Food fit for a Khan: Stable isotope analysis of the elite Mongol Empire cemetery at Tavan Tolgoi, Mongolia

The creation and expansion of the Mongol Empire during the thirteenth century A.D. brought with it many changes, both for the conquered peoples and for the conquerors themselves. Ruling elite Mongols in foreign lands imposed new customs onto their new subjects, but also adopted some of the characteristics of the cultures they ruled; these are topics of sustained and continuing research interest. Equally interesting but less well researched is what impact the Empire had on Mongols remaining in the Mongolian homeland. Historical sources suggest that the fruits of Empire would have flowed not only to remote Mongol capitals of the Empire but also back to Mongolia proper. Here we use dietary stable isotope analysis to assess whether the Empire brought large changes to the diet of either ruling elites or more common people in the Mongolian homeland. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios are measured in bone collagen from human and faunal remains from Tavan Tolgoi, a ruling elite cemetery in eastern Mongolia, and compared with ratios from lesser ranked people at the cemetery of Tsagaan chuluut. These are also compared with ratios from the Bronze Age cemetery of Ulaanzuukh, a post-Empire set of human remains, and modern and archaeological human and faunal remains from the wider region. The Tavan Tolgoi isotope ratios do differ from those of Tsagaan chuluut and Ulannzuukh. Comparison with isotope data from the wider region, however, suggests that the differences may be due to differing environmental conditions rather than dietary differences

Two Clocks: A Comparison of Ceramic and Radiocarbon Dates at Macapainara, East Timor

Radiocarbon analysis and ceramic typology assessment are commonly used to date late Holocene archaeological sites in Island Southeast Asia. We apply both methods to date the site of Macapainara in East Timor, and they produce substantially different age ranges for this site. The radiocarbon dates are consistently later in time than ceramic typology dates from the same or adjacent stratigraphic levels. We assess the various sources of error for the two dating techniques that could produce this discrepancy, and conclude that the ceramic typology age ranges are misleadingly old due to concerted curation of fine ceramics by the site occupants. We discuss the implications of this for dating sites in East Timor and elsewhere within Island Southeast Asia

Testing peat humification analysis in an Australian context: identifying wet shifts in regional climate over the past 4000 years

Peat humification analysis is presented as a robust palaeoclimatic proxy, suitable for use on mid�late Holocene peat sequences situated in the Southern Hemisphere. The proxy is shown to permit the identification of wet and dry shifts in a peat sequence from the humid tropics of north-eastern Australia. A significant correlation is found between the humification record and other proxies indicative of past climate conditions such as pollen, ?13C, C/N and macrocharcoal. Sixteen wet shifts detected in the humification record for Bromfield Swamp occur at the following dates (with 2? range): 3830 (3920�3740), 3560 (3640�3480), 3490 (3560�3420), 3380 (3450�3300), 3120 (3250�2970), 2950 (3100�2790), 2560 (2710�2450), 2430 (2600�2260), 2120 (2330�1910), 1750 (1980�1520), 1430 (1660�1200), 1170 (1390�960), 1010 (1220�820), 620 (770�500), 300 (400�200) and 100 (200�10) cal. yr BP. Eleven dry shifts are also identified in the record at 4220 (4330�4110), 3670 (3750�3590), 3330 (3420�3220), 3020 (3170�2870), 2350 (2530�2160), 2020 (2230�1800), 1730 (1980�1510), 1290 (1510�1070), 700 (870�560), 400 (470�300) and 260 (360�150) cal yr BP. Blechnum and Poaceae are identified by pollen analysis to be the dominant plants of the swamp surface over the past 4000 years. The ratio of these two plant taxa in the pollen record correlates well with identified wet and dry shifts. It is suggested that a ratio ?1 possibly indicates dry conditions, a ratio of >1�3 indicates wet or dry conditions, and a ratio >3 implies wet conditions. Large macrocharcoal peaks are recorded during the initiation phase of the peat sequence at approximately 4090 cal. yr BP, and at 3700�3620 cal. yr BP, both of these time periods being coincident with dry phases. Isolated minor macrocharcoal peaks at ca. 2860, 2820, 2620, 2560, 2130, 1930, 1740 and 200 cal. yr BP are found to coincide with periods of average effective precipitation (based on the humification proxy) and so may reflect fire on the swamp surface, transport and re-deposition down-slope of old charcoal after a high rainfall event, or burning in the landscape by indigenous people

Buried on Foreign Shores: Isotope Analysis of the Origin of Human Remains Recovered from a Macassan Site in Arnhem Land

This study uses strontium (87Sr/86Sr), oxygen (ω18O) and carbon (ω13C) isotope analysis of archaeological tooth enamel samples to investigate the origins of human remains from two sites in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory: a coastal Macassan site and a

Mortuary Caves and the Dammar Trade in the Towuti–Routa Region, Sulawesi, in an Island Southeast Asian Context

