12 results on '"Samantha Neil"'
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2. Provenancing antiquarian museum collections using multi-isotope analysis
- Author
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Samantha Neil, Jane Evans, Janet Montgomery, Rick Schulting, and Chris Scarre
- Subjects
isotopes ,biogeochemistry ,neolithic ,Science - Abstract
Many of the most significant archaeological sites in Europe were excavated by antiquarians over one hundred years ago. Modern museum collections therefore frequently contain human remains that were recovered during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Here we apply multi-isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr, δ18O, δ13C, δ15N) and 14C dating to evaluate the provenance of human remains within a collection that is thought to have been recovered from one of the most important archaeological sites in Britain. Excavated in 1910, the site of Coldrum in Kent is a megalithic burial monument that may be one of the earliest sites associated with the transition to farming in Britain. The interpretation of this site is therefore key to understanding how agriculture began. Using isotope analysis we show that although the human skeletal collections attributed to Coldrum do contain some of the earliest dated Neolithic human remains in Britain, they also contain the remains of individuals of fifth to seventh centuries AD date. We evaluate subsistence and mobility patterns of early Neolithic populations and provide new information about the origins of those individuals in the collection that date to the fifth to seventh centuries AD. We demonstrate the utility of employing isotope analysis to provide direct and independent information about the provenance of human remains in museum collections.
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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3. Isotopic evidence for residential mobility of farming communities during the transition to agriculture in Britain
- Author
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Samantha Neil, Jane Evans, Janet Montgomery, and Chris Scarre
- Subjects
development of agriculture ,neolithic ,sedentism ,mobility ,strontium ,isotope analysis ,Science - Abstract
Development of agriculture is often assumed to be accompanied by a decline in residential mobility, and sedentism is frequently proposed to provide the basis for economic intensification, population growth and increasing social complexity. In Britain, however, the nature of the agricultural transition (ca 4000 BC) and its effect on residence patterns has been intensely debated. Some authors attribute the transition to the arrival of populations who practised a system of sedentary intensive mixed farming similar to that of the very earliest agricultural regimes in central Europe, ca 5500 BC, with cultivation of crops in fixed plots and livestock keeping close to permanently occupied farmsteads. Others argue that local hunter–gatherers within Britain adopted selected elements of a farming economy and retained a mobile way of life. We use strontium and oxygen isotope analysis of tooth enamel from an Early Neolithic burial population in Gloucestershire, England, to evaluate the residence patterns of early farmers. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that early farming communities in Britain were residentially mobile and were not fully sedentary. Results highlight the diverse nature of settlement strategies associated with early farming in Europe and are of wider significance to understanding the effect of the transition to agriculture on residence patterns.
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
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4. ‘Local’ or ‘non-local’?
- Author
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Samantha Neil
- Published
- 2022
5. Isotopic Evidence for Human Movement into Central England during the Early Neolithic
- Author
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Janet Montgomery, Chris Scarre, Jane Evans, and Samantha Neil
- Subjects
Grande bretagne ,Archeology ,Strontium ,Geography ,chemistry ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Forestry - Abstract
Isotope ratios of tooth enamel from ten Early Neolithic individuals buried in a long cairn at Whitwell in central England were measured to determine where they sourced their childhood diet. Five individuals have low Sr concentrations (11–66 ppm) and high 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7164–0.7212). Three individuals have relatively low 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.712–0.711) and Sr concentrations ranging between 54 and 109 ppm. Two individuals have strontium isotope values that bridge the gap between the isotope compositions of these two groups. The high 87Sr/86Sr values are rare in human enamel and exclude sources within the biosphere of central England. Oxygen isotope values are comparable to those found within human archaeological populations buried in temperate regions of Europe. The strontium isotope results should be interpreted in the context of other evidence for migration from northern France to Britain during the Early Neolithic. Les rapports isotopiques de l'email des dents appartenant a dix individus ensevelis dans un long cairn a Whitwell dans le centre de l'Angleterre ont ete analyses pour etablir d'ou provenait l'alimentation de ces individus pendant leur enfance. Cinq individus ont une faible concentration de strontium (11–66 ppm) et un taux eleve de 87Sr/86Sr (0.7164–0.7212). Trois individus ont une proportion relativement faible de 87Sr/86Sr (0.712–0.711) et des concentrations de strontium comprises entre 54 et 109 ppm. Deux individus possedent des valeurs isotopiques de strontium qui comblent l’ecart entre les compositions isotopiques de ces deux groupes. On rencontre rarement des valeurs elevees de 87Sr/86Sr dans l'email de dents humaines et il nous faut exclure une source dans la biosphere du centre de l'Angleterre. Les valeurs des isotopes de l'oxygene sont proches de celles que contiennent les restes archeologiques de populations humaines que l'on retrouve dans les sepultures des regions temperees d'Europe continentale. Les resultats des analyses isotopiques du strontium pourraient donc plaider en faveur d'une migration de groupes humains au Neolithique ancien. Translation by Madeleine Hummler.
