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This exploratory study proposes an original intra‐life history investigation through sequential analysis of the isotopic composition of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur (CNS) on both primary and secondary dentin of a tooth (M1). We focus on an elderly woman from Longobard Italy (6th to 8th c. CE), who showed an unprecedented case of cranial surgery, presented in a companion paper by Micarelli and colleagues. Sequential stable CNS isotope composition of first molar dentin collagen allows us to infer diet, mobility, health, and physiological stress between approximately 3 months after birth to 9.5 years old (primary dentin) and between early adulthood until death (secondary dentin). Isotopic results on primary dentin highlight the following: (i) a long weaning period (ending at approximately 4 years), followed by (ii) a specific diet, including the contribution of C4 crops in early childhood (approximately 5.5 years), possibly concomitant with mobility. While secondary dentin shows a generally homogeneous diet during adulthood, the longitudinal analysis provided information on specific stresses that likely occurred in periods of difficult health conditions. This work emphasizes the importance of measuring complete dentin sequences (including secondary when present) for isotopic analysis to broaden intra‐life histories in ancient populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Human remains from Arma di Nasino (Liguria) provide novel insights into the paleoecology of early Holocene foragers in northwestern Italy" published in Scientific Reports. The correction addresses errors in the original article, specifically related to the citation of supplementary information files and labels. The corrected version provides accurate references and information for further research on the topic of early Holocene foragers in northwestern Italy. [Extracted from the article]

Rationale: The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in the application of serial sampling of human dentine in archaeology. Rapid development in the field has provided many improvements in the methodology, in terms of both time resolution as well as the ability to integrate more isotope systems in the analysis. This study provides a comparison of two common sampling approaches, allowing researchers to select the most suitable approach for addressing specific research questions. Methods: Two common approaches for sequential sampling of human dentine (micro‐punches and micro‐slices) are compared in terms of viability and efficacy. Using archaeological deciduous second molars and permanent first molars, this study demonstrates how the two approaches capture aspects of the weaning process in different ways. In addition, different aspects related to the extraction protocols, such as the thickness of the central slide and the solubilisation step, are also evaluated. Results: While both approaches show similar intra‐tooth isotopic patterns, the micro‐punches approach is preferable for research that requires a very fine temporal resolution, while the micro‐slices approach is best for research where δ34S values are needed, or when the samples are poorly preserved. In addition, the solubilisation step has a large effect on collagen yield, and, to a lesser extent, on isotopic compositions. Therefore, it is important to ensure that only samples that have undergone the same pre‐treatment protocol are directly compared. Conclusions: We present the pros and cons of the two micro‐sampling approaches and offer possible mitigation strategies to address some of the most important issues related to each approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the contribution of fish to the human diet is an important debate in past population studies as it implies specific organization (e.g., adapted techniques and gender‐based activities) and relationship with the local or sublocal environments (e.g., mobility and seasonal‐based exploitation). In the Paris Basin, the role of fish has been discussed mainly from rare but obvious archaeological remains such as fish bones or hooks. Previous isotopic data from Neolithic human bone bulk collagen highlighted the potential of freshwater resources in protein diet but were not able to quantify it or even confirm its role. In this study, we conducted, for the first time on early farmers from France, compound‐specific isotope analysis on bone collagen amino acids (CSIA‐AA). Results indicate a particularly high trophic level of some humans with protein intake mainly based on terrestrial animal resources (domestic cattle and pig), whereas others rather have a plant‐based diet. Freshwater resources appeared to be not significant, and several possible food combinations are discussed. Pig particularly appears more herbivorous than previously assumed and has possibly consumed manured cereals from human food waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northwestern Mediterranean has been an area favored for bioanthropological and biogeochemical investigations for almost 20 years now. Recent studies have demonstrated that, contrary to previous