (Katzenberg and Weber 1999;Schwarcz 2000). At Scaba 'e Arriu, there is a large δ 13 C col-apa spacing in the ECA compared to LCA (7.7 ± 0.6‰ vs. 6.0 ± 0.3‰: p = 0.00005, Mann-Whitney test, without outlier n.5949) (Fig. 6). ...
In this paper, dietary patterns are reconstructed across two phases represented at the Copper Age of Scaba ’e Arriu (Sardinia, Italy) via isotopic analysis of human and animal skeletal remains. Collagen carbon, nitrogen, and bioapatite carbon, and oxygen isotopes were used to infer diet, economic practices, and possibly different climatic conditions. Differential management of cattle, sheep/goats, and pigs was detected, with scarce animal products in the human diet in the Early Copper Age, followed by an increase in animal products identifiable in herbivore livestock, coincident with more rainy conditions in the Late Copper Age. Dietary information was then considered in light of the climatic periods already known for the period and compatible with the data presented. The study’s outcome indicates generally sedentary and endogamous groups with only a few outliers in both phases.
... g., Eastwood et al., 2007;Danladi & Akçer-Ön, 2018), and δ 13 C data from sediment organic matter in Lake Burdur (between − 20 ‰ and − 18 ‰ in the upper 1 m; Tudryn et al., 2013). Marine-like δ 13 C values in lake fish communities have been observed in various lake systems (e.g., up to − 11.2 ‰ in Lake Titicaca by Miller et al. (2010); up to − 12.9 ‰ in Lake Baikal by Katzenberg and Weber (1999); up to − 5‰ in Lake Edward and George, Ugandaown unpublished data SB). Compared to the carp from Lakes Egirdir and Beyşehir, the two wild carp specimens from Karabulut have 13 C-depleted values (-20.8 ‰ and − 12.6 ‰) and elevated δ 15 N values (12.4 ‰ and 12.7 ‰) and a single individual had a δ 34 S value of 3.2 ‰. ...
... The detection of freshwater resources using carbon stable isotope analysis can be challenging. The global average δ 13 C value of freshwater resources has traditionally been accepted to be close to those of C 3 plants, around − 27.0‰ (Dufour et al. 1999;Katzenberg and Weber 1999). Recent research has shown, however, that isotopic compositions in freshwater environments can be extremely variable (up to 30‰, Guiry 2019), and in support of this, much higher values have been reported from freshwater fish in Finland (Etu-Sihvola et al. 2022), Lithuania (Simčenka et al. 2022), and Latvia (Gunnarsone et al. 2020). ...
The main aim of this research was to study diet and possible social stratification in the Iron Age population of Čunkāni-Dreņģeri from Latvia through burial practice and dietary isotope analysis. This research also used previously published comparative dietary isotope data from archaeological populations in Latvia of various periods of time, not only Iron Age, to see if and how Iron Age populations were different. Carbon and nitrogen dietary isotope analysis showed that the diet for all groups and individuals (N = 29) at Čunkāni-Dreņģeri was largely homogenous, regardless of their gender, or social status as expressed by grave goods. Archaeological evidence for increased social stratification in this population occurs from the tenth–eleventh centuries CE, probably in response to changes in trade. Isotopically the Čunkāni-Dreņģeri population was different than the contemporary comparative population from Latvia, indicative of differential subsistence strategies. The mean δ¹⁵N value in the Čunkāni-Dreņģeri population was the lowest yet observed in Latvia, and the lowest among other archaeological populations from the wider region used in this study, which might be indicative of reliance on animal protein sources with lower δ¹⁵N values, or lower local δ¹⁵N baseline compared to other regions.
... In this context, herbivore bone material is often employed as it is believed to reflect the local vegetation, particularly in the case of wild herbivores (Hedges and Reynard, 2007). The consumption of freshwater fish is typically identified by elevated δ 15 N values and reduced δ 13 C values, although the degree of δ 15 N elevation can vary significantly, ranging from 6 ‰ to 2.3 ‰ (Schoeninger and DeNiro, 1984;Minagawa, 1992;Katzenberg and Weber, 1999). Moreover, factors other than diet, like plant anatomy, soil composition, or manuring, can also influence δ 15 N values (Hedges and Reynard, 2007;Britton et al., 2008;Bogaard et al., 2007Bogaard et al., , 2013. ...
... The same framework is used by ecologists (Koch, Zachos, and Dettman 1995;Fry 2006) in palaeoecological reconstructions (Ehleringer, Cerling, and Helliker 1997). In order to understand the human diet and the relationships between humans and resources, an isotope baseline to control any interpretative reconstruction is needed (Katzenberg and Weber 1999;Szpak, Orchard, andGröcke 2009, 2013;Samec, Yacobaccio, and Panarello 2015). Clearly, the development of isotope baselines together with isotope ecological studies are necessary steps to interpret the trophic relationships between humans, animals, and plants. ...
Isotope baselines are fundamental to infer diets, and to evaluate trophic relationships between humans, animals, and plants. In this study, we aim to detect spatial patterns of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N of different plant types (C3, C4 and CAM) along environmental gradients in the eastern slopes of the southern Andes, in order to use them as a baseline to reconstruct animal diet, mobility, and trophic relations in the area. The stable isotope composition of dominant plants was analyzed along an environmental gradient from the mountains to the plains in southern Mendoza. The expected isotope gradients of increasing δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N with decreasing altitude and increasing aridity was not found in our region. The spatial distribution of the C3/C4 ratio showed a non-linear pattern, with higher C4 abundances at intermediate altitudes, probably given by atmospheric circulation patterns, which generate aridity and C4 dominance at intermediate altitudes. These climate, geologic, and vegetation patterns may affect ecosystem and animal δ¹³C, which also showed non-linear trends in previously published material. These non-linear trends open the opportunity to explain previous δ¹³C results obtained from collagen of human and animal bones, which follow the C3/C4 ratio found in this study.
... This is unlikely due to the inland location of the sites, although there is the possibility that some marine resources were acquired from coastal trading via riverine transport. Consumption of freshwater fish sourced from the Chindwin River or littoral fish from lacustrine ecosystems is also a possibility, although the carbon values of these species are variable based on consumption of a variety of freshwater plants with variable carbon sources (Katzenberg, 2008, Katzenberg andWeber, 1999). It is more likely that the higher values observed among the individuals from Oakaie and Nyaung'gan reflect the consumption of C 4 plants, either those directly collected and consumed, which could include millet or Job's Tears (King, 2008), or from consumption of animals whose diet consisted either of natural forage (e.g. ...
culture, and past impacts of human land-use change on environments. Myanmar, situated at a geographic andcultural crossroads between East, South and Mainland Southeast Asia, is potentially a critical region for exploringthese themes. However, direct data relating to subsistence in the region has been lacking. Here, we apply stablecarbon and oxygen isotope analysis to tooth
enamel from humans and associated fauna to examine the subsis-tence economy of two communities from Myanmar, Oakaie and Nyaung’gan, spanning the transitional periodfrom the late Neolithic to the early Bronze Age (ca. 1300-700BC). Situated within the broader regional and localenvironmental context, our data demonstrate the δ13C values of the individuals from the communities of Oakaieand Nyaung’gan are significantly higher, and the δ18O values are significantly lower, than individuals from theother sites in Southeast Asia, however, neither are significantly
different to the Chinese sites and they overlapbroadly with individuals from Mayutian in Southern Yunnan Province. These findings provide a unique insightinto the subsistence economy of the ancient inhabitants of the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar.
... Bogaard et al. 2007;Fiorentino et al. 2015). The combination of carbon and nitrogen isotopic values also has the potential to estimate the importance of freshwater products, though it should be kept in mind that isotopic values of freshwater organisms are highly variable (Dufour et al. 1999;Fuller et al. 2012;Katzenberg and Weber 1999). During the last decade, isotopic data analysis has been enriched by quantitative diet reconstructions employing Bayesian approaches, which make it possible to incorporate different sources of uncertainty while also coping with undetermined systems, in which the number of food sources is greater than the number of dietary proxies plus one (Fernandes et al. 2014;Parnell et al. 2010). ...
This study reconstructs Middle and Late Neolithic dietary practices in the area of the today Czech Republic and Lower Austria with a help of complementary evidence of stable isotope and dental microwear analysis. From a total of 171 humans, carbon and nitrogen isotopic values were measured in bone collagen of 146 individuals (accompanied by 64 animals) while 113 individuals were included into buccal dental microwear analysis. The samples were divided into two newly established chronological phases: Neolithic B (4900–4000 BC) and Neolithic C (3800–3400 BC) based on radiocarbon data modelling. Isotopic results show that the Neolithic diet was of terrestrial origin with a dominant plant component. A small but statistically significant shift in human carbon isotopic values to a higher δ¹³C was observed during the Neolithic C, probably reflecting an underlying change in plant growing conditions. Dental microwear results suggest a shift in adult diet and/or food preparation techniques between the Neolithic B and C, which, however, was not reflected in either the carbon or nitrogen isotopic values. The positive correlations between nitrogen isotopic values and the dental microwear variables (NV, XV, XT and NV/NT) observed in the adult sample suggest that meat rather than milk was the dominant source of animal protein, or that food enriched in ¹⁵N was processed specifically. Also, as both methods offer a snapshot of different periods of an individual’s life, the presence of a significant correlation may imply highly repetitive dietary behaviour during their lifetime.
... Au Néolithique, aucune plante CAM n'a encore été introduite en Europe de l'Ouest. Selon les milieux et les quantités relatives de ces différentes sources, le δ 13 C des plantes est par conséquent très variable, bien que généralement plus négatif qu'en milieu terrestre Katzenberg et Weber 1999). La taille des lacs, les conditions locales influent donc directement sur les valeurs de δ 13 C. Une bonne connaissance du milieu et une mesure directe de la faune et de la flore sont nécessaires pour identifier précisément la gamme de valeurs du δ 13 C local à la base de la chaîne alimentaire (cf. ...
