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Understanding socioeconomic inequality is fundamental for studies of societal development in European prehistory. This article presents dietary ([[delta].sup.13]C and [[delta].sup.15]N) isotope values for human and animal bone collagen from Early Neolithic Oslonki 1 in north-central Poland (c. 4600-4100 cal BC). A new series of AMS radiocarbon determinations show that, of individuals interred at the same time, those with copper artefacts exhibit significantly higher [[delta].sup.13]C values than those without. The authors' results suggest a link between high-status goods and intra-community differences in diet and/or preferential access to the agropastoral landscape. Keywords: North European Plain, Neolithic, Brzesc Kujawski Group, dietary isotopes, social status, Introduction The emergence of asymmetries in social and economic standing in prehistoric communities has long been a central focus of archaeological research (e.g. Price & Feinman 1995; Mulder Borgerhoff et [...]

Development of human tooth enamel is a part of a foetus's development; its correctness is the outcome of genetic and maternal factors shaping its prenatal environment. Many authors reported that individuals born in different seasons experience different early developmental conditions during pregnancy. In this study, we investigated the effects of season of birth and selected maternal factors on enamel thickness of deciduous incisors. Dental sample comprises 60 deciduous incisors. The parents who handed over their children's teeth for research fill in questionnaires containing questions about the course of pregnancy. All teeth were sectioned in the labio-linqual plane using diamond blade (Buechler IsoMet 1000). The final specimens were observed by way of scanning electron microscopy at magnifications 80x and 320x. The thickness of total enamel (TE), prenatally (PE) and postnatally (PSE) formed enamel was measured. Children born in summer and in spring (whose first and second foetal life fall on autumn and winter) have the thinnest enamel. Season of birth, number of children in family, diseases and spasmolytic medicines using by mother during pregnancy explained almost 13% of the variability of TE. Regression analysis proved a significant influence of the season of birth and selected maternal factors on the PE thickness - these factors explained over 17% of its variability. Neither of analysed variables had influenced PSE. Our findings suggest that the thickness of enamel of deciduous incisors depends on the season of birth and some maternal factors. The differences were observed only in the prenatally formed enamel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]