thought, the diets of Neolithic people were highly diversified and could be influenced by the organizational system and specific mobility of the people. Due to the presence of numerous single burial sites in southern France, most of the stable‐isotope data obtained on human remains come from the Early–Middle Neolithic periods. Currently, very little data are available on the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. This study presents preliminary research on collective burial sites in this transitional context. A bioarchaeological analysis combined with a multi‐element (CNS) stable‐isotope analysis on human (n = 28) and animal (n = 12) bone collagen was performed for four sites in Southern France. This area provides an exceptional environment where wild and domestic terrestrial resources can be exploited, as well as river resources. Settlement documentation for the area is rare, and no relationship analysis can be performed between the burial sites and the little archaeozoological/archaeobotanical data available for the area. Although this investigation is preliminary, our results demonstrate the importance of domestic herbivores in the protein portion of the human diet, and we cautiously suggest a shift between caprine and bovine sources during the transition to the early Bronze Age. The sulfur data also indicate different environments exploited for some individuals and possibly different geographical origins, without the influence of biological (health status, sex, or age) and/or cultural (funerary treatment) parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological Bronze Age record in Europe reveals unprecedented changes in subsistence strategies due to innovative farming techniques and new crop cultivation. Increasing cultural exchanges affected the economic system. The inhabitants of Switzerland played a pivotal role in this European context through relationships with the Mediterranean, the High and Middle Danube regions and the Alps thanks to the area's central position. This research aims to reconstruct, for the first time in Switzerland, human socio-economic systems through the study of human diet, herding and farming practices and their changes throughout the Bronze Age (2200–800 BCE) by means of biochemical markers. The study includes 41 human, 22 terrestrial and aquatic animal specimens and 30 charred seeds and chaff samples from sites in western Switzerland. Stable isotope analyses were performed on cereal and legume seeds (δ13C, δ15N), animal bone collagen (δ13Ccoll, δ15N, δ34S), human bone and tooth dentine collagen (δ13Ccoll, δ15N,) and human tooth enamel (δ13Cenamel). The isotopic data suggest a) an intensification of soil fertilization and no hydric stress throughout the Bronze Age, b) a human diet mainly composed of terrestrial resources despite the proximity of Lake Geneva and the Rhone river, c) a diet based on C3 plants during the Early and Middle Bronze Age as opposed to the significant consumption of 13C-enriched resources (probably millet) by individuals from the Final Bronze Age, d) no important changes in dietary patterns throughout an individual's lifespan but a more varied diet in childhood compared to adulthood, e) no differences in diet according to biological criteria (age, sex) or funerary behavior (burial architecture, grave goods). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aims of this research are to explore the diet, mobility, social organization, and environmental exploitation patterns of early Mediterranean farmers, particularly the role of marine and plant resources in these foodways. In addition, this work strives to document possible gendered patterns of behavior linked to the neolithization of this ecologically rich area. To achieve this, a set of multiproxy analyses (isotopic analyses, dental calculus, microremains analysis, ancient DNA) were performed on an exceptional deposit (n = 61) of human remains from the Les Bréguières site (France), dating to the transition of the sixth to the fifth millennium BCE. Materials and Methods: The samples used in this study were excavated from the Les Bréguières site (Mougins, Alpes‐Maritimes, France), located along the southeastern Mediterranean coastline of France. Stable isotope analyses (C, N) on bone collagen (17 coxal bones, 35 craniofacial elements) were performed as a means to infer protein intake during tissue development. Sulfur isotope ratios were used as indicators of geographical and environmental points of origin. The study of ancient dental calculus helped document the consumption of plants. Strontium isotope analysis on tooth enamel (n = 56) was conducted to infer human provenance and territorial mobility. Finally, ancient DNA analysis was performed to study maternal versus paternal diversity within this Neolithic group (n = 30). Results: Stable isotope ratios for human bones range from −20.3 to −18.1‰ for C, from 8.9 to 11.1‰ for N and from 6.4 to 15‰ for S. Domestic animal data range from −22.0 to −20.2‰ for C, from 4.1 to 6.9‰ for N, and from 10.2 to 12.5‰ for S. Human enamel 87Sr/86Sr range from 0.7081 to 0.7102, slightly wider than the animal range (between 0.7087 and 0.7096). Starch and