Utilisant l'alimentation comme vecteur de compréhension de l'organisation et des structures sociales des premiers agropasteurs néolithiques, ce travail se concentre sur le sud-est du Bassin parisien dont le contexte archéologique (nombre exceptionnel de sépultures datées du Néolithique, 4800 à 4000 cal BC) est particulièrement riche et bien documenté. Dans ce cadre, 180 humains et 74 animaux ont été analysés par différents marqueurs isotopiques et élémentaires (?13C, ?15N, ?34S du collagène osseux et dentinaire, ?15N des acides aminés spécifiques du collagène osseux, 87Sr/86Sr, Sr/Ca et Ba/Ca de l'apatite de l'os et de l'émail dentaire par ablation laser) afin de reconstituer les schémas alimentaires et de mobilité en lien avec les paramètres biologiques et funéraires de ces individus. Les résultats montrent, entre autres, une alimentation riche en protéines animales, notamment issues de l'exploitation bovine (viande et produits laitiers) et porcine, sans distinction selon le type de traitement funéraire ou l'attribution culturelle. En revanche, des différences entre les sexes et en fonction de l'âge sont mises en évidence et pourraient être en lien avec la division sexuelle des tâches et une origine exogène des femmes. La combinaison des proxies et le développement de méthodes novatrices, sur un large corpus, permet de discuter des avantages et des limites d'une telle approche, offrant de nouvelles perspectives prometteuses. La mesure par ablation laser du strontium isotopique (87Sr/86Sr) et des éléments traces (Sr/Ca et Ba/Ca vs Mn/Ca, U/Ca et Mg/Ca) réalisée pour la première fois sur près d'une centaine d'individus permet notamment, par la création d'un nouveau protocole de traitement des données, d'éliminer des zones diagénétiques dans l'émail dentaire et de suivre à une échelle très fine les modifications alimentaires et de mobilité au cours du temps sur une période de vie précise de l'enfance.
... As archaeological reference points, we plotted them against ranges obtained for inland hunter-gatherers/foragers from South Africa, Savanna farmers from South Africa, and Savanna Pastoral Neolithic herders from Kenya (data collated from Table 3). We also used the European Homo sapiens sample dating to 40-25 ka, as a control for bona fide hunter-gatherer/forager populations from relatively wetter regions (Richards & Trinkaus, 2009), and a hunter-fisher-gatherer profile from Lake Baikal, Siberia (Katzenberg & Weber, 1999), as a control for a fresh-water diet (Fig. 10). ...
In this article, we reassess the human remains from the Mumbwa Caves housed in the Raymond A. Dart Archaeological Human Remains Collection at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Based on new radiocarbon dates from human bone collagen and stable isotope analysis, our results revealed that the poorly preserved remains, comprising mostly crania and teeth, represent at least 16 individuals. Some of them have culturally modified anterior teeth. Enamel hypoplastic lesions were seen in a few individuals, which indicates disease and malnutrition during childhood. Radiocarbon dating revealed that all the individuals were buried at Mumbwa sometime between the late tenth and early twentieth century CE, with most dates clustering between the early sixteenth and the late nineteenth century. With the exception of a single individual who seems to have had a hunter-gatherer/forager diet, the carbon and nitrogen isotope values of others are consistent with what would be expected from a low-trophic farmer diet based on foodplants with C4 photosynthetic pathways. It is, therefore, our contention that, rather than being associated with the Stone Age as previously suggested, these individuals lived in more recent agricultural communities around the Mumbwa Caves.
... Stabiliojo anglies izotopo (δ 13 C) vertės vartotojų audiniuose, lyginant su jų dieta, didėja apie 0,8-1,3 ‰, o azoto (δ 15 N) -apie 3-5 ‰ (Drucker, Bocherens 2004: 164). Vandeninės kilmės šaltiniai iš jūrinių ir gėlavandenių ekosistemų pasižymi aukštesnėmis δ 15 N vertėmis dėl labiau kompleksinių mitybos grandinių negu esančios sausuminėse ekosistemose (Minagawa, Wada 1984;Katzenberg, Weber 1999). Įvairūs aplinkos faktoriai, dirvožemio sąlygos, klimatas, individo sveikata ar žindymas taip pat gali lemti išsiskiriančias δ 15 N vertes (Ambrose 1991;Handley, Raven 1992;Fuller et al. 2006;Marshall et al. 2007;Craine et al. 2009;Reitsema 2013). ...
Fortified settlements in the Eastern Baltic 1100–400 cal BC. Doctoral thesis in Lithuanian.
The aim of this thesis is to determine the timing of the emergence of early fortified settlements, the process of their spread in the Eastern Baltic, and the reasons for the changes in the behaviour of the communities between 1100 and 400 cal BC. The thesis examines data from 75 fortified settlements, analyses the inner structure of fortified settlements, and reviews the archaeological collections in the Baltic States. Based on the 14C dates, the first fortified settlements in the region were established as early as 1100-800 cal BC, and their network spread between 800-530/520 cal BC. This type of settlements were concentrated in the western part of the region, in the Daugava River basin, and in a wide stretch of the Baltic Uplands in north-eastern Lithuania and south-eastern Latvia. This distribution was the result of the increased need of the population to defend their accumulated wealth in the areas of the region where trade intensified. During the period under review, communities developed at least 6 different types of fortification systems: enclosures of irregularly placed wooden stakes, fences intertwined with branches, palisades, wooden walls, timber structures raised on ramparts and incorporated with stone walls. The economic differentiation of the communities that established fortified settlements in the Eastern Baltic region is most clearly seen in the zooarchaeological data. The species composition of livestock reared, and the importance of fishing and hunting varied in different areas of the region. Isotopic studies of food residues in pottery have shown that mostly food of terrestrial origin was cooked, which is related with developing agriculture in the region.
... This is unlikely due to the inland location of the sites, although there is the possibility that some marine resources were acquired from coastal trading via riverine transport. Consumption of freshwater fish sourced from the Chindwin River or littoral fish from lacustrine ecosystems is also a possibility, although the carbon values of these species are variable based on consumption of a variety of freshwater plants with variable carbon sources (Katzenberg, 2008, Katzenberg andWeber, 1999). It is more likely that the higher values observed among the individuals from Oakaie and Nyaung'gan reflect the consumption of C 4 plants, either those directly collected and consumed, which could include millet or Job's Tears (King, 2008), or from consumption of animals whose diet consisted either of natural forage (e.g. ...
... The solution was refreshed every 2 days during this process till the samples were fully demineralized, becoming soft and translucent and displaying no more signs of reaction. Demineralized samples were then taken out of the acid solution, rinsed, and kept in double-distilled water for 24 hours before being transferred into 0.125 M NaOH solution for 20-h treatment to remove any possible humic and fulvic acid contaminants (Katzenberg & Weber, 1999). Samples were then rinsed in dailyrefreshed double-distilled water until the solution was neutral in order to get rid of the NaOH residues attached to the collagen. ...
This study was designed to study the effect of social stratification on human diet in the Xiongnu society. Human remains unearthed from three different sites in northern and western Mongolia were analyzed for stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values. The results demonstrate that a certain amount of C4 component was consumed by people of different social levels. The three noble individuals from terrace tombs at the Gol Mod 2 site ate a similar diet to most of the burial followers buried in satellite tombs, indicating similar lifestyle or a close relationship between them. Commoners from the Ereen Hailaas were very close to the nobles in isotopic features; this might indicate dietary similarity, or could be related to the environment factors. The Salkhitiin Am commoners were lower in both carbon and nitrogen isotope values compared to other Xiongnu people analyzed before; it is likely that they had a quite different diet featuring less C4 plant and animal protein. If such dietary variation was not related to social stratification, possible differences in subsistence strategies or dietary traditions should be considered. These results provide an important window into the social structure and subsistence strategies of the Xiongnu people and will facilitate future study on cultural communication and material exchange across the Eurasian continent.
... While the variability in δ 15 N values is likely related primarily to the trophic level of the fish, δ 13 C values rather reflect the isotopic ecology of the particular reservoirs (e.g., Dufour et al. 1999;France 1995;Hecky and Hesslein 1995;Spies et al. 1989;Gu et al. 1996). It has been shown previously that freshwater reservoirs in the Eurasian Steppe may produce a wide range of δ 13 C signatures (e.g., Katzenberg and Weber 1999;Svyatko et al. 2017a) depending on specific physical and biological factors, yet most reflect C 3 ecologies. Our results show elevated δ 13 C for fish from the settlements of Kharga I (δ 13 C= -12.8‰) in Eastern Siberia, which corresponds with elevated δ 13 C data for modern fish from those areas (Svyatko et al. 2017a). ...
In this paper we evaluate the extent of freshwater reservoir effects (37 samples across 12 locations) and present new data from various archaeological sites in the Eurasian Steppe. Together with a summary of previous research on modern and archaeological samples, this provides the most up-to-date map of the freshwater reservoir offsets in the region. The data confirm previous observations highlighting that FREs are widespread but highly variable in the Eurasian Steppe in both modern and archaeological samples. Radiocarbon dates from organisms consuming aquatic sources, including humans, dogs, bears, aquatic birds and terrestrial herbivores (such as elk feeding on water plants), fish and aquatic mammals, as well as food crusts, could be misleading, but need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
... Nonetheless, a partial consumption of freshwater fish can be (cautiously) proposed for at least some of the individuals showing particularly depleted carbon and sulfur isotope ratios. It is important to point out that δ 13 C, δ 15 N, and δ 34 S values in freshwater environments are quite variable (Katzenberg & Weber, 1999;Nehlich, 2015;Privat et al., 2007;Svyatko, 2016;Svyatko, Reimer, & Schulting, 2017). It is therefore unclear to which extent the data from Svyatko, Polyakov, et al. (2017) First, wild C 4 grasses (e.g., Chenopodium spp.) are a minor component of steppe biome when compared with C 3 ones (Liu et al., 2004;Pyankov et al., 2000;Wang, 2003;Wilkin et al., 2020). ...
The traditional notions of "nomadic" cultures as homogenously mobile and economically simple is increasingly displaced by more nuanced interpretations. A large part of the scientific literature on diet and mobility among Eurasian pastoralists is focused on Bronze Age and Iron Age. The relative underrepresentation of more recent contexts in these analyses hampers a full discussion of possible chronological trajectories. In this study we explore diet and mobility at Tunnug1 (Republic of Tuva, 2nd-4th century CE), and test their possible correlation with social differentiation. We compare demographic patterns of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur stable isotope ratios (d13C, d15N, d34S) among 65 humans and 12 animals from Tunnug1 using nonparametric tests and Bayesian modeling. We then compare isotopic data with data on perimortal skeletal lesions of anthropic origin and funerary variables.
