Search

Evidence for a reduction in stature between Mesolithic foragers and Neolithic farmers has been interpreted as reflective of declines in health, however, our current understanding of this trend fails to account for the complexity of cultural and dietary transitions or the possible causes of phenotypic change. The agricultural transition was extended in primary centers of domestication and abrupt in regions characterized by demic diffusion. In regions such as Northern Europe where foreign domesticates were difficult to establish, there is strong evidence for natural selection for lactase persistence in relation to dairying. We employ broad-scale analyses of diachronic variation in stature and body mass in the Levant, Europe, the Nile Valley, South Asia, and China, to test three hypotheses about the timing of subsistence shifts and human body size, that: 1) the adoption of agriculture led to a decrease in stature, 2) there were different trajectories in regions of in situ domestication or cultural diffusion of agriculture; and 3) increases in stature and body mass are observed in regions with evidence for selection for lactase persistence. Our results demonstrate that 1) decreases in stature preceded the origins of agriculture in some regions; 2) the Levant and China, regions of in situ domestication of species and an extended period of mixed foraging and agricultural subsistence, had stable stature and body mass over time; and 3) stature and body mass increases in Central and Northern Europe coincide with the timing of selective sweeps for lactase persistence, providing support for the "Lactase Growth Hypothesis."

This paper deals with the identification and comparison of dietary practices and their changes from the Late Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age in two different ecosystems – the lower reaches of the Daugava river and Lake Lubāns wetland. Zooarchaeological, palaeobotanical, and stable isotope evidence of chemical elements were used. The obtained results show that the beginning of early farming in Latvia can be observed in the late Neolithic period, especially for the Corded Ware Culture people. However, the consump- tion of freshwater fish also remains significant during this period. Farming, as the main form of food provision, became established in Latvia in the Middle Bronze Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bronze Age barrow cemetery in Reznes was located on the right bank of the River Daugava on a paleoisland. In total, eight barrows have been recorded in the cemetery. Archaeological excavations took place in the 1930s, led by E. Šturms, and in the 1950s and 1960s, led by J. Graudonis. Altogether, seven barrows have been excavated. Several barrows had secondary burials from the Late Iron Age and the historical period, thus complicating archaeological analysis of this already complex archaeological site. Both Šturms and Graudonis archaeologically dated the cemetery from 1200 to 600 BC. The inhumation layers at the base of the barrow were considered to be the oldest, chronologically followed by cremations. But the youngest were considered to be the burials in stone cists. However, 14C dates show that the Reznes barrow cemetery was established earlier - in the middle of the 14th century BC - and was used until the 6th century BC. The chronological sequence of the burial types is revisited as well, as the 14C dates show parallel use of all three types throughout the active use of the cemetery. The differing types of burials might have been determined by the social position of the deceased in society. The anthropological analysis of inhumations was limited due to the very poor preservation of the bones. Only occasionally was it possible to distinguish between adults and subadults, but more detailed analysis was impossible. Cremation skeletal material, on the other hand, shows that individuals belonging to all age groups were cremated - adults, juveniles and children. Some cremation pits consist of more than one individual, and in one case - at least 16 different individuals. In addition to the 14C dating, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of collagen were carried out, when possible. Based on previously published isotopic data, different food groups and their contribution to Reznes humans' diets are discussed, arriving to a conclusion that contrary to general suggestions of millet consumption during the Bronze Age, Reznes humans' isotopic data does not confirm that. Distinction between terrestrial and aquatic protein sources is complicated by the highly variable Daugava River isotopic ecology, nonetheless, some dietary trends can be distinguished that slightly correlate with 14C dates. However, aquatic reservoir effects in human collagen 14C dates is still an open question and exceeds the limits of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until recently, there was a lack of radiocarbon (14C) dates from the Bronze and Earliest Iron Age (1800–500–1 BC) burial sites in Latvia. The chronology of the sites was assessed on the basis of archaeological analogies with neighboring regions and typological studies of the rather meagre grave inventory. In order to establish a firm foundation for an absolute chronology of burial sites and to better understand changes in mortuary practices during the period, sequences of samples from various burial sites have been dated. In this paper we report 48 14C dates from 12 different sites and discuss them in the context of previously established archaeological chronologies. 14C reservoir effects are addressed: regarding FRE, stable isotope analysis is helpful; however, more data should be gathered in future research. In some cases, the new dates are in accord with previous chronologies, while in other cases some widely accepted assumptions may need to be revised. The new dates have proved false several previous assumptions about both the dates of individual graves and whole sites. Based on the 14C dates, we model the chronological spread of burial barrows in Latvia along waterways, the earliest examples appearing in coastal western Latvia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cribra orbitalia (CO), or porotic hyperostosis (PH) of the orbital roof, is one of the most common pathological conditions found in archaeological subadult skeletal remains. Reaching frequencies higher than 50% in many prehistoric samples, CO has been generally attributed to a variety of factors including malnutrition (e.g., megaloblastic anemia) and parasitism. In this study, we tested the relationship between CO, trace element concentrations, and stable isotope values (δ 13 C, δ 15 N, δ 18 O) in subadult skeletons from a 17 th to 18 th century cemetery in the historic town of Jēkabpils, Latvia. A total of 28 subadults were examined, seven of which (25%) showed evidence of CO. Bioarchaeological evidence indicated high mortality for children in this cemetery: half of the burials were subadults under the age of 14, while a third were under the age of four. Life expectancy at birth was estimated to have been only 21.6 years. Trace element concentrations measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) showed no relationship between presence or absence of CO and levels of manganese, zinc, strontium, barium, copper, cadmium, or lead in the bones (p > 0.05). However, a significant correlation (p < 0.05) was found between the presence of CO and decreased levels of iron. The correlations between CO and decreased levels of copper and lead approached significance (p = 0.056 for both elements). Individuals with CO furthermore displayed significantly lower δ 15 N isotope values, suggesting greater consumption of lower trophic level food resources than those unaffected by CO; δ 13 C and δ 18 O values, in contrast, showed no significant differences. These results suggest that the prevalence of CO may be related to dietary deficiencies. In this case, low iron levels may also signify a diet low in other key vitamins (e.g., B 9 and B 12 ), which are known to cause megaloblastic anemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Bronze Age / Earliest Iron Age hill-fort of Ķivutkalns was constructed directly over an earlier cemetery. The beginning of construction of the hill-fort was dated to the 9th-8th centuries BC. Dating material for determining the chronology of the cemetery was lacking, so, based on the fact that the cemetery pre-dated the hill-fort, it was considered to have been in use during the final quarter of the 2nd millennium BC. In 2008 and 2013, bone from 10 burials was 14C-dated. The results showed that the burials were in fact much younger, falling within the time interval of 800-400 BC. The article seeks to account for the overlap in the datings of the cemetery and the hill-fort, offering a compromise in the dating of the two monuments. The stable isotope analysis also provides an insight into the diet of the people buried here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ķivutkalna vēlā bronzas - senākā dzelzs laikmeta pilskalns tika uzcelts tieši virs senāka kapulauka. Pilskalna uzcelšanas sākums tika datēts ar 9.-8. gs. pr.Kr. Kapulauka hronoloģijas noteikšanai trūka datējošu materiālu, tāpēc, vadoties no acīmredzamā fakta, ka kapulauks ir agrāks par pilskalnu, tā izmantošanas laiks tika attiecināts uz 2. gadu tūkstoša pēdējo ceturksni. 2008. un 2013. gadā 10 apbedījumu kauli tika datēti ar 14C metodi. Iegūtie rezultāti rādīja, ka apbedījumi ir daudz jaunāki, iekļaujoties laika posmā no 800. līdz 400. g. pr.Kr. Rakstā mēģināts skaidrot šādu kapulauka un pilskalna datējumu pārklāšanos, piedāvājot kompromisa variantu abu objektu datējumos. Veiktā stabilo izotopu analīze sniedz ieskatu arī apbedīto indivīdu diētā. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Institute of Latvian History / Latvijas Vēstures Institūta Žurnāls is the property of University of Latvia, Institute of Latvian History and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Estonian Journal of Archaeology is the property of Teaduste Akadeemia Kirjastus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Archaeologia Baltica is the property of Archaeologia Baltica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An error correction is depicted of Aquatic radiocarbon reservoir offsets, in Nature Communications 30th January 2018 edition.

