Interdisciplinary study of the dental calculus in skeleton remains from the cemetery of Santa Maria do Olival (Tomar, Portugal) 15th to 16th century A.D.

14 humans and 6 faunal dental calculus samples from the medieval necropolis of Santa Maria do Olival, Tomar were selected for microdebris, isotopes, trace elements and organic residues analyses. The major aim of the study was to setup methods for analysis of dental calculus to complement information from bones and teeth. The isotopic values from dental calculi of humans and fauna were comparable to those from bone collagen and led to similar conclusions on dietary practices. Trace element values from human and faunal calculi followed similar trends to their respective bones. Microscopy yielded stray phytoliths from the Poaceae family and no silica skeletons or starch grains. Organic residues analysis indicated a diet based on protein and carbohydrates. Evidences of poor air quality due to char substances from incomplete combustion of wood and biomass were found. Since this is a pilot study, sample size is restricted. The direction of future research on dental calculus is to analyse a large quantity of samples to generate standard range of values for isotopes and trace element concentrations; Resumo: O estudo interdisciplinar do cálculo dentário no esqueleto é feito no cemitério de Santa Maria do Olival (Tomar, Portugal) - 15th to 16th século A.D. Foram selecionadas 14 amostras de humanos e 6 amostras de cálculo dentário da fauna da necrópole medieval de Santa Maria do Olival, Tomar, para análises de microdíbris, isótopos, oligoelementos e resíduos orgânicos. O principal objetivo do estudo foi configurar métodos para análise de cálculo dentário para complementar informações de ossos e dentes. Os valores isotópicos dos cálculos dentários de humanos e fauna foram comparáveis aos do colágeno ósseo e levaram a conclusões semelhantes sobre práticas alimentares. Os valores dos elementos de traço dos cálculos humanos e faunísticos seguiram tendências semelhantes aos seus respectivos ossos. A microscopia produziu fitólitos dispersos da família Poaceae e nenhum esqueleto de sílica ou grãos de amido. A análise de resíduos orgânicos indicou uma dieta baseada em proteínas e carboidratos. Evidências de baixa qualidade do ar devido a substâncias carbonatadas de combustão incompleta de madeira e biomassa foram encontradas. Como este é um estudo piloto, o tamanho da amostra é restrito. A direção de pesquisas futuras sobre cálculo dentário é analisar uma grande quantidade de amostras para gerar uma faixa padrão de valores para isótopos e concentrações de elementos traços

Your horse is a donkey! Identifying domesticated equids from Western Iberia using collagen fingerprinting

Skeletal remains of two equid species, Equus caballus (horse) and Equus asinus (donkey), have been found in archaeological contexts throughout Iberia since the Palaeolithic and Chalcolithic periods, respectively. These two species play different economic and cultural roles, and therefore it is important to be able to distinguish between the two species to better understand their relative importance in the past human societies. The most reliable morphological features for distinguishing between the two domesticated equids are based on cranial measure-ments and tooth enamel folds, leading to only a small percentage of archaeological remains that can be identified to species. Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis can be used to reliably distinguish the two equids, but it can be cost prohibitive to apply to large assemblages, and aDNA preservation of non-cranial elements is often low. Collagen peptide mass fingerprinting by matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, also known as zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS), is a minimally destructive and cost-effective alternative to aDNA analysis for taxonomic determination. However, current ZooMS markers lack resolution below the genus level Equus. In this paper, we report a novel ZooMS peptide marker that reliably distinguishes between horses and donkeys using the enzyme chymotrypsin. We apply this peptide marker to taxonomically identify bones from the Iberian Peninsula ranging from the Iron Age to the Late Modern Period. The peptide biomarker has the potential to facilitate the collection of morphological data for zooarchaeological studies of equids in Iberia and throughout Eurasia and Africa.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Agricultural practices and environmental changes in the Phoenician-Punic Western Mediterranean during 8-5 th century BC: a novel multidisciplinary approach