Results show that: 1) diet at Tunnug1 was largely based on C4 plants (likely millet) and animal proteins 2) only few individuals were nonlocals, although their geographic origin remains unclarified 3) no differences in diet separates individuals based on sex and funerary treatment. In contrast, individuals with perimortal lesions show carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios consistent with a diet incorporating a lower consumption of millet and animal proteins.
Our study provides new insights about the sociocultural variability of pastoralist societies in Southern Siberia during the early centuries CE. At the same time, they further support the economic importance of millet for these communities.
... Diet and nutrition are inseparable from culture since the way that people use the food resources indicates how they interacted with each other and with their environment. In that sense, diet reconstruction of past populations is monitoring diet evolution as a result of cultural, social and climatic factors, (Katzenberg & Weber, 1999;Larsen et al., 1992;Lillie & Richards, 2000). It can also differentiate terrestrial versus marine food sources (Chisholm et al., 1982;DeNiro & Epstein, 1981, 1978Schwarcz, 2002;Walker & DeNiro, 1986), it can determine the amount of legumes in the diet (DeNiro, 1987) and the cultivation of specific crops (e.g., millet) (Murray & Schoeninger, 1988). ...
Objectives
Isotopic analysis has been proven a valuable tool for reconstructing dietary habits in the ancient world. In this work we examine the evolution of Greek diet from the Neolithic period (6800–3000 BC) to modern times.
Materials and Methods
We present isotopic analysis results for δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁵ Ν of adult human bone collagen from ancient (Kaiadas in Sparta) and modern populations (Crete), while at the same time we review published results for δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁵ Ν of adult human bone collagen from Neolithic to modern times of Greece.
Results
The δ ¹³ C isotopic values evolve to more positive values, while they present a greater variability toward modern times. Furthermore, the δ ¹⁵ N values gradually increase over time.
Discussion
We discuss the differences i) in human diet through time for the whole Greece and ii) individually for the island of Crete and we conclude that over time human diet becomes richer in high trophic level proteins such as marine sources with a larger variety of food sources.
... Nonetheless, a partial consumption of freshwater fish can be (cautiously) proposed for at least some of the individuals showing particularly depleted carbon and sulfur isotope ratios. It is important to point out that δ 13 C, δ 15 N, and δ 34 S values in freshwater environments are quite variable (Katzenberg & Weber, 1999;Nehlich, 2015;Privat et al., 2007;Svyatko, 2016;Svyatko, Reimer, & Schulting, 2017). It is therefore unclear to which extent the data from Svyatko, Polyakov, et al. (2017) First, wild C 4 grasses (e.g., Chenopodium spp.) are a minor component of steppe biome when compared with C 3 ones (Liu et al., 2004;Pyankov et al., 2000;Wang, 2003;Wilkin et al., 2020). ...
Objectives: Contemporary archeological theory emphasizes the economic and social
complexity of Eurasian steppe populations. As a result, old notions of “nomadic” cultures
as homogenously mobile and economically simple are now displaced by more
nuanced interpretations. Large part of the literature on diet and mobility among Eurasian
pastoralists is focused on the Bronze and Iron Ages. The underrepresentation
of more recent contexts hampers a full discussion of possible chronological trajectories.
In this study we explore diet and mobility at Tunnug1 (Republic of Tuva, 2nd–
4th century CE), and test their correlation with social differentiation.
Materials and Methods: We compare demographic patterns (by age-at-death and
sex) of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S) among
65 humans and 12 animals from Tunnug1 using nonparametric tests and Bayesian
modeling. We then compare isotopic data with data on perimortal skeletal lesions of
anthropic origin and funerary variables.
Results: Our analyses show that: (1) diet at Tunnug1 was largely based on C4 plants
(likely millet) and animal proteins; (2) few individuals were nonlocals, although their
geographic origin remains unclarified; (3) no differences in diet separates individuals
based on sex and funerary treatment. In contrast, individuals with perimortal lesions
show carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios consistent with a diet incorporating a
lower consumption of millet and animal proteins.
Discussion: Our results confirm the previously described socioeconomic variability of
steppe populations, providing at the same time new data about the economic importance
of millet in Southern Siberia during the early centuries CE.
... Firstly, the ratio of stable isotopes 12 C and 13 C in the muscle tissue was analyzed in the subsample randomly including 50 individuals with the gill rakers' number of the full range. The carbon isotope ratio was used as a marker to assess the niche stability given that the organisms from the benthic environment (the littoral or the slope zone) are enriched in 13 C as compared with the pelagic organisms (Katzenberg & Weber, 1999). The muscle samples taken posterior to the dorsal fin were dried at 60 °C to constant mass and stable isotope composition was assessed with Thermo-Finnigan Delta V Plus mass spectrometer coupled with an elemental analyzer Thermo Flash 1112. ...
Fish diversification into sympatric ecomorph pairs demonstrates a striking parallelism across a number of taxa in numerous lakes. However, there is a dearth of information on environmental conditions, which may orchestrate divergence processes across generations. Here we explore whether the environmental factors affecting food and reproductive niche distinctions could trigger the divergence of the lacustrine-riverine fish species into two morphs based on kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka of the Lake Kronotskoe. We reveal drastic differences in temperature on the tributary reproduction sites affecting the early ontogeny timing and disrupting the time of lakeward migration of the morphs. The juveniles of the benthivorous morph run into the lake in spring during the food abundance peak on the slope, while the planktivorous kokanee migrates to the lake in the summer when the pelagic zone abounds with zooplankton. The dynamics of this food niches is determined by water temperature dynamics and may be stable for long periods of time, thus making each morph adapting to similar condition throughout generations. We suggest that the pelagic-benthic divergence could be explained by the factors, which are extrinsic for fish, making our results applicable for numerous cases of this microevolutionary pathway all over the Holarctic.
... This was initially surprising, since the few measurements available for modern fish in the Upper Lena are not 13 C-enriched like the inshore fishes of Lake Baikal, and instead are 13 C-depleted (by ca. 3‰) relative to modern terrestrial mammals from the microregion (Katzenberg and Weber, 1999;Schulting et al., 2015;Weber et al., 2011) (Fig. 2). The river's fish are significantly higher in δ 15 N (by ca. ...
This paper summarises research on freshwater reservoir effects (FRE) in the Baikal region and their impact on the radiocarbon dating of human remains. Varying relationships are seen between human δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values and ¹⁴C offsets in paired human-terrestrial mammal radiocarbon dates from the same graves in the different microregions of Cis-Baikal. In the Upper Lena microregion the FRE may also vary through time. These differences can be related in some cases to different isotopic ecologies, and in others to the presence of different old carbon reservoirs. Some areas requiring further research are highlighted, and the use of other proxies (δ²H, δ³⁴S) for assessing the dietary contributions of freshwater resources is considered. A case study from the Early Neolithic cemetery of Shamanka II is used to illustrate the marked effects of changes in dietary catchment over an individual's life history, with bone and tooth dates from the same individual differing by 385 ¹⁴C yr.
... Marine protein consumption can be recognised thanks to the positive correlation between carbon and isotope values (Valentin et al. 2014). Nevertheless, it is harder to identify freshwater fish consumption because of their wide isotopic variability (Dufour et al. 1999;Katzenberg and Weber 1999). The possible detection of legume consumers from perceptible low δ 15 N collagen values can also be of great interest in the southern Caucasus as it was hypothesised for the Neolithic Mentesh Tepe population (Herrscher et al. 2018a). ...
Food and its interactions with the environmental, economic, social, and cultural spheres play an essential role in communities’ cultural identity. This theory has been verified by an analysis of the Kura-Araxes (KA) culture, characterised by original cultural developments, which spread in the South Caucasus around the middle of the fourth millennium. This research aims to study the variability of dietary choices at the individual and population levels by analysing stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen (δ 13C, δ 15N). To monitor regional and diachronic changes in dietary patterns, we performed analysis on human, animal, and plant materials (n = 144) from eight KA highland and lowland sites in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia compared with data (n = 39) from Post-KA sites already published (Herrscher et al. 2016, 2018b). Isotopic data show no significant differences with altitude. The KA diet is characterised by higher consumption of herbivore meat than pork and higher barley consumption than wheat. No relationship with age at death, sex, and burial traits were observed, suggesting “equal” access to food among community members. Human low isotope variability shows persistence over KA’s entire duration (3500-2500 BC), while it is significantly different between KA and Post-KA subjects. The results confirm the homogeneity of KA communities’ food practices that reinforces the theory of a “strong cultural identity” of the KA populations.
... As such, elevation in δ 15 N values in human bone collagen can be assigned to protein intake. Freshwater fish consumption is usually detected by elevated δ 15 N values combined with depleted δ 13 C values, although elevation in δ 15 N values can vary considerably, from 6‰ (Schoeller et al., 1986;Minagawa 1992;Katzenberg and Weber 1999) to 2.3‰ (Schoeninger and DeNiro 1984) and 2.8‰ (Dürrwächter et al., 2006). Moreover, δ 15 N values can also be influenced by factors other than diet (Hedges and Reynard 2007), such as plant anatomy (Balasse et al., 2005;Szpak 2014), soil composition (Heaton 1987;Britton et al., 2008) and fertilisation practices (Koerner et al., 1999;Choi et al., 2003;Bogaard et al., 2007;Fraser et al., 2011;Kanstrup et al., 2011;Szpak 2014), including seaweed (Blanz et al., 2019). ...
Despite the rich archaeological heritage present in the Limfjord region in Denmark, few palaeodietary studies using human and animal bone material from this area currently exist. This paper aims to investigate the palaeodiet as well as animal husbandry strategies in this region during prehistoric times, from the Mesolithic to the Viking Age using stable isotope analysis. New stable isotope results from almost 300 human and animal bones are presented here, as well as their comparison with previously published data. Higher δ¹⁵N values in sheep/goats than cattle suggest that cattle were more confined while the sheep/goats were allowed to roam and possibly consume salt-marsh grass. The stable isotope results reveal a rise in δ¹⁵N ratios in human individuals from the Iron Age, which is most likely related to the combined effects of fertilisation practices and aquatic protein consumption. Additionally, evidence for marine exploitation in the form of shell middens and fish remains can be linked to periods characterised by climatic deterioration.
