The food culture of the Iron Age nomadic elite from the ‘Valley of the Kings’ in Tuva : radiocarbon dating, stable carbon and nitrogen analysis of the Chinge Tey barrows (Turan-Uyuk Basin, Russia)

Strategie przetrwania eurazjatyckich populacji koczowniczych były szeroko badane w literaturze archeologicznej. 'Dolina Królów' w Tuwie (Rosja) zauroczyła archeologów obecnością wielu dużych kurhanów, zawierających bogato wyposażone grobowce elitarne koczowników, wodzów wojennych i arystokracji. Te monumentalne grobowce świadczą o powiązaniach między zmarłymi przywódcami, podkreślając sojusze między prehistorycznymi koczownikami Azji Centralnej. W niniejszej pracy badawczej prezentujemy kompleksowe datowanie radiowęglowe oraz dane izotopowe δ13C/δ15N z kurhanów Chinge Tey, które reprezentują miejsca pochówku 12 wysoko postawionych jednostek. Chronologiczna zgodność zarówno zabytków cmentarzyska Chinge Tey, jak i odniesienia do znalezisk w kurhanach Arzhan 1 i Arzhan 2, rzuca światło na ich kontekst historyczny. W przedstawionych badaniach zgłębiane są skomplikowane aspekty adaptacyjności ekologicznej, praktyk żywieniowych hodowców, hierarchii społecznych oraz rytuałów pogrzebowych koczowników. Analiza stabilnych izotopów węgla i azotu wskazuje na potencjalne związki między kurhanami w 'Dolinie Królów' a różnorodnymi kulturami koczowniczymi, sugerując, że nawyki żywieniowe wśród pobliskich populacji mogły wykazywać znaczącą zmienność.Subsistence strategies of Eurasian pastoral populations have been broadly studied in the archaeological literature. The 'Valley of the Kings' in Tuva, Russia, has captivated archaeologists with its remarkable collection of large burial mounds, containing lavishly equipped tombs of nomadic kings, warlords, and aristocracy. These barrows bear witness to the ancestral connections between the deceased leaders, highlighting the alliances among prehistoric nomads in Central Asia. In this research, we present comprehensive radiocarbon dating and δ13C/δ15N isotopic data from the Chinge Tey barrows, which represent the burial sites of 12 high-ranking individuals. The chronological alignment of both Chinge Tey monuments with the Arzhan 1 and Arzhan 2 reference frames sheds light on their historical context. This study delves into intricate aspects of ecological adaptability, pastoral food practices, social hierarchies, and nomadic mortuary rituals. Analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes indicates potential connections between the barrows in the 'Valley of the Kings' and diverse nomadic cultures, suggesting that dietary habits among neighboring populations may have exhibited significant variation.Die Subsistenzstrategien eurasischer pastoraler Populationen wurden umfassend in der archäologischen Literatur untersucht. Das 'Tal der Könige' in Tuwa, Russland, hat Archäologen mit seiner bemerkenswerten Sammlung großer Grabhügel fasziniert, die aufwändig ausgestattete Gräber von nomadischen Königen, Kriegsherren und der Aristokratie enthalten. Diese Hügelgräber zeugen von den ancestralischen Verbindungen zwischen den verstorbenen Anführern und betonen die Allianzen unter prähistorischen Nomaden in Zentralasien. In dieser Forschungsarbeit präsentieren wir umfassende Radiokarbondatierungen und δ13C/δ15N-Isotopendaten von den Chinge Tey Hügelgräbern, die die Begräbnisstätten von 12 hochrangigen Einzelpersonen repräsentieren. Die chronologische Übereinstimmung sowohl der Chinge Tey Monumente mit den Referenzrahmen von Arzhan 1 und Arzhan 2 wirft Licht auf ihren historischen Kontext. Diese Studie geht auf komplexe Aspekte der ökologischen Anpassungsfähigkeit, pastoralen Ernährungspraktiken, sozialen Hierarchien und nomadischen Bestattungsritualen ein. Die Analyse der stabilen Kohlenstoff- und Stickstoffisotope deutet auf mögliche Verbindungen zwischen den Grabhügeln im 'Tal der Könige' und verschiedenen nomadischen Kulturen hin und legt nahe, dass Ernährungsgewohnheiten unter benachbarten Populationen signifikante Variationen aufwiesen könnten

