Diet Reconstruction of a Neolithic Population from Hypogea Burials of Vale de Barrancas 1 Using Bone Collagen Stable Isotopic Signatures

“Diet Reconstruction of a Neolithic Population from Hypogea Burials of Vale de Barrancas 1 Using Bone Collagen Stable Isotopic Signature

Isotopic investigation in the region of Pax Julia during paleochristian occupation: paleodiets and mobility

In this study, diet and mobility of the Palaeochristian populations from the Roman villae of São Cucufate and Cegonha, and from the necropolis of Alpendre dos Lagares, located in the Beja region in southern Portugal, was investigated by isotopic analysis. Osteological tissues provide information on diet and mobility of the individuals. Isotopic analysis of delta 13C and delta 15N of bones can be used to determine the food intake of ancient populations whose dietary habits are not well known due to the lack of archaeological evidence. Isotopic ratios of the bone organic (delta 13C and delta 15N) and inorganic fractions (delta 13C) can provide information on the types of plants ingested , the amount of animal resources, terrestrial versus marine resources, as well as breastfeeding and weaning practices. Individual mobility can be assessed by the measurement of 87Sr/86Sr in the inorganic fraction of teeth and bones. The local 87Sr/86Sr geological ignature where the individual spent its childhood is recorded in the teeth, while 87Sr/86Sr recorded in bones relates to the place where the individual spent the last 10 years before death. Comparison of the Sr isotopic signature of teeth and bones can be used to infer about the individual’s mobility pattern. Bone isotopic analysis can be compromised by the diagenetic processes which occur during burial. In this study, FTIR (Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy) and XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) analyses were used to assess the diagenetic processes impacting the skeletons. Dietary isotopic analysis of studied populations indicates a mixed terrestrial diet, with some small inter- and intra-populational variations. Dietary isotopic values obtained for the Paleochristian population of Pax Julia are roughly similar to Roman populations in the Mediterranean area. In terms of mobility, analysis of the Cegonha individuals proved they were mainly local with some evidence of limited movements

Dairying, diseases and the evolution of lactase persistence in Europe

Update notice Author Correction: Dairying, diseases and the evolution of lactase persistence in Europe (Nature, (2022), 608, 7922, (336-345), 10.1038/s41586-022-05010-7) Nature, Volume 609, Issue 7927, Pages E9, 15 September 2022In European and many African, Middle Eastern and southern Asian populations, lactase persistence (LP) is the most strongly selected monogenic trait to have evolved over the past 10,000 years(1). Although the selection of LP and the consumption of prehistoric milk must be linked, considerable uncertainty remains concerning their spatiotemporal configuration and specific interactions(2,3). Here we provide detailed distributions of milk exploitation across Europe over the past 9,000 years using around 7,000 pottery fat residues from more than 550 archaeological sites. European milk use was widespread from the Neolithic period onwards but varied spatially and temporally in intensity. Notably, LP selection varying with levels of prehistoric milk exploitation is no better at explaining LP allele frequency trajectoriesthan uniform selection since the Neolithic period. In the UK Biobank(4,5) cohort of 500,000 contemporary Europeans, LP genotype was only weakly associated with milk consumption and did not show consistent associations with improved fitness or health indicators. This suggests that other reasons for the beneficial effects of LP should be considered for its rapid frequency increase. We propose that lactase non-persistent individuals consumed milk when it became available but, under conditions of famine and/or increased pathogen exposure, this was disadvantageous, driving LP selection in prehistoric Europe. Comparison of model likelihoods indicates that population fluctuations, settlement density and wild animal exploitation-proxies for these drivers-provide better explanations of LP selection than the extent of milk exploitation. These findings offer new perspectives on prehistoric milk exploitation and LP evolution.Peer reviewe

Multi-Analytical Investigation of Red Pigments Recovered from Human Burials of Vale de Barrancas 1 Hypogea

Multi-Analytical Investigation of Red Pigments Recovered from Human Burials of Vale de Barrancas 1 Hypoge

Multi-analytical and isotope investigation of a Late Roman/Paleochristian population from the far west corner of the Roman Empire [Pax Julia]