... Freshwater autotrophs derive their carbon from a variety of sources including atmospheric CO 2, dissolved CO 2, soil bicarbonate, and carbon from organic detritus (Zohary et al., 1994). As a result freshwater fish bones have yielded more variable δ 13 C values than marine fish, ranging between À13 and À25‰ (Katzenberg & Weber, 1999). Plants that use the C 4 (Hatch-Slack) photosynthetic pathway, such as maize, millet, and sorghum display higher δ 13 C values compared with terrestrial C 3 plants, typically between À16 and À9‰, largely overlapping in values with marine autotrophs (Sharp, 2017). ...
Objectives
Excavations at Sidon (Lebanon) have revealed dual identities during the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000–1600 BCE): a maritime port and center for local distribution, as well as a settlement with a heavy subsistence dependence on the extensive inland hinterlands. We aim to investigate residential mobility at Sidon using isotopic analyses of 112 individuals from 83 burials (20 females, 26 males, and 37 subadults). Veneration and remembrance of the dead is evident from funerary offerings in and near the tombs. With marine fish a major component in funerary offerings, we predict major marine reliance in this coastal population.
Materials and methods
New isotopic evidence of paleomobility (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, δ¹⁸O) and diet (δ¹³Ccarbonate) is the focus of this research. Previous bulk bone collagen δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N analysis is strengthened by further sampling, along with δ³⁴S where collagen yield was sufficient.
Results
The five non-locals identified (8.9% of the 56 analyzed) come from constructed tombs with high-status grave goods except for one, which was heavily disturbed in antiquity. Dietary investigation of the population confirms reliance on terrestrial resources with no significant marine input. No significant differences in diet between the sexes or burial types are present.
Conclusions
Although Sidon was part of a growing Mediterranean network evidenced through artefactual finds, relatively low immigration is evident. While religious feasts venerating the dead may have involved significant piscine components, no appreciable marine input in diet is observed. Fish may have been reserved for the deceased or only consumed on feast days alongside the dead rather than a regular part of the Bronze Age menu.
... 14‰ and ca. 12‰, respectively (Table 6; Katzenberg and Weber, 1999;Katzenberg et al., 2010). ...
A considerable amount of bioarchaeological research – including AMS 14C dating and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N) – has been undertaken on the hunter-gatherers from the area west of Lake Baikal, known as Cis-Baikal. No such work has previously been reported for the east side of the lake, Trans-Baikal. Here, we present new radiocarbon dates and isotopic results for twenty individuals from the Fofanovo cemetery, located along the Selenga River on the southeast coast of Lake Baikal.
Once corrected for an old carbon effect using regression equations developed for Cis-Baikal, the radiocarbon results form 4 chronological clusters: 1) Late Mesolithic (LM), around 7950 cal BP (n = 3); 2) Late Neolithic (LN), between ca. 6000 and 5500 cal BP (n = 5); 3) LN to Early Bronze Age (EBA), between ca. 4900 and 4500 cal BP (n = 2); and the largest cluster 4) later EBA, around 3700 cal BP (n = 10). The LM Cluster 1 dates indicate that formal cemetery use in Trans-Baikal may have begun earlier than in Cis-Baikal. Clusters 2 and 3 reveal a previously unidentified LN component to the cemetery. Additionally, the EBA Cluster 4 appears to be largely synchronous with the EBA in Cis-Baikal.
As a group, the Fofanovo individuals are isotopically distinct from the Middle-Holocene hunter–gatherers in the microregions of Cis-Baikal, exhibiting a combination of low δ13C values (−19.4 ± 0.9‰) but high δ15N values (15.2 ± 0.8‰). This likely reflects the distinctive isotopic ecology of the lower Selenga River, combined with use of aquatic resources from Lake Baikal itself. While further sampling is needed to test its robustness, a statistically significant difference between the LN (n = 6) and EBA (n = 11) was found, suggesting a greater reliance on the seasonal resources of the Selenga River during the EBA.
Further analyses on these and other individuals from the cemetery are planned and will undoubtably provide additional insights into hunter-gatherer subsistence adaptations and dietary variation in Trans-Baikal, highlighting both differences and similarities with those of Cis-Baikal.
... While the variability in δ 15 N values is likely related primarily to the trophic level of the fish, δ 13 C values rather reflect the isotopic ecology of the particular reservoirs (e.g., Dufour et al. 1999;France 1995;Hecky and Hesslein 1995;Spies et al. 1989;Gu et al. 1996). It has been shown previously that freshwater reservoirs in the Eurasian Steppe may produce a wide range of δ 13 C signatures (e.g., Katzenberg and Weber 1999;Svyatko et al. 2017a) depending on specific physical and biological factors, yet most reflect C 3 ecologies. Our results show elevated δ 13 C for fish from the settlements of Kharga I (δ 13 C= -12.8‰) in Eastern Siberia, which corresponds with elevated δ 13 C data for modern fish from those areas (Svyatko et al. 2017a). ...
In this paper we discuss recent developments in documenting the spread of millet across the Eurasian steppes. We emphasize that, despite a recent proposal that millet consumption in southern Siberia can be attributed to the Early Bronze Age (i.e., the late third to early second millennium BC), at present there are no direct data for southern Siberia indicating the consumption of millet prior to the Late Bronze Age, from the 14th century BC. We also present in full the combined stable isotope and ¹⁴ C datasets from the Minusinsk Basin to support this conclusion.
... Det är stora skillnader i isotopsignalerna (13C/15N) som fås från organismer som levt i marina miljöer i jäm förelse med de som levt på land (Ambrose & DeNiro 1986;Richards & Price 2003;Fischer m fl 2007), men traditio nella bulkkollagenanalyser förmår inte, på ett adekvat sätt, skilja på terrestrisk och sötvattenbaserad diet (Hedges & Reynard 2007). Det beror på att sötvattensfiskar upp visar en stor spridning i isotopsignaler (Boethius & Ahlström 2018), beroende på vilken fiskart det rör sig om, vilket djup de lever på och vilken sjö de härstammar från (Hecky & Hesslein 1995;Katzenberg & Weber 1999;Grey m fl 2000;Milner m fl 2004;Katzenberg m fl 2009). Därtill är närings kedjan i sötvatten inte lika lång som den marina närings kedjan, var av de förhöjda kväveisotopvärden som är karak täriserande för en marin diet uteblir om en diet baseras på sötvatten levande arter från en låg trofisk nivå (Katzenberg 1989;Cohen & Fenchel 1994). ...
... Freshwater fish, on the other hand, exhibit bone collagen δ 15 N values between 10 and 12.5‰, and terrestrial animals have bone collagen δ 15 N values between 6 and 10‰ (Tykot, 2004). Freshwater fish δ 13 C co values are unfortunately quite variable due to the many sources of carbon in freshwater ecosystems (Katzenberg & Weber, 1999;Katzenberg, 2008;Fuller et al., 2012;Fernandes et al., 2016). The δ 15 N and δ 13 C co values of Petriplatz adults do not fit with the ranges of a marine-based diet, as they are too low, on average (11.7‰ and − 20.0‰, respectively). ...
The precise time, the original location, and the processes involved in the creation of Germany’s capital Berlin are still unknown due to a lack of surviving documents. As such, archaeology and bioarchaeology play a critical role in understanding the people who lived in medieval Berlin. In this paper, we describe an isotope analysis aimed at identifying what the early inhabitants of Berlin were eating and at inferring dietary variation among skeletons sexed as male versus female, and among those interred before and after the Yersinia pestis pandemic known as the Black Death (1347–1352 CE). Carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope ratios from 66 skeletons from the medieval cemetery site of Petriplatz indicate that males consumed proportionately more protein than females before the Black Death. However, a significant increase in δ¹⁵N values in skeletons associated with post-Black Death contexts suggests an increased consumption of animal protein for both males and females. This study is the first dietary isotopic analysis to be conducted on the skeletons at Petriplatz and is only the second paleodietary isotopic reconstruction of the High Middle Ages in Germany. Consequently, this study provides key insights into the cultural responses to the ecology of the Black Death by the people of Berlin within the broader context of medieval Germany and medieval Europe.
... The skeletal remains of at least one pig were identified from sealed contexts within the monastery, suggesting that pork may have formed a part of the diet among individuals living in the area of Ghazali 2 . Aquatic resources at Ghazali may also in part explain a number of the elevated δ 15 N values, as freshwater aquatic species often have higher δ 15 N values than terrestrial species (Katzenberg 1989;Katzenberg and Weber, 1999). Freshwater fish demonstrate a wide range of δ 13 C col values from the C 3 and mixed spectrum (Privat 2004), with some deviations on account of different environmental conditions, feeding patterns and human interference (Guiry 2019). ...
The advent of Christianity in Nubia (modern Sudan) in the sixth century AD prompted a far-reaching cultural transformation, with changes in material culture, architecture, and cultural practice, marked in the funerary sphere as well. Due to its uneven hydrological conditions, Sudan has always been populated by peoples possessing diverse economic adaptations, with agricultural communities settled along the fertile Nile valley and various mobile pastoralist groups occupying vast areas of the adjacent deserts. This study contributes novel data to the study of medieval Nubian subsistence strategies through an assessment of stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) values in the bone collagen and apatite of 25 lay individuals interred within three contemporaneous cemeteries adjacent to the medieval monastic settlement of Ghazali in northern Sudan. Along with human values, this study utilizes a number of faunal samples for the comparative investigation of diet among various groups buried at the site. Collected results suggest primary reliance on C4 products with regular contributions from terrestrial animal proteins. Examined in the context of archaeological data, large contributions of C4 may be considered indicative of subsistence diversification and semi-pastoral economies of the local medieval populations.
... With the increase of δ 15 N values of domestic herbivores with values ranging from 5.4 to 9.1‰ the δ 15 N of humans should range from 8.4 to 13‰. When eating only fish, for which δ 15 N in the Baikal region equals 7.3 to 13.7‰(Katzenberg and Weber, 1999) a person will have δ 15 N at 10.3 to 17.7‰. Eating only millet with δ 15 N within 3 to 4‰ ...
The economic foundation of the Xiongnu Empire has often been attributed to nomadic livestock. This stands in contrast to the contemporaneous development of sedentary, often fortified, settlements with evidence for handicraft production and agricultural products. This paper presents the first results of the analysis of the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of bone collagen from the remains of humans and animals from Xiongnu archeological complexes located in Western Transbaikalia (late II century BCE – I century CE). Our results indicate that along with livestock products, the diet of Xiongnu people in Transbaikalia included moderate amounts of millet and riverine fish. This is further confirmed by the presence of millet seeds and fish bones among the archaeological finds at several sites. Combined paleobotanical and isotopic evidence indicate that agriculture played an important part in the subsistence economy of the Xiongnu.