- Published
- 2020
6. An Integrated Bioarchaeological Approach to the Medieval ‘Agricultural Revolution’: A Case Study from Stafford, England,c.<scp>ad</scp>800–1200
- Author
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Matilda Holmes, Samantha Neil, Mark McKerracher, Elizabeth Stroud, Richard Thomas, Michael Charles, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Emily Forster, Amy Bogaard, and Helena Hamerow
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2. Zero hunger ,Archeology ,060101 anthropology ,060102 archaeology ,business.industry ,06 humanities and the arts ,15. Life on land ,Scientific analysis ,Geography ,Agricultural revolution ,Agriculture ,Period (geology) ,Economic history ,0601 history and archaeology ,business ,Animal bone - Abstract
In much of Europe, the advent of low-input cereal farming regimes betweenc.ad800 and 1200 enabled landowners—lords—to amass wealth by greatly expanding the amount of land under cultivation and exploiting the labour of others. Scientific analysis of plant remains and animal bones from archaeological contexts is generating the first direct evidence for the development of such low-input regimes. This article outlines the methods used by the FeedSax project to resolve key questions regarding the ‘cerealization’ of the medieval countryside and presents preliminary results using the town of Stafford as a worked example. These indicate an increase in the scale of cultivation in the Mid-Saxon period, while the Late Saxon period saw a shift to a low-input cultivation regime and probably an expansion onto heavier soils. Crop rotation appears to have been practised from at least the mid-tenth century.
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- 2020
7. An Integrated Bioarchaeological Approach to the Medieval 'Agricultural Revolution'. The case study of Stafford, England
- Author
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Helena Hamerow, Amy Bogaard, Michael Charles, Emily Forster, Matilda Holmes,Mark McKerracher, Samantha Neil, Christopher Ramsey, Elizabeth Stroud, Richard Thomas
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. Feeding Anglo-Saxon England: the bioarchaeology of an agricultural revolution
- Author
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Emily Forster, Amy Bogaard, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Helena Hamerow, Mark McKerracher, Richard Thomas, Elizabeth Stroud, Samantha Neil, Michael Charles, and Matilda Holmes
- Subjects
2. Zero hunger ,010506 paleontology ,Archeology ,060102 archaeology ,Anglo saxon ,business.industry ,General Arts and Humanities ,06 humanities and the arts ,01 natural sciences ,Geography ,Agricultural revolution ,Agriculture ,Bioarchaeology ,Economic history ,0601 history and archaeology ,Middle Ages ,business ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
The early Middle Ages saw a major expansion of cereal cultivation across large parts of Europe thanks to the spread of open-field farming. A major project to trace this expansion in England by deploying a range of scientific methods is generating direct evidence for this so-called ‘Medieval Agricultural Revolution’.