phytolith microremains were recovered as well as other types of remains (e.g., hairs, diatoms, fungal spores). Starch grains include Triticeae type and phytolith includes dicotyledons and monocot types as panicoid grasses. Mitochondrial DNA characterized eight different maternal lineages: H1, H3, HV (5.26%), J (10.53%), J1, K, T (5.2%), and U5 (10.53%) but no sample yielded reproducible Y chromosome SNPs, preventing paternal lineage characterization. Discussion: Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios indicate a consumption of protein by humans mainly focused on terrestrial animals and possible exploitation of marine resources for one male and one undetermined adult. Sulfur stable isotope ratios allowed distinguishing groups with different geographical origins, including two females possibly more exposed to the sea spray effect. While strontium isotope data do not indicate different origins for the individuals, mitochondrial lineage diversity from petrous bone DNA suggests the burial includes genetically differentiated groups or a group practicing patrilocality. Moreover, the diversity of plant microremains recorded in dental calculus provide the first evidence that the groups of Les Bréguières consumed a wide breadth of plant foods (as cereals and wild taxa) that required access to diverse environments. This transdisciplinary research paves the way for new perspectives and highlights the relevance for novel research of contexts (whether recently discovered or in museum collections) excavated near shorelines, due to the richness of the biodiversity and the wide range of edible resources available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstructing individual dietary histories at Shamanka II, an Early Neolithic (7000–5700 cal. BP) Kitoi hunter‐gatherer cemetery in Cis‐Baikal, Siberia, revealed surprising intrapopulation variability in childhood diets. Stable isotope analytical data produced by micro‐sampled first molars identified changes in both the timing and rate of weaning for different individuals. Further, examination within the framework of a high‐resolution radiocarbon chronology identified shifting practices between two phases of cemetery use, and additional links with mortuary treatment that indicates differences relating to group and/or family structure. The differential treatment of infants, correlated with the complex hunter‐gatherer social structure, and subsequent burial treatment evident at this cemetery are investigated in light of regional dietary trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diachronic changes of dietary human habits between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age are mainly identified through archaeological artefacts and archaeozoological and archaeobotanical studies. This paper aims to demonstrate the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach for palaeodietary studies and to identify the food changes between Neolithic and Bronze Age human groups in northern France. These changes are probably linked to the introduction of new crops, such as millet, and the use of stable isotope analysis on bones and teeth proves to be an effective method for assessing the role of this specific cereal in the diet and the economy. Stable isotope analyses were performed on bone and tooth collagen and apatite from eight humans and five domestic animals from a Late Bronze Age site (LBA; Barbuise; 15th–13th c. BC; Aube). The studied corpus is compared with isotopic data from human and animal bones from a nearby Neolithic site (Gurgy; 5th mill. BC; Yonne) and regional Neolithic to Iron sites located in northern France. Moreover, Barbuise data are supplemented by information from an important archaeobotanical study carried out on 21 LBA and Early Iron Age sites in the region. Neolithic and LBA human collagen isotopic ratios (δ13C, δ15N) differ statistically, as do those of some animals. Carbon isotopic ratios of human apatite corroborate collagen results indicating the consumption of13C enriched food by LBA humans and animals compared to Neolithic samples. The high number of occurrences of plant remains in the Bronze Age settlements near the site points to the consumption of C4plants, such as millet, and would account for these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case of trepanation has been documented on a cranium from the Longobard cemetery of Castel Trosino (central Italy, 6th-8th centuries CE). The cranium represents the only remains of an elderly woman (ca. 50yo), and the medical treatment, or the condition that led to it, likely influenced her life course. In this study we have attempted to reconstruct her life-history via multi stable isotope analysis on different tissues. This will assist in reconstructing variations in the nutritional intake and has the potential to highlight physiological stresses during specific time intervals. The isotopic values of the latter years of her life are consistent with those of other adults from the cemetery (n=18). Her life conditions and the level of healthcare will be presented via paleopathological and isotopic analyses, supported by the archaeological context and the medical literature. Our