This thesis is a first-of-its-kind attempt to study Phoenician husbandry and farming practices in Portugal between the 8th to the 5th century BCE. The main approaches are stable isotope analyses of plant and collagen of faunal remains to reconstruct the cultivation and husbandry practices and zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS) to perform taxonomic identification of various livestock. The isotopic and ZooMS data complements information obtained by the morphological studies of both carpological and osteological remains. Botanical remains recovered includes barley, wheat, peas, and broad beans, with barley being the most abundantly cultivated cereal crop. Ovicaprids were the most abundant domesticates, followed closely by cattle and pigs. Rabbits and red deer are the most common wild fauna while most of the bird remains belong to chicken. Horse bones were recovered in one archaeological site. The stable isotope results of barley indicate that it depended primarily on natural precipitation with a certain intensity of manuring. The differences from stable isotope data of domesticated fauna suggest a diverse management strategy for different species based on their economic importance and capitalising on animal byproducts such as wool and dairy products. Some of the domestic animals in the different sites present a sulfur isotopic data that is not consistent on them being raised on coastal areas. The novel collagen peptide marker developed to be used in ZooMS is successful in distinguishing horses and donkeys. The marker will be vital for future investigations into the introduction of donkeys in the Iberian Peninsula; - RESUMO: Práticas agrícolas e mudanças ambientais no Mediterrâneo ocidental feníciopúnico durante o século VIII-V BC: uma nova abordagem multidisciplinar Esta tese é uma primeira tentativa de estudar as práticas agrícolas no período Fenício em Portugal entre os séculos VIII e V a.C. São utilizadas análises de isótopos estáveis de carbono, azoto e enxofre de restos carpológicos e colagénio ósseo de fauna para reconstruir as práticas agrícolas, e ZooMS para conseguir a identificação taxonómica de algumas espécies animais. Os dados isotópicos e de ZooMS complementam a informação obtida através do estudo morfológico dos restos carpológicos e osteológicos. Os restos carpológicos recuperados incluem cevada, trigo, ervilhas e favas, sendo a cevada a cultura cerealífera mais abundante. Os ovicaprideos são os amimais domésticos mais abundantes, seguidos de perto por bovinos e suínos. Os coelhos e veados-vermelhos são a fauna selvagem mais comum, enquanto a maior parte dos restos osteológicos de aves pertencem à galinha. Retos osteológicos de cavalo foram recuperados num dos sítios arqueológicos. Os resultados isotópicos da cevada indicam que o cultivo desta envolvia alguma adubação, mas que dependia principalmente da precipitação natural. Os dados isotópicos da fauna domesticada sugerem que os Fenícios teriam uma estratégia de gestão diversificada para as diferentes espécies de animais com base na sua importância económica, considerando os subprodutos como a lã e os produtos lácteos. Alguns dos animais domésticos apresentam valores isotópicos de enxofre que não são consistentes com serem provenientes de zonas costeiras. Foi identificado um novo marcador de peptídeo de colagénio que permite a distinção de cavalos e burros por ZooMS. Este marcador será vital para futuras investigações sobre a introdução de burros na Península Ibérica

Your horse is a donkey! Identifying domesticated equids from Western Iberia using collagen fingerprinting

Collagen markers to identify domestic equids

EAA 2021 - session 213 Isoscapes, foodwebs and provenance - isotope archaeology beyond materials and specialisations

The diversity of isotope studies in archaeological research is increasing at a rapid pace. Despite being initially limited to niche roles, applications like dietary reconstruction with stable carbon isotopes, the provenance of raw materials with lead isotopes or radiocarbon dating became popular over time and are now considered standard methods. Advancements in instrumentation, new isotope systems, and novel methods of interpreting data opened up new pathways for reconstructing ancient times. At the same time, standards for working with legacy data and for the publication of high-quality data become more and more critical because both the amount of both, legacy data and new analyses, are rapidly growing. Unfortunately, discussions about good practices remained somewhat limited in isotope archaeology and are either restricted to a small part of the community and/or are happening in neighboring fields. However, many aspects of isotope archaeology are independent of specializations and materials. Moreover, everyday business, publication pressure, and the precariousness of today’s Academia make it hard to find the time for strolling away from one’s specialization, systematically exploring new research fields, and getting inspired by unconventional methodological approaches of colleagues. We, therefore, invite contributions dealing with the application of isotopes to archaeological materials and research questions in the broadest sense possible. This session aims to offer inspiration from and discussion about the work of colleagues you otherwise might only come across by chance and to provide a forum for exchange beyond the borders of specializations and materials