... These δ 13 C differences can then be used to identify the consumption of C 3 versus C 4 terrestrial resources in past diets [68][69][70] . Values of carbon ratios may also inform about the consumption of marine foods 71-74 and freshwater resources [75][76][77] . ...
Dietary reconstruction is used to make inferences about the subsistence strategies of ancient human populations, but it may also serve as a proxy to characterise their diverse cultural and technological manifestations. Dental microwear and stable isotope analyses have been shown to be successful techniques for paleodietary reconstruction of ancient populations but, despite yielding complementary dietary information, these techniques have rarely been combined within the same study. Here we present for the first time a comprehensive approach to interpreting ancient lifeways through the results of buccal and occlusal microwear, and δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁵ N isotope analyses applied to the same individuals of prehistoric populations of Hungary from the Middle Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age periods. This study aimed to (a) assess if the combination of techniques yields a more precise assessment of past dietary and subsistence practices, and (b) contribute to our understanding of the dietary patterns of the prehistoric Hungarian populations. Overall, no correlations between microwear and δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁵ N isotope variables were observed, except for a relationship between nitrogen and the vertical and horizontal index. However, we found that diachronic differences are influenced by the variation within the period. Particularly, we found differences in microwear and isotope variables between Middle Neolithic sites, indicating that there were different dietary practices among those populations. Additionally, microwear results suggest no changes in the abrasiveness of the diet, neither food processing methods, despite higher C 4 plant resource consumption shown by carbon isotopic signal. Thus, we demonstrate that the integration of dental microwear and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope methodologies can provide complementary information for making inferences about paleodietary habits.
Příspěvek představuje první výsledky izotopové analýzy stravy jedinců pohřbených u hřbitovního karneru Všech svatých v Kutné Hoře – Sedlci (13.–14. stol.). Izotopové hodnoty uhlíku (δ13C) a dusíku (δ15N) byly měřeny v kostní tkáni celkem 24 jedinců pohřbených v individuálních hrobech. Analyzovaný soubor byl doplněn 11 vzorky zvířecích kostí a jako srovnávací soubor představující venkovskou populaci byl použit kosterní materiál 20 jedinců pohřbených během 14. století na hřbitově v Oškobrhu. Průměrné hodnoty souboru z Kutné Hory činily -19,3 ± 0,2 ‰ pro δ13C a 12,2 ± 0,5 ‰ pro δ15N. U souboru z Oškobrhu pak činily -19,4 ± 0,1 ‰ pro δ13C a 11,4 ± 1,2 ‰ pro δ15N. Strava obou populačních souborů byla založená na C3-rostlinách, se signifikantním podílem živočišných produktů, případně ryb. V případě Kutné Hory byl však tento podíl signifikantně vyšší, a to zejména u žen. Hodnoty obou souborů dobře ilustrují proměnu českých zemí ve středověku ve smyslu odklonu od pěstování prosa. Porovnání s hodnotami dalších souborů z kontextu raně středověké až raně novověké střední Evropy ukazuje na kvalitní stravu s dostatečným obsahem živočišných bílkovin.
Adapting to climatic and environmental change is a defining human characteristic, as is our species' global impact on land and life. Although today we can monitor climatic change and our influence on global ecologies, it has been more challenging to document the impact changing climates and environments had on prehistoric and historic human societies and vice versa. Because we often do not have direct measurements for studying the composition and dynamics of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, or biosphere in the past, we rely on indirect proxies to reconstruct climatological and environmental conditions of relevance to human populations and experiences. Both “off‐site” (those from ocean and lake cores, glacial ice, or speleothems) and “on‐site” (those collected directly at archaeological sites) proxies are now used to reconstruct the ecological settings in which societies developed, flourished, and struggled. Climate proxies can inform on such parameters as changing air temperatures, precipitation amounts, concentration of atmospheric gases, vegetation communities, or the seasonal intensity of monsoons. When coupled with archaeological data, climate proxies can be used to explore human–environment interactions across the African and Asian continents.
Middle Holocene hunter-gatherers (HG) of the Cis-Baikal, Eastern Siberia, display substantial spatiotemporal variation in adaptive strategies highlighted by several cultural transitions. These transitions are examined focusing on the role of the following factors: (1) changes in the distribution of the boreal forest; (2) technological innovations; (3) intensification of fishing; and (4) their combined impacts on subsistence and social structure. The expansion and retreat of boreal forest was important because it directly affected the distribution and abundance of large and medium terrestrial game, the core of subsistence for all Middle Holocene HG in the region. All other things being equal, expanding forests meant less game while shrinking forest meant more game and more living space for HG. The bow was crucial not only due to its technological superiority over the spear and atlatl as a game hunting weapon but also because its flexibility allowed it to work equally well for groups of any size and in any environment – forest or steppe. The much higher return rates associated with bow hunting freed enough labour to be allocated to other activities such as the intensification of fishing. Fishing and fisheries were important because they worked as a differentiating force: the more intensive the fishing, the more limited its spatial distribution and the greater the micro-regional differences between cultural patterns. Intensive fishing and game hunting pulled the adaptive strategies in two opposing directions: fishing towards differences and hunting towards similarities between groups and micro-regions. Social relations were important because they fine-tuned the social fabric to optimize the general strategy. Together, these factors account for all cultural transitions and variation documented for the Middle Holocene HG of Cis-Baikal: Transition 1 – formation of the Late Mesolithic cultural pattern with incipient formal cemeteries ~8630 cal BP; Transition 2 – replacement of the Late Mesolithic system on the Angara and in Southwest Baikal, but not in the Little Sea or on the Upper Lena, by the Early Neolithic Kitoi pattern with its very large cemeteries ~7560 cal BP; Transition 3 – collapse of the Kitoi by ~6660 cal BP followed by the formation of the Middle Neolithic pattern with no cemeteries; Transition 4 – reappearance of cemeteries ~6060 cal BP and the establishment of the Late Neolithic pattern; Transition 5 – formation of the Early Bronze Age system ~4970 cal BP; and lastly, Transition 6 – the end of the Early Bronze Age socio-economic pattern by ~3470 cal BP.
Over thirty years of stable isotope research about the breastfeeding and weaning practices of past human populations has contributed a vast amount to our understanding of infancy and childhood. The length of exclusive breastfeeding, age of weaning initiation and cessation, and types of weaning foods, are important variables affecting infant and child morbidity and mortality, and hence population demography. Stable isotope infant and child feeding (ICF) data have contributed to several debates in archaeology, including the fertility and growth of populations with different subsistence strategies. Most fundamentally, these data reveal the biological adaptations and cultural norms of breastfeeding and weaning over the last eleven thousand years. This chapter focuses on reviewing the current state of knowledge about ICF practices of 26 past forager populations and highlights two ancient groups (7500–4600 years before present) from the Lake Baikal region of Siberia. Most forager studies have found that weaning cessation occurred around three years-of-age, similar to the three to four year-old average age of weaning completion in the Siberian infants. For comparison, stable isotope data on ICF from 71 populations dating to before the post-Medieval period, that were predominately reliant on domesticated crops and/or animals, are presented. Average weaning cessation ages range from one- to five-years. The frequency of populations with an average weaning age under three years vs. three years and older is very similar in forager (<3y = 50%; ≥3y = 42%; n/a = 8%) and agricultural/pastoral populations (<3y = 48%; ≥3y = 41%; n/a = 11%). This suggests subsistence type does not directly cause different weaning lengths. Weaning cessation age also does not decrease over time. A wide array of foods have been used in the weaning process. Newer tooth dentine incremental sampling methods are revealing considerable variation in ICF practices between individuals within a population. These types of sampling methods are better elucidating other weaning variables, such as initiation, velocity, and regularity, offering considerable promise for better understanding infant and child health, survival, and lifeways. It is time to shift our attention from average weaning cessation ages to explore the causes of intra-population heterogeneity and the influence of other ICF variables.KeywordsStable carbon isotopesNitrogen isotopesBreastfeedingWeaningSiberian foragers
Evidence indicates that diverse subsistence economies existed in the Pingcheng area (now Datong) during the Northern Wei Dynasty. This article details carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses conducted on human bones (n = 48) from the Datong Erzhong cemetery in Shanxi, China, to reveal the extent of agricultural factor development in diverse subsistence economies. The results show that, at the time, most humans (−10.4 ± 0.8 ‰, 9.7 ± 0.7 ‰, n = 40) primarily relied on millet-based foods. A few individuals (−14.7 ± 2.4 ‰, 10.9 ± 1.1 ‰, n = 8) lived on C3/C4 mixed food with abundant animal proteins. The isotope results of human and animal remains and charred millet obtained from nine contemporaneous cemeteries and/or sites indicate that millet-based agriculture was the dominant form of subsistence economy during the Pingcheng period (398–494 CE). Analysis of the proportion of millet-based food consumed by the individuals whose remains have been examined show that a dietary shift toward gradient millet consumption occurred in the Pingcheng area over time, indicating that millet agriculture became a dominant economic strategy.
Stable isotope ratio analysis revolutionized research on present and past diets and ecology, particularly when combined with information from other sources. In South Africa, geochemist John Vogel worked with archaeologist Nik van der Merwe, and together they published one of the earliest papers on the use of carbon stable isotopes determining the timing of maize introduction into North America. For collagen synthesis, enzymatic control determines the magnitude of the fractionation; this is a case of kinetic isotope fractionation. The majority of the world's active cycling carbon is sequestered in the ocean as dissolved carbonate. In archaeological applications of isotopic diet reconstructions, carbon isotope ratios differ not only with foods consumed, but among different consumer tissue types. Hydrogen is ubiquitous in the geosphere and the huge relative mass difference between its two stable isotopes means that hydrogen exhibits the largest fractionations among the light stable isotopes.