- Published
- 2019
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9. Tracking natural and anthropogenic Pb exposure to its geological source
- Author
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Vanessa Pashley, Samantha Neil, Carolyn Chenery, Richard Madgwick, and Jane Evans
- Subjects
Geologic Sediments ,lcsh:Medicine ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Natural (archaeology) ,Article ,QH301 ,Soil ,Isotopes ,QE ,Humans ,Soil Pollutants ,QD ,0601 history and archaeology ,lcsh:Science ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,060102 archaeology ,lcsh:R ,06 humanities and the arts ,Environmental exposure ,Environmental Exposure ,CC ,QP ,Lead ,Environmental chemistry ,Soil water ,Environmental science ,lcsh:Q - Abstract
Human Pb exposure comes from two sources: (i) natural uptake through ingestion of soils and typified by populations that predate mining activity and (ii) anthropogenic exposure caused by the exposure to Pb derived from ore deposits. Currently, the measured concentration of Pb within a sample is used to discriminate between these two exposure routes, with the upper limit for natural exposure in skeletal studies given as 0.5 or 0.7 mg/kg in enamel and 0.5/0.7 μg/dL in blood. This threshold approach to categorising Pb exposure does not distinguish between the geological origins of the exposure types. However, Pb isotopes potentially provide a more definitive means of discriminating between sources. Whereas Pb from soil displays a crustal average 238U/204Pb (μ) value of c 9.7, Pb from ore displays a much wider range of evolution pathways. These characteristics are transferred into tooth enamel, making it possible to characterize human Pb exposure in terms of the primary source of ingested Pb and to relate mining activity to geotectonic domains. We surmise that this ability to discriminate between silicate and sulphide Pb exposure will lead to a better understanding of the evolution of early human mining activity and development of exposure models through the Anthropocene.
- Published
- 2018
10. Land use and mobility during the Neolithic in Wales explored using isotope analysis of tooth enamel
- Author
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Chris Scarre, Janet Montgomery, Samantha Neil, Gordon Cook, and Jane Evans
- Subjects
Adult ,strontium isotope analysis ,010506 paleontology ,Adolescent ,δ18O ,Human Migration ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Oxygen Isotopes ,01 natural sciences ,Isotopes of oxygen ,Anthropology, Physical ,law.invention ,Strontium Isotopes ,Young Adult ,law ,radiocarbon dates ,Humans ,0601 history and archaeology ,Radiocarbon dating ,Neolithic ,Child ,Dental Enamel ,Research Articles ,History, Ancient ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Isotope analysis ,Strontium ,Wales ,060102 archaeology ,Enamel paint ,δ13C ,Agriculture ,06 humanities and the arts ,Molar ,Archaeology ,Isotopes of strontium ,Diet ,Geography ,chemistry ,Child, Preschool ,Anthropology ,visual_art ,visual_art.visual_art_medium ,Physical geography ,Anatomy ,development of farming ,Research Article - Abstract
Objectives: \ud The nature of land use and mobility during the transition to agriculture has often been debated. Here, we use isotope analysis of tooth enamel from human populations buried in two different Neolithic burial monuments, Penywyrlod and Ty Isaf, in south-east Wales, to examine patterns of land use and to evaluate where individuals obtained their childhood diet.\ud \ud Materials and Methods: \ud We employ strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13C) isotope analysis of enamel from adjacent molars. We compare strontium isotope values measured in enamel to locally bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr values. We combine discussion of these results with evaluation of new radiocarbon dates obtained from both sites.\ud \ud Results: \ud The majority of enamel samples from Penywyrlod have strontium isotope ratios above 0.7140. In contrast, the majority of those from Ty Isaf have 87Sr/86Sr values below 0.7140. At Penywyrlod oxygen isotope ratios range between 25.9 and 28.2 ‰ (mean 26.7 ± 0.6 ‰, 1σ, n = 15) and enamel δ13Ccarbonate values range between −18.0 and −15.0 ‰ (mean −16.0 ± 0.8 ‰, 1σ, n = 15). At Ty Isaf oxygen isotope ratios exhibited by Neolithic individuals range between 25.4 and 27.7 ‰ (mean 26.7 ± 0.6 ‰, 1σ, n = 15) and enamel δ13Ccarbonate values range between −16.9 and −14.9 ‰ (mean −16.0 ± 0.6 ‰, 1σ, n = 15).\ud \ud Discussion: \ud The strontium isotope results suggest that the majority of individuals buried at Penywyrlod did not source their childhood diet locally. One individual in this group has strontium isotope ratios that exceed all current known biosphere values within England and Wales. This individual is radiocarbon dated to the first few centuries of the 4th millennium BC, consistent with the period in which agriculture was initiated in Wales: the results therefore provide evidence for migration during the transition to farming in Wales. In contrast, all individuals sampled from Ty Isaf post-date the period in which agriculture is considered to have been initiated and could have sourced their childhood diet from the local region in which they were buried.