Population Dynamics, Diet and Migrations of the Únetice Culture in Poland

Únětice kulturens roll när det kommer till formandet av bronsåldern i Europa kan inte överskattas. Uppkomsten och existensen av denna originella, utvidgande och dynamiska population markerar en av de mest intressanta tidpunkterna i europeisk förhistoria, tidpunkten då en era avslutas och en ny tar vid. Avhandlingen är den monografi som behandlar Úněticekulturen i Polen, med särskilt fokus på områdena i nedre Silesia (SV Polen), med hjälp av bioarkeologiska och paleodemografiska metoder. Studien presenterar Úněticekulturen ur ett demografiskat perspektivoch baseras på resultaten av isotopiska analyser av mänskliga ben som daterats till tidig bronsålder (2200-1600 f kr). Avhandlingen består av åtta kapitel som behandlar alla Úněticekulturens problemområden i Polen och Centraleuropa ur ett arkeologiskt perspektiv: begravningsritualer, gravfält, distribution, kvalitet och kvantitet av skelettdelar från människa. Det presenteras ett flertal fyndplatser i Silesiaregionen både geografiskt och kronologiskt samt en ingående metodbeskrivning av isotopanalyser med specifikt fokus på kol-, kväve- och strontiumisotoper. Andra kapitel fokuserar på den tidiga bronsålderns livsstil, medicinska kunnande, sjukdomar, sysselsättningar och utvalda undergrupper i det förhistoriska Silesiska samhället såsom adel, barn och gamla. Studien ger information om diet och dietens innehåll, förflyttningar, mänsklig migration och territoriell rörelse i det förhistoriska Centraleuropa, liksom hur dessa har inverkat på det Úněticeiska samhället gällande den metallurgiska utvecklingen och handel samt typer av styrande och den kollektiva identiteten

Children, Childhood and Food : The Diets of Subadults in the Unetice Culture of Southwestern Poland

Dietary habits are a means by which social identity is expressed and negotiated and the foods consumed by children reflect both the social status of being a child and membership within other social groups that would eventually come to shape adult identity. Study of the diets of children in prehistory can, thus, provide information about the construction of childhood in the past and also about the perpetuation and negotiation of social structures. In this study, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis was used to investigate the diets of subadults in the Únětice Culture of southwestern Poland. The results show that diets differed quite substantially between individuals, however diet changed very little during the lifetimes of each individual. This indicates that an individual’s social position was ascribed early in life and remained constant thereafter

Population genomics of Bronze Age Eurasia.

The Bronze Age of Eurasia (around 3000-1000 BC) was a period of major cultural changes. However, there is debate about whether these changes resulted from the circulation of ideas or from human migrations, potentially also facilitating the spread of languages and certain phenotypic traits. We investigated this by using new, improved methods to sequence low-coverage genomes from 101 ancient humans from across Eurasia. We show that the Bronze Age was a highly dynamic period involving large-scale population migrations and replacements, responsible for shaping major parts of present-day demographic structure in both Europe and Asia. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesized spread of Indo-European languages during the Early Bronze Age. We also demonstrate that light skin pigmentation in Europeans was already present at high frequency in the Bronze Age, but not lactose tolerance, indicating a more recent onset of positive selection on lactose tolerance than previously thought

Population genomics of Bronze Age Eurasia

The Bronze Age of Eurasia (around 3000–1000 BC) was a period of major cultural changes. However, there is debate about whether these changes resulted from the circulation of ideas or from human migrations, potentially also facilitating the spread of languages and certain phenotypic traits. We investigated this by using new, improved methods to sequence low-coverage genomes from 101 ancient humans from across Eurasia. We show that the Bronze Age was a highly dynamic period involving large-scale population migrations and replacements, responsible for shaping major parts of present-day demographic structure in both Europe and Asia. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesized spread of Indo-European languages during the Early Bronze Age. We also demonstrate that light skin pigmentation in Europeans was already present at high frequency in the Bronze Age, but not lactose tolerance, indicating a more recent onset of positive selection on lactose tolerance than previously thought