Cribra orbitalia (CO), or porotic hyperostosis (PH) of the orbital roof, is one of the most common pathological conditions found in archaeological subadult skeletal remains. Reaching frequencies higher than 50% in many prehistoric samples, CO has been generally attributed to a variety of factors including malnutrition (e.g., megaloblastic anemia) and parasitism. In this study, we tested the relationship between CO, trace element concentrations, and stable isotope values (δ 13 C, δ 15 N, δ 18 O) in subadult skeletons from a 17 th to 18 th century cemetery in the historic town of Jēkabpils, Latvia. A total of 28 subadults were examined, seven of which (25%) showed evidence of CO. Bioarchaeological evidence indicated high mortality for children in this cemetery: half of the burials were subadults under the age of 14, while a third were under the age of four. Life expectancy at birth was estimated to have been only 21.6 years. Trace element concentrations measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) showed no relationship between presence or absence of CO and levels of manganese, zinc, strontium, barium, copper, cadmium, or lead in the bones (p>0.05). However, a significant correlation (p<0.05) was found between the presence of CO and decreased levels of iron. The correlations between CO and decreased levels of copper and lead approached significance (p=0.056 for both elements). Individuals with CO furthermore displayed significantly lower δ 15 N isotope values, suggesting greater consumption of lower trophic level food resources than those unaffected by CO; δ 13 C and δ 18 O values, in contrast, showed no significant differences. These results suggest that the prevalence of CO may be related to dietary deficiencies. In this case, low iron levels may also signify a diet low in other key vitamins (e.g., B 9 and B 12 ), which are known to cause megaloblastic anemia., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)