The Great Hungarian Plain (GHP) served as a geographic funnel for population mobility throughout prehistory. Genomic and isotopic research demonstrates non-linear genetic turnover and technological shifts between the Copper and Iron Ages of the GHP, which influenced the dietary strategies of numerous cultures that intermixed and overlapped through time. Given the complexities of these prehistoric cultural and demographic processes, this study aims to improve our understanding of diachronic and culture-specific dietary signatures. Here we report on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values from 75 individuals from twenty sites in the GHP dating to a ~ 3000-year time span between the Early Bronze and Early Iron Ages. The samples broadly indicate a terrestrial C 3 diet with nuanced differences amongst cultures, suggesting exogenous influences that manifested in subsistence strategies. Compared to the Iron Age, the Bronze Age samples have slightly elevated δ ¹⁵ N values implying higher reliance on protein. Interestingly, carbon values typical of C 4 vegetation indicate the consumption of millet, or a grain with comparable δ ¹³ C values during the Middle Bronze Age. Overall, our results suggest a gradual transition in dietary patterns from the Early Bronze to Early Iron Age, demonstrating a relationship between subsistence and time periods, congruent with the archaeological record.
Toniná fue una ciudad maya, localizada entre dos áreas culturales hacia los Altos de Chiapas. Se ha planteado de manera generalizada que el colapso maya implicó la desaparición y despoblamiento de muchas ciudades; en esta investigación se aborda la pervivencia de Toniná hacia el umbral del Posclásico. Para ello se analizaron 15 956 huesos humanos hallados en la Estructura 15 de la quinta plataforma en la Acrópolis de Toniná. El análisis de osteología antropológica permitío conocer el perfil biológico y documentar la tafonomía cultural, a través de la cual se evidenció la práctica del sacrificio humano y los tratamientos póstumos de las víctimas. Así también la aplicación de análisis de isótopos estables y de estroncio permitió conocer el perfil dietario de los sacrificados, su origen geográfico y movilidad a lo largo de su vida. Se vislumbró un cambio en las prácticas rituales en el área maya, al encontrar influencias ideológicas posiblemente de la Costa del Golfo en el culto a otras deidades, es el caso de Xipe Totéc; la Costa del Golfo tuvo gran influencia en el área maya desde tiempos remotos y se ha constatado en este sitio a través de la cerámica.
When it was published in 1996 Bioarchaeology of Southeast Asia was the first book to examine the biology and lives of the prehistoric people of this region. Bringing together the most active researchers in late Pleistocene/Holocene Southeast Asian human osteology, the book deals with major approaches to studying human skeletal remains. Using analysis of the physical appearance of the region's past peoples, the first section explores issues such as the first inhabitants of the region, the evidence for subsequent migratory patterns (particularly between Southeast and Northeast Asia) and counter arguments centering on in situ microevolutionary change. This second section reconstructs the health of these people, in the context of major economic and demographic changes over time, including those caused by the adoption or intensification of agriculture. Written for archaeologists, bioarchaeologists and biological anthropologists, it is a fascinating insight into the bioarchaeology of this important region.
When it was published in 1996 Bioarchaeology of Southeast Asia was the first book to examine the biology and lives of the prehistoric people of this region. Bringing together the most active researchers in late Pleistocene/Holocene Southeast Asian human osteology, the book deals with major approaches to studying human skeletal remains. Using analysis of the physical appearance of the region's past peoples, the first section explores issues such as the first inhabitants of the region, the evidence for subsequent migratory patterns (particularly between Southeast and Northeast Asia) and counter arguments centering on in situ microevolutionary change. This second section reconstructs the health of these people, in the context of major economic and demographic changes over time, including those caused by the adoption or intensification of agriculture. Written for archaeologists, bioarchaeologists and biological anthropologists, it is a fascinating insight into the bioarchaeology of this important region.
The Great Hungarian Plain (GHP) served as a geographic funnel for population mobility throughout prehistory. Genomic and isotopic research demonstrates non-linear genetic turnover and technological shifts between the Copper and Iron Ages of the GHP, which influenced the dietary strategies of numerous cultures that intermixed and overlapped through time. Given the complexities of these prehistoric cultural and demographic processes, this study aims to identify and elucidate diachronic and culture-specific dietary signatures. We report on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from 74 individuals from nineteen sites in the GHP dating to a ~ 3000-year time span between the Early Bronze and Early Iron Ages. The samples broadly indicate a terrestrial C3 diet with nuanced differences amongst populations and through time, suggesting exogenous influences that manifested in subsistence strategies. Slightly elevated δ15N values for Bronze Age samples imply higher reliance on protein than in the Iron Age. Interestingly, the Füzesabony have carbon values typical of C4 vegetation indicating millet consumption, or that of a grain with comparable δ13C ratios, which corroborates evidence from outside the GHP for its early cultivation during the Middle Bronze Age. Finally, our results also suggest locally diverse subsistence economies for GHP Scythians.
The oldest‐known undoubted cultural practices of intentional cranial deformation (ICD, also known as artificial cranial modification) appeared in the Middle East, Australia and Northeast China in the terminal Pleistocene‐early Holocene populations. Here we report an ICD calvarium fossil (Songhuajiang II) discovered from an underwater sand mining site near Harbin City in Northeast China. With a calibrated accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon age of 11,095‐10,745 BP, the fossil calvarium is among the oldest‐known ICD records in the world. A combination of pronounced superciliary arches, salient temporal lines and relatively round and dull supraorbital margin, together with moderately wide interorbital space, flat glabella region without infraglabellar notch, flat and small zygomatic trigon, round and inclined superior‐lateral orbital margin, and largely closed sutures suggests that Songhuajiang II skull belonged to a middle‐aged Asian man. The man has flat frontal and occipital bone, conical posterior parietal region, and a circular depression posterior to the coronal suture, and more sub‐divisions and many crenulated terminal branches on the anterior branch of the middle meningeal vessels. These features are typical for the tabular deformation methodology of ICD. The discovery, together with previously‐known ICD records (Songhuajiang I, Qianguo Man Qingshantou 1 and Djalai‐Nor cranium), suggests that the ICD cultural practice has a long and continuous history in Northeast Asia.
Впервые обнаруженная на территории Западной Сибири кость человека современного физического типа эпохи мезолита
комплексно исследована минералого-геохимическими методами. На основании полученных данных предлагаются решения
задач палеоэкологии, пищевых рационов, истории миграций людей в неоплейстоцене—голоцене на территорию Сибири
Elk are common in forager archaeological artwork of northern Eurasia. During the Middle Holocene, the peoples of Cis-Baikal produced numerous elk depictions in rock art and mobiliary items. Most of the rock art has now been destroyed. However, Cis-Baikal’s cemeteries and habitation sites are increasingly well documented, with the former generating numerous elk images. To better understand this imagery, we first discuss elk biology and behavior. We then contextualize the imagery within other forms of archaeological data, including cemetery location, dietary patterns, and human population changes and dispersals. We integrate these findings with a model of northern Eurasian forager cosmologies and ideologies. Elk were not a dietary stable in Cis-Baikal. Instead, diets often had a substantial aquatic component, and red deer and roe deer were the most commonly used ungulates. All of Cis-Baikal’s Middle Holocene cemeteries were located near bodies of water. Elk’s ability to cross a fundamental boundary, that between the terrestrial and aquatic worlds, resulted in these animals being considered liminal beings. The elk depicted perhaps were cosmological forces, transporting the souls of the dead to the underworld. They also may have been constituted a generative life force and assisted souls in returning to the living world.
The paper describes the current situation in Russian regional archaeology in connection
with the promotion of interdisciplinary research in the ecological paradigm,
approaches and methods for reconstructing the life-support systems and paleodiet
of the ancient population. Two main approaches to paleodiet reconstruction
are examined. The first one involves direct empirical calculations on ecofacts
that reflect the various components of the paleodiet. It is suitable for limited
types of deposits with good preservation, mainly shell mounds. It is stated that
there are contradictions in modern implementations of empirical calculations
for the reconstruction of life-support systems and paleodiet models when
the carbohydrate component “escapes” from the attention of researchers.
One of the proposed productive technics for overcoming the contradiction is
a research method of ancient starch on tools and ceramics. This method has
informative capabilities and prospects for its application. The second approach is
based on methods for studying chemical markers of using certain food sources.
These markers can be found in bones, teeth, other body tissues and ceramics.
The authors analyze in detail the conditions, information capabilities and limitations
of the use of each of the methods and their combination for the most
complete reconstruction of the life-support system and the paleodiet. A critical
review of the results from various approaches and methods of the paleodiet
analysis in regional archeology is also carried out. The integrated approaches
and methods for a more complete reconstruction of the life-support systems
and paleodiet are proposed.
Keywords: human behavioral ecology, archeology, paleodiet reconstruction
methods, research method of ancient starch, isotope analysis.
Stable nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) are commonly used to represent the trophic structure of aquatic systems, yet the ability of δ15N to indicate the trophic position of aquatic consumers remains untested using traditional dietary methods. Interpreting the δ15N of aquatic consumers relative to large, long-lived primary consumers such as unionid mussels provides a continuous measure of an organismís trophic position that adjusts for among-system variation in baseline δ15N. We used this method to estimate the trophic position of eight littoral fish species from 36 lakes in Ontario and Quebec. We validated these δ15N measures of trophic position by compiling literature dietary data from 342 populations of these same fish species and calculated a continuous measure of trophic position for each population. Mean dietary trophic position estimates corresponded closely to 15N estimates, with mean trophic position ranging from 3.3 for pumpkinseed (Lepomis gobbosus) to 4.4 for walleye (Stizostedion vitreum). Both methods indicated approximately one trophic level of variation among populations of a species. This study confirms the ability of baseline-adjusted δ15N to represent the trophic position of aquatic consumers. Résumé : Les rapports díun isotope stable de líazote (δ15N) sont couramment utilisØs pour reprØsenter la structure trophique des systmes aquatiques; pourtant, la capacitØ du δ15N díindiquer la position trophique des consommateurs aquatiques nía pas encore ØtØ testØe employant des mØthodes alimentaires traditionnels. LíinterprØtation de δ15N des consommateurs aquatiques
The reconstruction of ancient human diet based on carbon and nitrogen analysis has proved to be relatively simple in the New
World: utilization of C4 and marine resources causes relatively large shifts in these stable isotopes. In Europe those food sources seem to play a
relatively limited role, resulting in a relatively small range of values observed in past human populations, making dietary
analysis much less straightforward. However, an apparent non-random pattern is often observed when isotopic values of regional
or temporal groups are compared. In this paper we will describe the factors that contribute to those small-scale isotopic
variations, and assess the importance of environmental factors as opposed to anthropogenic, cultural factors. This assessment
is possible in part through the use of a large data base generated by the dating process in our laboratory. We conclude that
most variation in human δ13C values in Europe is related to regional differences in climate, and that most of the variation in δ13N seems to be caused by variable meat consumption, combined with poorly understood variation in plant nitrogen values.