- Published
- 2017
11. Isotopic evidence for residential mobility of farming communities during the transition to agriculture in Britain
- Author
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Janet Montgomery, Jane Evans, Chris Scarre, and Samantha Neil
- Subjects
Population ,Sedentism ,Biology ,Isotope analysis ,Population growth ,Earth Science ,0601 history and archaeology ,strontium ,Neolithic ,lcsh:Science ,Socioeconomics ,education ,isotope analysis ,Mobility ,education.field_of_study ,060101 anthropology ,Multidisciplinary ,060102 archaeology ,business.industry ,Development of agriculture ,Social complexity ,development of agriculture ,06 humanities and the arts ,mobility ,neolithic ,sedentism ,Agriculture ,Strontium ,lcsh:Q ,Residence ,Livestock ,business ,Mixed farming ,Research Article - Abstract
Development of agriculture is often assumed to be accompanied by a decline in residential mobility, and sedentism is frequently proposed to provide the basis for economic intensification, population growth and increasing social complexity. In Britain, however, the nature of the agricultural transition (ca4000 BC) and its effect on residence patterns has been intensely debated. Some authors attribute the transition to the arrival of populations who practised a system of sedentary intensive mixed farming similar to that of the very earliest agricultural regimes in central Europe,ca5500 BC, with cultivation of crops in fixed plots and livestock keeping close to permanently occupied farmsteads. Others argue that local hunter–gatherers within Britain adopted selected elements of a farming economy and retained a mobile way of life. We use strontium and oxygen isotope analysis of tooth enamel from an Early Neolithic burial population in Gloucestershire, England, to evaluate the residence patterns of early farmers. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that early farming communities in Britain were residentially mobile and were not fully sedentary. Results highlight the diverse nature of settlement strategies associated with early farming in Europe and are of wider significance to understanding the effect of the transition to agriculture on residence patterns.
- Published
- 2016
12. Data-Driven Prediction of Fatigue in Parkinson’s Disease Patients
- Author
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Dong Goo Lee, Adrian Lindsay, Adam Yu, Samantha Neilson, Kristen Sundvick, Ella Golz, Liam Foulger, Maryam Mirian, and Silke Appel-Cresswell
- Subjects
Parkinson’s disease ,fatigue ,machine learning ,artificial intelligence ,sex ,random forest ,Electronic computers. Computer science ,QA75.5-76.95 - Abstract
Introduction: Numerous non-motor symptoms are associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) including fatigue. The challenge in the clinic is to detect relevant non-motor symptoms while keeping patient-burden of questionnaires low and to take potential subgroups such as sex differences into account. The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) effectively detects clinically significant fatigue in PD patients. Machine learning techniques can determine which FSS items best predict clinically significant fatigue yet the choice of technique is crucial as it determines the stability of results.Methods: 182 records of PD patients were analyzed with two machine learning algorithms: random forest (RF) and Boruta. RF and Boruta calculated feature importance scores, which measured how much impact an FSS item had in predicting clinically significant fatigue. Items with the highest feature importance scores were the best predictors. Principal components analysis (PCA) grouped highly related FSS items together.Results: RF, Boruta and PCA demonstrated that items 8 (“Fatigue is among my three most disabling symptoms”) and 9 (“Fatigue interferes with my work, family or social life”) were the most important predictors. Item 5 (“Fatigue causes frequent problems for me”) was an important predictor for females, and item 6 (“My fatigue prevents sustained physical functioning”) was important for males. Feature importance scores’ standard deviations were large for RF (14–66%) but small for Boruta (0–5%).Conclusion: The clinically most informative questions may be how disabling fatigue is compared to other symptoms and interference with work, family and friends. There may be some sex-related differences with frequency of fatigue-related complaints in females and endurance-related complaints in males yielding significant information. Boruta but not RF yielded stable results and might be a better tool to determine the most relevant components of abbreviated questionnaires. Further research in this area would be beneficial in order to replicate these findings with other machine learning algorithms, and using a more representative sample of PD patients.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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