Early Neolithic burials from Grumăzeşti-Deleni (Neamţ County, Romania)

Human skeletal remains of at least three individuals were unearthed during excavations at the Early Neolithic site of Grumăzeşti – Deleni in northeast Romania (Moldova region) between 1968 and 1978. They comprise the articulated skeleton of an adult buried in a crouched position (M1), and the disarticulated remains of another adult and a juvenile found together in another part of the site and interpreted by the principal excavator, S. Marinescu-Bîlcu, as a disturbed burial (referred to here as M2/ 1– 2). The human remains are described and analysed in terms of state of preservation, age-at-death, sex, stature and pathology. Results of radiocarbon dating and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of bone collagen from M1 and radiocarbon dates on herbivore bones from the site are presented and discussed.Cercetările arheologice din situl de la Grumăzeşti – Deleni din nordul României, realizate între 1968 și 1978, au pus în evidența existența unor resturi osteologice umane de la cel puțin trei indivizi. Primul dintre aceștia, M1, era reprezentat de un schelet în conexiune anatomică, descoperit în poziția chircit pe partea stângă. Resturile fragmentare atribuite altor doi indivizi (denumite în acest articol M2/ 1– 2, un adult și un juvenil) provin dintr-un context diferit, fiind interpretate de autorul cercetării arheologice, S. Marinescu-Bîlcu drept un mormânt deranjat de o amenajare ulterioară. Lucrarea de față face o analiză descriptivă a stării de conservare a resturilor osteologice, determinarea vârstei, sexului și staturii, precum și a patologiilor identificate pe resturile osteologice prezente. Analiza antropologică este însoțită de o discuție asupra datelor de radiocarbon realizate pe probe prelevate de la M1 și două erbivore de talie mare. Pentru M1 au fost realizat și studiului izotopilor stabili de C și N.Diana Annamaria, Boroneanţ Adina, Bălășescu Adrian, Sava Tiberiu, Bonsall Clive. Early Neolithic burials from Grumăzeşti – Deleni, Neamţ County, Romania. In: Materiale şi cercetãri arheologice (Serie nouã), N°15 2019. pp. 15-25

Compound specific radiocarbon dating of essential and non-essential Amino acids:towards determination of dietary reservoir effects in humans

When humans consume foods from different radiocarbon reservoirs offset in age to the atmosphere, inaccuracies in the 14C date of bone collagen can occur. Mesolithic human skeletons from the Iron Gates section of the Lower Danube Valley have yielded reservoir offsets of up to ~500 yr. This has been demonstrated through direct dating of bulk collagen from human bones and the remains of ungulate bone projectile points that were found embedded in them (Cook et al. 2001). We present improvements to a novel HPLC method for the detection and separation of underivatized amino acids using a wateronly mobile phase free of organic or inorganic modifiers, ensuring very low carbon backgrounds. Our hypothesis is that direct 14C dating of single essential and non-essential amino acids might allow an improvement in the dating accuracy for reservoiraffected human bones. The method facilitates separation of less polar amino acids (mostly "essential"), currently not possible in the recently published protocol. We discuss methodological developments, demonstrate carbon backgrounds, and present analytical approaches to minimize their effects. We validate the precision and accuracy of the method by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating relatively modern and 14C-dead, known-age bone standards. Finally, we apply the method to the dating of single amino acids from bone samples with a proven ~500-yr carbon reservoir effect from Mesolithic burials at the Iron Gates sites. We investigate whether differences can be found in AMS dates for essential and non-essential amino acids since, although contemporaneous, these are expected to derive from dietary sources with differing 14C reservoirs. © 2013 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona

Evidence of coat color variation sheds new light on ancient canids.

