Stable isotope studies on humans and animals from Tell Tweini, Syria (2600-550 BC)

Tell Tweini is a coastal Syrian site with settlement remains of diverse periods between the Early Bronze Age and the Iron Age (2600-550 BC). Inside urban contexts in Field A at the site, eleven burials have been unearthed. Most date to the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1600 BC), including one collective grave. Stable isotope ratio analysis (δ13C and δ15N) was carried out on human remains from these Middle Bronze Age graves in order to reconstruct human dietary practices. In addition, a large sample of faunal remains from the major periods of occupation at Tell Tweini, Early Bronze Age (2600-2000 BC), Middle Bronze Age (2000-1600 BC), Late Bronze Age (1600-1200 BC) and Iron Age (1200-550 BC) have been subjected to stable isotope ratio analysis. The large dataset on animals is the first of its kind for the period and region. The results add to a reconstruction of the human diet. More importantly, they allow us to make diachronic inferences on livestock management practices and the natural environment. The results will be discussed in the context of data on the faunal composition through time at Tell Tweini as well as that of the palaeo-environmental data which points to an abrupt climatic change at the transition between the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age

Wild Food:Plants, Fish and Small Animals on the Menu for Early Holocene Populations at al-Khiday, Central Sudan

Al Khiday, located on the bank of the White Nile in Sudan, offers an exceptionally preserved stratigraphic sequence, providing a unique opportunity to use organic residue analysis to investigate diet and subsistence over the full course of the Khartoum Mesolithic together with possible continuity or change into the Early Neolithic, a period of nearly 3000 years (8900-6000 cal BP). Whilst the vast and diverse Mesolithic fish assemblage indicates a strong reliance on products from aquatic habitats, floodplains, vegetated marshes and open water, results from the lipid residue analysis suggest that the fish were not cooked in the pots, likely being consumed in other ways. Rather, pots were more specialised in processing plants, wild grasses, leafy plants and sedges, confirmed by experimental analysis, and for the first time, providing direct chemical evidence for plant exploitation in the Khartoum Mesolithic. Non-ruminant fauna, such as warthog and low lipid-yielding reptiles such as Adanson’s mud turtle and Nile monitor lizard, which were found in significant numbers at al-Khiday, were also cooked in pots. There is little evidence for the processing of wild ruminants in the pots, suggesting either that ruminant species were not routinely hunted, or, that large wild fauna may have been cooked in different ways, possibly grilled over fires. These data suggest sophisticated economic strategies by sedentary people likely exploiting their ecological niche to the fullest. Pottery use changes considerably in the Early Neolithic, with ruminant products being more routinely processed in pots, and while the exploitation of domesticates cannot be confirmed by a small faunal assemblage, some dairying does take place. In summary, our results provide valuable information on Early and Middle Holocene lifeways in central Sudan

New Archaeozoological Data from the Fayum “Neolithic” with a Critical Assessment of the Evidence for Early Stock Keeping in Egypt

Faunal evidence from the Fayum Neolithic is often cited in the framework of early stock keeping in Egypt. However, the data suffer from a number of problems. In the present paper, large faunal datasets from new excavations at Kom K and Kom W (4850-4250 BC) are presented. They clearly show that, despite the presence of domesticates, fish predominate in the animal bone assemblages. In this sense, there is continuity with the earlier Holocene occupation from the Fayum, starting ca. 7350 BC. Domesticated plants and animals appear first from approximately 5400 BC. The earliest possible evidence for domesticates in Egypt are the very controversial domesticated cattle from the 9th/8th millennium BC in the Nabta Playa-Bir Kiseiba area. The earliest domesticates found elsewhere in Egypt date to the 6th millennium BC. The numbers of bones are generally extremely low at this point in time and only caprines are present. From the 5th millennium BC, the numbers of sites with domesticates dramatically increase, more species are also involved and they are usually represented by significant quantities of bones. The data from the Fayum reflect this two phase development, with very limited evidence for domesticates in the 6th millennium BC and more abundant and clearer indications in the 5th millennium BC. Any modelling of early food production in Egypt suffers from poor amounts of data, bias due to differential preservation and visibility of sites and archaeological remains, and a lack of direct dates for domesticates. In general, however, the evidence for early stock keeping and accompanying archaeological features shows large regional variation and seems to be mainly dependent on local environmental conditions. The large numbers of fish at Kom K and Kom W reflect the proximity of Lake Qarun

Isotopic and microbotanical insights into Iron Age agricultural reliance in the Central African rainforest

The emergence of agriculture in Central Africa has previously been associated with the migration of Bantu-speaking populations during an anthropogenic or climate-driven ‘opening’ of the rainforest. However, such models are based on assumptions of environmental requirements of key crops (e.g. Pennisetum glaucum) and direct insights into human dietary reliance remain absent. Here, we utilise stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O) of human and animal remains and charred food remains, as well as plant microparticles from dental calculus, to assess the importance of incoming crops in the Congo Basin. Our data, spanning the early Iron Age to recent history, reveals variation in the adoption of cereals, with a persistent focus on forest and freshwater resources in some areas. These data provide new dietary evidence and document the longevity of mosaic subsistence strategies in the region

The exploitation of aquatic resources in Holocene West Africa

status: publishe

“Fishers” session at the 23rd biennal meeting of the Society of Africanist Archaeologists (SAfA). What Past for Africa? Toulouse (France), 26 June-2 July 2016

From the 26th of June to the 2nd of July 2016, the 23rd biennial meeting of the Society of Africanist Archaeologists (SAfA) took place at the Université Jean-Jaurès in Toulouse (France). With 41 sessions and c. 600 participants, this was undoubtedly one of the largest editions of this conference, which brings together archaeologists, researchers from associated disciplines and others who share an interest in African archaeology and African societies. The interaction between humans and their n..

Interaction between man and animals in the prehistoric Nile Valley

status: publishe

Animal Exploitation in Times of Change: Faunal Remains from Zilum, ca. 600-400 BCE, North-Eastern Nigeria

status: publishe