analysis suggests that the community members cared for this woman, at least by providing her with a consistent food intake. This sheds light on two possible, non-mutually alternative, scenarios: a) she had a privileged social status that favored such treatments; b) the care for individuals with severe ailments was likely a practice included in the community habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the first 87Sr/86Sr isotope results obtained on Neolithic humans from Southern France. These analyses aimed at exploring patterns of mobility in the Languedoc and Garonne areas, at sites dated to the Middle Neolithic (c. 4500-3500 cal BC). Strontium isotope analysis of tooth enamel and bone are a useful geochemical tracer to investigate the origin and residential mobility of ancient people. Strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) of material from five sites located in two geographic areas were measured. Results obtained do not support our hypothesis of mobility for a number of individuals considered as outsiders in a previous study. On the other hand, the difference recorded between teeth and bone suggests mobility of other individuals between childhood and the last years of adult life. This preliminary study highlights the importance of combining multi-isotope analysis to discuss human subsistence economy and mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Middle Neolithic of the Northwestern Mediterranean area (∼4500-3500 BC cal) is characterized by the development of food production techniques as well as by increasing social complexity. These characteristics could have had an impact on human dietary patterns. To evaluate human dietary practices and lifeways of the Middle Neolithic populations from the South of France, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis was carried out on 57 human and 53 faunal bones from seven archaeological sites located in the Languedoc and Garonne regions between 20 and 100 km from the Mediterranean Sea, respectively. Results show regional differences in carbon isotope values. Animal and human bones from the Languedoc region are significantly enriched in 13C relative to the Garonne. Conversely, human and dog bones from the Garonne region are significantly enriched in 15N compared to human and dog bones from the Languedoc region. These results highlight the importance of the local ecosystem in human and animal diet as well as a regional differentiation of palaeodietary behavior, which probably relates to economic and social factors. The comparison of stable isotope data with archaeological and biological evidence does not show any significant intra- or interpopulation differences. However, the presence of human outliers suggests that migration probably occurred, perhaps in relation to the trade of animals and/or materials. This study also highlights the importance of investigating local animal stable isotope values for the interpretation of human palaeodiet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Creating multi‐tooth sequences of micro‐sampled stable isotope (SI) analytical data can help track 20+ years of individual dietary history. Inferences about individual and population level behavioral patterns require cross‐calibration of the timing of dietary changes recorded by each tooth. Dentin sections from contemporaneous tissues (eg, in M1 and M2) reflect dietary signature for the time of growth. Contemporary sections should produce similar values, allowing alignment of temporally overlapping portions of teeth into multi‐tooth sequences. Published methods for determining the ages of incremental sections do not provide guidance for adjustment when poor alignment between individual tooth sequences is encountered. The primary objective is to address this problem; examine cause(s), assess the effects of the standard growth‐model on available age‐assessment techniques, and provide a viable solution. Methods: Investigating difficulty in aligning a 3‐molar sequence at Shamanka II, an Early Neolithic (7000‐5700 BP) Kitoi hunter‐gatherer cemetery in Cis‐Baikal, Siberia, we employed 10 age assessment models and 13 variants of 2 published growth rate methods on 3 individuals of different age and sex. Results: At Shamanka II, dentin initiation and/or growth rates were different from the mostly European, reference populations used to create published age‐estimation/growth rate models. Initiation ages for M2 and M3 were delayed. Root formation rates were on the rapid end of known development parameters. Conclusions: Age‐assessment methods customized to dentin initiation ages and growth parameters of Siberian populations produced a hybrid growth rate model for dentin section ages and improved alignment for multi‐tooth SI sequences over published models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable isotope investigations of the Prehistory of the Western Mediterranean have increased exponentially during the last decade. This region has a high number of Mesolithic and Neolithic carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio data available compared with other world areas, resulting from the interest in the “transition” between hunter-gathering and farming. This type of analysis is important as one of the few tools that give direct information on the poorly understood dietary transition from hunter-gatherer to agro-pastoralist subsistence in the Mediterranean Basin. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis on bulk collagen are especially useful for exploring marine vs. terrestrial protein input and therefore assess marine resource exploitation by these two different lifestyles. Gathering together all isotopic data for these chronologies we show that the Western Mediterranean underwent a unique/distinct Neolithisation process. These data show a gradual dietary shift in aquatic resource consumption during the transition to farming that contrasts to elsewhere in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable isotope analyses (d13C and d15N) of human bones have been crucial for understanding the diets of Neolithic societies. However, isotopic measurements of wild and cultivated vegetal resources have not as yet been integrated into reconstructions of human diets. This study explores the isotopic variations in seed and fruit remains from seven Neolithic sites in Southern France. It aims to understand environmental and/or anthropic factors that could influence the isotopic ratios. These data are then included in a dietary model for individuals found at the same sites or nearby. Analysis of botanical remains indicate that similar environments do not provide homogeneous values. For some sites, results suggest different cultivation practices according to species. The dietary models confirm some interpretations previously proposed, including a diversity in the dietary habits at one site. However, some aspects of the diet could have been under-estimated, such as the consumption of wild food plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arene Candide Cave is a renowned site on the northwestern Italian coast that has yielded numerous burials dating back to the terminal phases of the Pleistocene (Epigravettian culture). Thanks to the exceptional preservation of the remains, and to the information collected during the excavations that begun in the 1940s, researchers were able to reconstruct a complex pattern of manipulation of older burials that consistently occurred when interring new individuals. Therefore, the Epigravettian necropolis provides a rare glimpse into the modalities, and possibly the motives, of funerary behavior in the Late Upper Paleolithic, a period during which formal burial was highly selective. The reasons for this selection are still unclear, but it has been proposed that they may be related to "exceptional events" (violence and trauma) and "exceptional people" (disease and deformities due to congenital conditions). This study presents an assemblage of hundreds of skeletal elements and fragments belonging to two new individuals, and to individuals of the necropolis that were already known. The remains, which had never been described since their excavation in 1940–42, were discovered during the reassessment of the collections kept at the Museum of Natural History, Section of Anthropology and Ethnology of the University of Florence. The analysis extends our knowledge of the biological profile of the individuals buried at the site, which is fundamental for our understanding of Late Upper Paleolithic funerary behavior. The inclusion of two new individuals in the skeletal series, both children aged around 1–1.5 years, suggests that age may have not been a significant factor in determining funerary treatment. New radiocarbon dates on human bone – together with the cross-referencing of the available dates with the stratigraphic relations between burials and clusters of bones in secondary deposit – suggest that the entire necropolis is bracketed within a millennium corresponding to the Younger Dryas cooling event (i.e. between ca. 12,900 and 11,600 cal BP). Arene Candide Cave was a highly-visible landmark in the landscape, and funerary gestures in the Epigravettian necropolis emphasized the ties with the ancestors. It is possible that funerary behavior at Arene Candide was a means of claiming territorial access to resources, as well as reinforcing and transmitting communal identity and values, through a period of climate-induced resource stress and competition. Isolation and small refugia during cooling events may have contributed to exacerbating genetic drift, and increased the frequency of cultural means to sanction "exceptional people and events". • New human remains from the Upper Paleolithic site of Arene Candide have been discovered. • The discovery was made in the deposits at the Museum of Natural History of the University of Florence. • Two new individuals of ca. 1-1.5 years of age are added to the large Paleolithic skeletal series. • Direct dating suggest that funerary behavior was bracketed within the Younger Dryas climatic event. • Funerary behavior at Arene Candide may have been a means of claiming territorial access to resources. • Climate-induced resource stress and competition may have contributed to shaping biocultural adaptations at Arene Candide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]