International audienceWe have used a paleogenetics approach to investigate the genetic landscape of coat color variation in ancient Eurasian dog and wolf populations. We amplified DNA fragments of two genes controlling coat color, Mc1r (Melanocortin 1 Receptor) and CBD103 (canine-β-defensin), in respectively 15 and 19 ancient canids (dogs and wolf morphotypes) from 14 different archeological sites, throughout Asia and Europe spanning from ca. 12 000 B.P. (end of Upper Palaeolithic) to ca. 4000 B.P. (Bronze Age). We provide evidence of a new variant (R301C) of the Melanocortin 1 receptor (Mc1r) and highlight the presence of the beta-defensin melanistic mutation (CDB103-K locus) on ancient DNA from dog-and wolf-morphotype specimens. We show that the dominant K(B) allele (CBD103), which causes melanism, and R301C (Mc1r), the variant that may cause light hair color, are present as early as the beginning of the Holocene, over 10 000 years ago. These results underline the genetic diversity of prehistoric dogs. This diversity may have partly stemmed not only from the wolf gene pool captured by domestication but also from mutations very likely linked to the relaxation of natural selection pressure occurring in-line with this process

Regional diversity in subsistence among early farmers in Southeast Europe revealed by archaeological organic residues

The spread of early farming across Europe from its origins in Southwest Asia was a culturally transformative process which took place over millennia. Within regions, the pace of the transition was probably related to the particular climatic and environmental conditions encountered, as well as the nature of localized hunter-gatherer and farmer interactions. The establishment of farming in the interior of the Balkans represents the first movement of Southwest Asian livestock beyond their natural climatic range, and widespread evidence now exists for early pottery being used extensively for dairying. However, pottery lipid residues from sites in the Iron Gates region of the Danube in the northern Balkans show that here, Neolithic pottery was being used predominantly for processing aquatic resources. This stands out not only within the surrounding region but also contrasts markedly with Neolithic pottery use across wider Europe. These findings provide evidence for the strategic diversity within the wider cultural and economic practices during the Neolithic, with this exceptional environmental and cultural setting offering alternative opportunities despite the dominance of farming in the wider region

Rapid Climate Change and Radiocarbon Discontinuities in the Mesolithic–Early Neolithic Settlement Record of the Iron Gates

The Mesolithic–Early Neolithic radiocarbon record for the Iron Gates is compared against the regional paleoclimatic record. Well-marked minima in the frequency of radiocarbon dates at ca. 9.5–9.0 ka, 8.65–8.0 ka and after 7.8 ka cal BP coincide with “rapid climate change events” recorded in Greenland ice cores and paleoclimate archives from the Danube catchment. Four possible explanations of the observed radiocarbon discontinuities are considered: dwindling fish resources, changes in the social environment linked to the spread of farming, flood-induced settlement relocations, and taphonomic effects

Exploitation strategies of the animal environment of the last hunter-gatherers and first farmers in Europe

<p>The profound climatic changes and the need to identify solutions for the survival of humankind represent major topics of debate<br> in contemporary society. Throughout their 200,000-year history modern humans have been faced with climatic changes some of<br> them radical, which had a significant impact on the strategies employed for the exploitation and management of the environment,<br> especially the animal life, and were reflected in the types of economic practices.<br> Through this session proposal, we will analyze, quantify and compare the effects of this phenomenon and provide an integrated<br> view of the ways in which the animal environment was exploited by prehistoric communities at the transition from hunter-gatherer<br> to farmer-stockbreeder, identifying and comparing different eco-cultural models developed across Europe. The investigations will<br> cover two priority domains: biodiversity evolution (e.g., taxonomic richness; magnitude of faunal turnover) and correlative human<br> societal transformations, especially in animal management and techniques of exploitation (bone manufacturing). Among others,<br> the aim of our session includes the identification of the modifications that intervened in the relation between the exploitation of the<br> animal environment and the way in which it was reflected in palaeo-economy, habitat, social or spiritual organization. We invite<br> speakers to discuss these topics from different perspectives; both theoretical and practical approaches are encouraged</p

How did European dogs look like prior to the Bronze Age? A 3D analysis based on the mandible

International audienc

How did European dogs look like prior to the Bronze Age? A 3D analysis based on the mandible

International audienc