To test how well use of discrete trophic levels represents pelagic trophic structure, dietary data from > 200 lake trout and pelagic forage fish populations was compiled and calculated a continuous (fractional) measure of trophic position for each population. Lake trout trophic position, which ranged from 3.0 to 4.6, explained 85% of the between-lake variability in mean PCB levels in lake trout muscle tissue, providing a significant improvement over the use of discrete trophic levels as a predictor of contaminant levels. Having demonstrated the utility of trophic position, a generalized {open_quotes}trophic position model{close_quotes} of lake trout food webs was developed. This approach eliminates minor trophic linkages, calculates a fractional measure of each species` trophic position, and aggregates species of similar trophic position into trophic guilds. This {open_quotes}realized{close_quotes} model represents trophic structure in terms of mass transfer and accounts for the complexity and omnivory that characterize aquatic food webs. In our trophic position model, smelt (a species of pelagic forage fish) were designated a trophic guild separate from other pelagic forage fish, due to their elevated trophic position. Separate consideration of smelt was supported by elevated lake trout trophic position, PCB, and Hg levels in lakes containing smelt. Consideration of omnivory caused biomagnification factors (BMFs) to be many times higher than BMFs that ignored omnivory. These omnivory-corrected BMF estimates appeared to be more consistent with values calculated using stable nitrogen isotopes (δ¹âµN), an alternative continuous measure of trophic position. δ¹âµN, an alternative continuous measure of trophic position. δ¹âµN provided trophic position estimates that generally corresponded with our diet-derived estimates. 186 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs.
In roe-deer from the forest of Dourdan (Essonne, France), bone collagen is significantly more 15N-depleted than for terrestrial herbivores analyzed until now. The δ15N values range from - 2.8 to - 0.4%o. Such values, linked to very low 15N abundances for forest plants, increase the range of biological values recognized so far. The collagen is also strongly 13C-depleted, due to the low 13C abundances in forest plants caused by the recycling of CO2 under the canopy. These values must be taken into account for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.
The isotopic ratios of common light elements often provide useful information about past geologic, environmental, or biologic history. Bender’s (1968) clear identification of two distinct isotopic values for carbon from C3 and C4 plant organic matter led to the experiments which showed that animal δ13C values were closely related to dietary values (DeNiro and Epstein 1978a; Tieszen et al. 1983). Results from field applications (DeNiro and Epstein 1978b; Vogel 1978; Tieszen et al. 1979; Tieszen and Imbamba 1980) established the usefulness of these tracers and soon led to numerous archaeological studies. C and N, both present in bone collagen, have been most useful to suggest marine versus terrestrial dependence, to establish maize utilization or dependence on legumes, and to identify relative trophic-level positions or carnivory versus herbivory. Recently, attention has been focused on the use of bioapatite CO3 (Lee-Thorp et al. 1989a, 1989b; Lee-Thorp and van der Merwe 1991) as a supplement to collagen, especially in bones older than 10000 years, and as an adjunct to collagen for estimates of carnivory. The 180 signal in bioapatite also has the potential to provide information on the water status of the individual or the environment. Sulfur isotopes δ
34
S), when present in sufficient quantities, as in hair or skin, are also useful and in some cases can distinguish clearly between marine and terrestrial dietary sources (Krouse and Herbert 1988).
The use of stable carbon isotopes for diet reconstruction is predicated on the assumption that you are what you eat. In other words, the carbon isotopic composition of animal tissues is assumed to be a direct and constant function of the diet. Is this assumption valid? Precise dietary reconstruction requires as accurate knowledge of the isotopic composition of locally available dietary resources, as well as an adequate understanding of the effects of nutrition, environment, and physiology on the diet-tissue function (van der Merwe 1982, 1989; Chisholm 1989; Norr 1990; Matson and Chisholm 1991; Tieszen 1991; Ambrose 1992). There is a systematic but poorly defined difference between the isotopic composition of the consumer tissues and that of the diet (an enrichment factor, expressed as Δ diet-tissue). Given the isotopic composition of a specific tissue, that of the diet or of other tissues may be calculated if the Δ diet-tissue difference factors are known. The dietary proportions of isotopically distinct food resources (e.g., C3 vs C4, or C3 vs marine) have thus been calculated from the δ
13C value of bone collagen (Δ13Cd-co) and bone apatite carbonate (Δ13Cd-ca). Deviations from actual or assumed average δ
13C values for dietary endmembers, and incorrect values for diet-to-tissue isotopic relationships, will lead to errors in the estimation of consumption of specific classes of resources. Experiments and observations designed to determine the diet-to-collagen stable isotope functions (Δ13Cd-co) however, have provided widely different values.
Dietary evaluation using isotopic analyses of carbon in collagen from bone is an exciting new area of archaeological chemistry. Analyses of bone from herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores (including humans) suggest that a simple isotopic fractionation between dietary carbon and carbon in bone collagen may be an inadequate model for interpretation of results. Dietary carbohydrates are primarily metabolized for energy and their carbon is reflected mainly in the hydroxyapatite of bone. Dietary lipids are also important energy components of the diet. Dietary proteins, on the other hand, are utilized for protein (e.g. bone collagen) synthesis as needed and only excess amino acids are metabolized for energy. Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores thus might have different isotopic fractionation models, each of which is presented. Biochemical evidence in support of these models is discussed.
Food webs of tropical, temperate, and arctic lakes can be characterized by the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of their constituent organisms. After assigning trophic levels using δ 15N, a broad range of δ 13C is observed at the primary consumer level in nearly all lakes. The range of δ 13C is on the order of 20 ‰ in tropical lakes Kyoga and Malawi and lakes with low dissolved inorganic carbon in temperate Canada, but is narrower in shallow lakes of the Canadian arctic. This broad range exists in ecosystems in which terrestrial inputs and/or aquatic macrophytes are often minimal. The isotopically light end of the range results from phytoplankton photosynthesis whereas the isotopically heavy end represents benthic algae photosynthesizing within an unstirred boundary layer. This range is successfully predicted by an application of a simple isotopic model for photosynthetic fractionation, originally developed for aquatic macrophytes, which uses boundary layer thicknesses reported for benthic algal communities. When benthic photosynthesis becomes light-limited in very turbid lakes of the Mackenzie Delta, then phytoplanktonic carbon dominates the diet of the primary consumers. The organisms on the primary consumer trophic level appear from their δ 13C values to harvest preferentially either planktonic or benthic algal carbon but, in temperate and arctic lakes, higher consumer levels are increasingly omnivorous. Therefore top aquatic predators often have a narrow range of δ 13C. In temperate and arctic lakes these top predators have a δ 13C near the midpoint of the range at the primary consumer level, which would result from nearly equal dependence on planktonic and benthic algal carbon. This equal dependence would not be predicted from the relative magnitude of planktonic and benthic algal photosynthesis as currently estimated in these systems.
As a result of exposure to low water turbulence, periphyton are enriched in 13 C compared to phytoplankton. Because of this, benthic consumers in marine coastal environments are also 13 C enriched relative to planktonic consumers. I analyzed the δ 13 C values for biota from four Canadian Shield lakes and similarly found 13 C enrichment in littoral compared to pelagic consumers. A compilation of literature data indicates that an uncoupling of carbon flows between benthic and planktonic food webs may be a characteristic feature of lakes worldwide.
Sulfur isotope analyses of fish mucle showed that broad whitefish Coregonus nasus in Travaillant Lake and lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis in the Kukjuktuk Creek system were migrant populations which had grown mostly on sources outside the local food base. A marine food source was indicated for the lake whitefish, while no specific source was determined for the broad whitefish. The δ 15N clearly defined the trophic levels in the local food chains in both systems. Fish were in three levels in Travaillant Lake. Amphipods were in a level below the lowest fish and sediments and macrophytes were in the lowest level. The Kukjuktuk Creek fish were in two levels above a level including macrophytes, amphipods, and zooplankton. The δ 13C varied widely even within single fish species local to Travaillant Lake. The δ 13C did not differentiate migrants from local fish. Plants of both the C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathway were indicated by carbon isotopes. -from Authors
Seal canines from several Neolithic and Early Bronze Age archaeological sites on Lake Baikal are analysed in the context of a modern reference collection and comprehensive information about modern Baikal seal ecology and behaviour. Our analysis, which includes determination of seasonality and age at death, reveals temporal and spatial patterns of procurement. While it probably played a secondary role in the livelihood of the three foraging cultures in the area, the Baikal seal was apparently an important part of one community's mortuary programme. We also found that observed changes in the use of seal across the Neolithic corroborate well with the discontinuity in human occupation that has been hypothesized on the basis of radiocarbon, artefactual and osteological evidence.
Stable nitrogen isotopes have customarily been used to delineate trophic position with only infrequent regard to source variability. A compilation of literature data supports a previous tentative hypothesis that marine fish are enriched in15N relative to those inhabiting freshwaters. Estuarine and anadromous fish were also confirmed to have intermediate δ15N values depending on their respective time spent feeding in either fresh- or salt water. The use of fish δ15N as a measure of continental-marine coupling in complex coastal environments will therefore provide additional support for analyses based on the more traditionally utilized isotopes δ34S or δ13C.
Seasonal variations in the carbon isotope composition of components of the pelagic food web in Lake Kinneret were recorded and compared with those recorded for bulk plankton from the lake in the early 1970s. Individual planktonic components as well as bulk plankton were isotopically lightest shortly after overturn in January and heaviest in May, after the peak of the annual bloom of the dinoflagellate Peridinium gatunense. The range of VC values observed over an annual cycle and the annual and seasonal means varied considerably between taxa. Within the primary producers, P. gatunense (range, -23.2 to - 17.97~) was significantly "C-enriched relative to concurrent nanoplankton (-27.4 to - 19.0%$. Zoo- plankton 6°C showed indistinct taxon-specific differences but greater seasonal variation (- 33.8 to - 19.8%0) than any phytoplankton component examined. Adult fish exhibited smaller 6i3C variability than the planktonic components. End-member isotope compositions confirmed the linkages nanoplankton + zooplankton + Kinneret sardines, and Peridinium + Sarotherodon galilaeus. Likely grazing of zooplank- ton on isotopically heavy Peridiniopsis spp. in spring and on a yet undetected light component in winter were implicated. The data demonstrate that the 613C of bulk particulate organic matter samples provides only a simplified view of a complex picture of 613C dynamics within the pelagic food web of a freshwater system.