Archaeological evidence from survey and cave excavation in the Towuti–Routa region of Sulawesi suggests the following sequence of late Holocene cultural change. Settled communities whose subsistence included an agricultural component had established themselves by the early centuries a.d. and began the use of caves for mortuary purposes. Extended inhumations are the oldest attested mortuary practice, overlapping in time with secondary burials in large earthenware jars dated to around a.d. 1000. The third, ethnohistorically described practice involved the surface disposal of the deceased, including the use of imported martavans for the elite, between approximately a.d. 1500 and 1900. This sequence of mortuary practices has not been documented elsewhere in Island Southeast Asia, although each practice has multiple parallels. The Towuti–Routa dammar trade, which was at its peak at the time of European contact, can perhaps account for the quantity of exotic items imported to the region but not the specifics of the mortuary practices

Excavations at the site of Vasino, Lautem District, Timor-Leste

This chapter explores the archaeology and ethnohistory of one of the distinctive fortified settlements in the eastern part of Timor-Leste. In 2009, a team from The Australian National University (ANU), together with local people, partially excavated the site of Vasino, located close to the north coast of Timor-Leste, above the modern village of Moro-Parlamento (Figure 4.1). The site had been fortified with large stone walls and the aim was to provide more data on when, how and why these fortifications were used in the region. Two related questions guided the research. First, when was the main period of fort construction initiated? Secondly, what were the prevailing environmental and social conditions of those times

The site of Leki Wakik, Manatuto District, Timor‑Leste

Leki Wakik is a large hilltop site with several large stone walls and circular stone arrangements located within the Manatuto district in the central region of Timor-Leste. It is similar to other hilltop sites in the area whose function and occupation time frame have been subject to debate (e.g. Lape and Chao 2008; O’Connor et al. 2012). In August 2011, a team from The Australian National University (ANU) supported by Timorese workers mapped the site and excavated five test pits intended to assess site use and occupation time frame. A substantial artefact assemblage was recovered that includes lithics, earthenware pottery, ceramics and faunal remains, which provides evidence of the use of the site and the surrounding landscape and, particularly, whether unusual circular stone arrangements demarcate special activity or occupation areas. A series of radiocarbon dates from an unusual area surrounded on three sides by large stone walls provide chronological context for the site

Mortuary Caves and the Dammar Trade in the Towuti-Routa Region, Sulawesi, in an Island Southeast Asian context

Archaeological evidence from survey and cave excavation in the Towuti-Routa region of Sulawesi suggests the following sequence of late Holocene cultural change. Settled communities whose subsistence included an agricultural component had established themselves by the early centuries a.d. and began the use of caves for mortuary purposes. Extended inhumations are the oldest attested mortuary practice, overlapping in time with secondary burials in large earthenware jars dated to around a.d. 1000. The third, ethnohistorically described practice involved the surface disposal of the deceased, including the use of imported martavans for the elite, between approximately a.d. 1500 and 1900. This sequence of mortuary practices has not been documented elsewhere in Island Southeast Asia, although each practice has multiple parallels. The Towuti-Routa dammar trade, which was at its peak at the time of European contact, can perhaps account for the quantity of exotic items imported to the region but not the specifics of the mortuary practices.The Indonesian government’s permission for the research was granted by the Bureau of Research and Technology (Visa 278/SIP/FRP/SM/VII/2013). The fieldwork and laboratory work were facilitated by Bambang Sulistyanto (then Director) and Bagyo Prasetyo (Head of the Department of Prehistory) at the National Research Center of Archaeology in Jakarta, and by Made Sudarmika, then Director of the Makassar Archaeology Offic

Oldest human occupation of Wallacea at Laili Cave, Timor-Leste, shows broad-spectrum foraging responses to late Pleistocene environments

The Wallacea Archipelago provides an extraordinary laboratory for the study of human colonisation and adaptation, yet few detailed archaeological studies have been conducted in the region that span the earliest phase of human settlement. Laili Cave, in northern Timor-Leste, preserves the oldest human occupation in this insular region with a cultural sequence spanning 11,200 to 44,600 cal BP. Small-bodied vertebrates and invertebrates were recovered to the lowest excavated levels, associated with highly concentrated stone artefacts. We report on human behavioural adaptations within the context of Pleistocene environments and changing landscapes using zooarchaeological, stone artefact, bathymetric, and experimental isotopic analyses. Results indicate that Pleistocene humans used the abundant local chert liberally and engaged in mobile broad-spectrum exploitation of invertebrates and fishes from marine, estuarine, and freshwater environments within close proximity of Laili Cave. The faunal assemblage indicates heterogeneous but relatively stable environments during the late Pleistocene. Variability in subsistence strategies over time appears to be a response to changing landscapes and concomitant local resources. This record contrasts with marine specialisations evident from other sites in Timor-Leste and within the broader Wallacean regionThe excavation and dating of Laili was funded by ARC Discovery Grant DP0878543 and analyses by ARC Laureate Project FL120100156