This study examines for the first time the diet of a Paleochristian population in the south of Portugal, from the Roman villae of Monte da Cegonha, in the region of Beja. Preliminary data are presented here and discussed in order to better understand the influence of the Roman occupation for several centuries on the way of life of rural inhabitants of the area of Pax Julia. Isotopic analysis (δ13Ccollagen, δ15N, δ13Capatite, δ18Ocarbonate-apatite) were conducted on long compact bones from 22 human individuals excavated from individual graves comprising a skeleton in articulation and some commingled bones in Monte da Cegonha. As comparative samples, isotopic composition (δ13Ccollagen, δ15N, δ13Capatite, δ18Ocarbonate-apatite) of wild (red deer, rabbit) and domestic fauna (cattle, sheep/goat, wines) excavated at Monte da Cegonha was examined. As a complement, some of the skeletons were analyzed by X-Ray Diffraction and Fourier Transformed Infra-Red Spectroscopy for estimating the preservation state of the bones, examining the crystallinity, the presence vs. absence of secondary minerals in the bone porosity, and the conservation status of the organic phase. In this study, we explore the diet (type of plants ingested, amount of animal resources, terrestrial versus marine resources) and animal husbandry practices prevailing at Monte da Cegonha during the early 5th until the end of 7th century. Besides, potential sex-age variations in diet, and comparison with published data for Roman (Italy, England) and Paleochristians (Italy) populations are discussed. Preliminary strontium isotope data recorded in teeth of some individuals buried in Monte da Cegonha as well as in environmental samples within the site catchment are also presented for addressing potential mobility patterns of this Paleochristian population

První přímý důkaz prosa setého (Panicum miliaceum) ve střední Evropě

Chemická analýza archeologických objektů je důležitou součástí současných výzkumů. V předkládané studii byla analyzována půda z archeologických nádob ze záchranného výzkumu poblíž obce Držovice (střední Morava, Česká republika; nálezy datované do eneolitického období) pomocí plynové chromatografie / hmotnostní spektrometrie, poprvé v archeologii byla použita pro analýzu pevných látek analytická sonda s chemickou ionizační hmotnostní spektrometrií za atmosférického tlaku. Miliacin, chemický marker prosa setého, byl jednoznačně potvrzen oběma technikami. Získané výsledky mohou pomoci pochopit stravovací návyky populace kultury šňůrové keramiky a spojení mezi střední Evropou a Asií, kde byla proso domestikováno. Identifikace miliacinu jako „chemické stopy“ prosa z konce eneolitického období Moravy je proto mimořádně důležitá.Standard short circuit tests of HV SF6 circuit breakers need high power sources and special synthetic facilities. Tests consist of many standard disciplines. Each of short fault disciplines requires high parameters from high power sources. They also require exact measurement and accurately control consequence of switching high current and high voltage circuit of synthetic method. Developing tests are therefore very expensive. The aim of this article is to introduce new point of view on testing by coupled terminal fault and short line fault while reducing high cost of developing tests

Widespread exploitation of the honeybee by early Neolithic farmers

The pressures on honeybee (Apis mellifera) populations, resulting from threats by modern pesticides, parasites, predators and diseases, have raised awareness of the economic importance and critical role this insect plays in agricultural societies across the globe. However, the association of humans with A. mellifera predates post-industrial-revolution agriculture, as evidenced by the widespread presence of ancient Egyptian bee iconography dating to the Old Kingdom (approximately 2400 bc)1. There are also indications of Stone Age people harvesting bee products; for example, honey hunting is interpreted from rock art2 in a prehistoric Holocene context and a beeswax find in a pre-agriculturalist site3. However, when and where the regular association of A. mellifera with agriculturalists emerged is unknown4. One of the major products of A. mellifera is beeswax, which is composed of a complex suite of lipids including n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids and fatty acyl wax esters. The composition is highly constant as it is determined genetically through the insect’s biochemistry. Thus, the chemical ‘fingerprint’ of beeswax provides a reliable basis for detecting this commodity in organic residues preserved at archaeological sites, which we now use to trace the exploitation by humans of A. mellifera temporally and spatially. Here we present secure identifications of beeswax in lipid residues preserved in pottery vessels of Neolithic Old World farmers. The geographical range of bee product exploitation is traced in Neolithic Europe, the Near East and North Africa, providing the palaeoecological range of honeybees during prehistory. Temporally, we demonstrate that bee products were exploited continuously, and probably extensively in some regions, at least from the seventh millennium cal bc, likely fulfilling a variety of technological and cultural functions. The close association of A. mellifera with Neolithic farming communities dates to the early onset of agriculture and may provide evidence for the beginnings of a domestication process