TheC/Nratio and amino acid composition of organic matter extracted from fossil mammal bones from the Paleolithic site at Marillac (Charentes, France) shown that this organic matter comes from collagen.δ13Candδ15Nvalues of known-diet fossil species demonstrate that these values have been preserved through fossilization processes, and that these fossil mammals can be used as ecological references to determine the Neandertal position in the past food web. Initial Neandertalδ13Candδ15N values suggest that he was mostly carnivorous.RésuméLes rapportsC/N et le spectre d'accides amine´s de la matie`re organique extraite des ossements de mammife`res fossiles du site de Marillac (Charentes, France) montrent que cette matie`re organique provient du collage`ne. Les valeurs deδ13Cet deδ15N de mammaife`res fossiles dont le re´gime alimentaire est connu de´montrent que ces valeurs n'ont pase´te´alte´re´es par la fossilisation et donc ces mammifr`es fossiles peuvent servir de standardse´cologiques pour replacer l'Homme de Ne´anderthal dans son re´seau trophique. Les premie`res valeurs deδ13C et deδ15N mesure´es pour cet homme sugge`rent qu'ile´tait essentiellement carnivore.
Stable isotope ratios provide clues about the origins and transformations of organic matter. A few key reactions control the isotopic composition of most organic matter. Isotopic variations introduced by these reactions are often passed on with little change so that isotopic measurements can indicate natural pathways and flows “downstream” from these key reactions. When chemical and metabolic processes scramble the information content of molecules, isotopic compositions are often preserved. This realization has prompted increasing use of stable isotope analyses as a tool for understanding complex ecological processes.
The physics of mixing in deep temperate lakes is strongly constrained by the
existence of a temperature of maximum density for fresh water; and by the
pressure dependence of that temperature. The world's deepest lake is well
suited to the study of such deep-water renewal processes, and also to the
determination of the rates of renewal using time-dependent chemical tracers.
The mean rates of biological recycling of oxygen, carbon and nutrients for the
entire lake can then also be determined.
Rich settlement and burial evidence from the Baikal/Angara region in Central Siberia provides one of the most promising opportunities in the global boreal forest for studying Holocene foragers. The Neolithic and Early Bronze Age prehistory of the region is known to western scholars only through a few English translations of the works of A. P. Okladnikov. Since the publication of Okladnikov's model, the region has witnessed large-scale archaeological fieldwork that has produced abundant quantities of new evidence. Moreover, the model has been partly invalidated by extensive radiocarbon dating. Research advances over the last couple of decades have augmented the area's previous reputation but have also revealed the need for new theoretical perspectives and modern analytical techniques.
A number of archaeological sites on Lake Baikal revealed evidence of Neolithic and Bronze Age seal hunting. A collection of 35 canines from four sites was used to develop a methodology for analysing growth increments of canine dentine for the purpose of examining aspects of prehistoric seal hunting. Results from this preliminary analysis indicate that seal hunting at these sites was a seasonal activity confined to spring and early summer. Baikal seals were probably hunted in early spring for their meat, blubber and furs, and later in the season for their meat and skins.
Bone collagen from animals consumed by humans, during the early historic period in southern Ontario, was analysed for stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. Previous research on stable isotopes for the reconstruction of human paleodiet has focused on determination of C3 versus C4 plants in the diet, reliance on marine versus terrestrial resources and differentiation of trophic level. Results of this study indicate that of the animals consumed by humans only domestic dogs and one species of fish had δ13C values heavy enough to cause an increase in human δ13C values. Nitrogen isotope results show that Great Lakes fish have very high δ15N values. This explains, in part, the high δ15N values observed in prehistoric and early historic humans from Ontario. The contribution of animal protein to human stable isotope values has important implications for the interpretation of paleodiet studies as applied to prehistoric adaptation.
A large set of δ13C values for both the organic (collagen) and inorganic (apatitic) components of bone and tooth is presented for southern African fauna. Equations are obtained to describe variation in the relationship between these two isotopic values (the “apatite-collagen spacing”) with trophic level, for herbivores, carnivores and omnivores respectively. The empirically derived equations are slightly different from earlier predictions, and the implications are discussed. Differences between apatite and collagen δ13C values in a sample of prehistoric human skeletons from the southwestern Cape coast are considered in the light of relationships derived from faunal data. Unexpectedly small isotopic differences seen in many of these skeletons may be attributable to the particular mix of marine and terrestrial components of their diets.
Concentrations of molecular oxygen in Lake Baikal (Eastern Siberia), the deepest lake on earth (1634 m), are above 80% saturation in the whole water column suggesting fast deep-water renewal. A model is developed to describe vertical water exchange based on measured concentrations of tritium, 3He, and the chlorofluorocarbons CFC-11 (CCl3F) and CFC-12 (CCl2F2). Lake Baikal consists of three main basins (south, central, north) that are separated by sills reaching up to about 300 m depth. Each basin is vertically divided into two boxes: a surface box 300 m thick and a deepwater box below 300 m. Tracers are transported from/into the surface layer by gas exchange with the atmosphere during ice-free periods, by precipitation, by evaporation, and by rivers. The tracer distribution in the lake depends primarily on the three intrabasin vertical water exchange rates. These rates are simultaneously fitted by modeling the four tracers from 1900 to the present. Mean residence times in the south, central, and north basins are 11.2 plus minus 0.6, 10.4plus minus 0.5, and 6.2 plus minus 0.5 yr, respectively. Application of the transport model to measured oxygen concentrations yields O2 consumption rates in all deep-water boxes of 0.1 mg L-1 yr-1.
Neolit i bronzovyi vek Pribaikal'ia (chast' I i II) (The Neolithic and Bronze age of the Cis-Baikal (part I and II) Materialy i Issledovaniia po Arkheologii SSSR 18
- A P Okladnikov
Okladnikov, A. P. (1950). Neolit i bronzovyi vek Pribaikal'ia (chast' I i II) (The Neolithic and Bronze age of the Cis-Baikal (part I and II). Materialy i Issledovaniia po Arkheologii SSSR 18, Vol 43. Moscow Izdatel'stvo Akademii nauk SSSR.
Vozrast i sootnoshenie neoliticheskikh kul'tur Vostochnoi Sibiri (The age and relationship of Neolithic cultures of eastern Siberia) Kratkie Soobshcheniia Instituta Arkheologii 153
- L P Khlobystin
Khlobystin, L. P. (1978). Vozrast i sootnoshenie neoliticheskikh kul'tur Vostochnoi Sibiri (The age and relationship of Neolithic cultures of eastern Siberia). Kratkie Soobshcheniia Instituta Arkheologii 153, 93–99.
Stable carbon isotopes in deep time: the diets of fossil fauna and hominids
- J A Lee-Thorp
Lee-Thorp, J. A. (1989). Stable carbon isotopes in deep time: the diets of fossil fauna and hominids. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Cape Town. Lee-Thorp, J. A., Sealy, J. C. & van der Merwe, M. J. (1989). Stable carbon isotope ratio differences between bone collagen and bone apatite, and their relationship to diet. Journal of Archaeological Science 16, 585–599.
Neolit i bronzovyi vek Pribaikal'ia (chast' III) (The Neolithic and Bronze Age of the Lake Baikal region (part III) Materialy i Issledovaniia po Arkheologii SSSR 18
- A P Okladnikov
Okladnikov, A. P. (1955). Neolit i bronzovyi vek Pribaikal'ia (chast' III) (The Neolithic and Bronze Age of the Lake Baikal region (part III). Materialy i Issledovaniia po Arkheologii SSSR 18, Vol. 43. Moscow: Izdatel'stvo Akademii nauk SSSR.
Lake Baikal and its Life. Monographiae Biologicae XI
- M Kozhov
Kozhov, M. (1963). Lake Baikal and its Life. Monographiae Biologicae XI. The Hague: Dr. W. Junk.
The Face of Baikal: Water. Irkutsk: Name
- S A Gurulev
Gurulev, S. A. (1994). The Face of Baikal: Water. Irkutsk: Name.
Freshwater Fishes of Canada Fisheries Research Board of Canada Bulletin No
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- E J Crossman
Scott, W. B. & Crossman, E. J. (1973). Freshwater Fishes of Canada Fisheries Research Board of Canada Bulletin No. 184. Ottawa: Fisheries Research Board of Canada.
Eds) Stable Isotopes in Nutrition
- Johnson
Johnson, Eds) Stable Isotopes in Nutrition. American Chemical Society Symposium Series No.
Stable Isotopes in Ecological Research
- J R Rundel
- K A Ehleringer
- Nagy
Rundel, J. R. Ehleringer & K. A. Nagy, Eds) Stable Isotopes in Ecological Research. Ecological Studies No. 68. New York: Springer Verlag, pp. 196–229.
The isotopic composition of reduced organic carbon Eds) Handbook of Environ-mental Isotope Geochemistry
- P Deines
Deines, P. (1980). The isotopic composition of reduced organic carbon. In (P. Fritz & J. C. Fontes, Eds) Handbook of Environ-mental Isotope Geochemistry. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 329–406.
Food web analysis of Lake Baikal fish by ratios of stable carbon isotopes
- Kiyashko
The isotopic composition of reduced organic carbon. P. FritzJ. C. Fontes, Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry
- P Deines
Neolit i bronzovyi vek Pribaikal’ia (chast’ I i II) (The Neolithic and Bronze age of the Cis-Baikal (part I and II)
- Okladnikov
Neolit i bronzovyi vek Pribaikal’ia (chast’ III) (The Neolithic and Bronze Age of the Lake Baikal region (part III)
- Okladnikov
Particularités isotopiques de I’azote chez le chevreuil (Capriolus capriolus L.): implications pour les reconstitutions paléoenvironnementales
- Rodiére
No. 184. Ottawa: Fisheries Research Board of Canada
- Scott
Vozrast i sootnoshenie neoliticheskikh kul’tur Vostochnoi Sibiri (The age and relationship of Neolithic cultures of eastern Siberia)
- Khlobystin
Comparing trophic position of freshwater fish calculated using stable nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) and literature dietary data
- Vander Zanden