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Papers by Samantha Neil

Research paper thumbnail of Provenancing antiquarian museum collections using multi-isotope analysis

Research paper thumbnail of Isotopic Evidence for Human Movement into Central England during the Early Neolithic

Isotope ratios of tooth enamel from ten Early Neolithic individuals buried in a long cairn at Whi... more 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 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios (0.7164-0.7212). Three individuals have relatively low 87 Sr/ 86 Sr 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 87 Sr/ 86 Sr 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.

Research paper thumbnail of Isotopic Evidence for Landscape use and the Role of Causewayed Enclosures During the Earlier Neolithic in Southern Britain

Research paper thumbnail of Supplementary Material: Isotopic Evidence for Landscape Use and the Role of Causewayed Enclosures During the Earlier Neolithic in Southern Britain

Research paper thumbnail of Tracking natural and anthropogenic Pb exposure to its geological source

Human Pb exposure comes from two sources: (i) natural uptake through ingestion of soils and typif... more 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.

Research paper thumbnail of Tracking natural and anthropogenic Pb exposure to its geological source

Evans, J., Pashley, V., Madgwick, R., Neil, S. and Chenery, C. 2018. Tracking natural and anthropogenic Pb exposure to its geological source. Scientific Reports 8(1): 1969.

Human Pb exposure comes from two sources: (i) natural uptake through ingestion of soils and typif... more 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.

Research paper thumbnail of Land use and mobility during the Neolithic in Wales explored using isotope analysis of tooth enamel

Neil, S., Montgomery, J., Evans, J., Cook, G.T. and Scarre, C., 2017. Land use and mobility during the Neolithic in Wales explored using isotope analysis of tooth enamel. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 164(2): 371-393.

Research paper thumbnail of Isotopic evidence for residential mobility of farming communities during the transition to agriculture in Britain

Neil, S., Evans, J., Montgomery, J., Scarre, C. 2016. Isotopic evidence for residential mobility of farming communities during the transition to agriculture in Britain. Royal Society Open Science. 3: 150522.

Development of agriculture is often assumed to be accompanied by a decline in residential mobilit... more 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.

Conference Presentations by Samantha Neil

Research paper thumbnail of 3rd November 2014: British Museum, London, Neolithic Studies Group Seminar Series. Results of strontium, oxygen and carbon isotope analysis of Hazleton North early Neolithic long cairn and pre-cairn animal assemblage.

Research paper thumbnail of Provenancing antiquarian museum collections using multi-isotope analysis

Research paper thumbnail of Isotopic Evidence for Human Movement into Central England during the Early Neolithic

Isotope ratios of tooth enamel from ten Early Neolithic individuals buried in a long cairn at Whi... more 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 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios (0.7164-0.7212). Three individuals have relatively low 87 Sr/ 86 Sr 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 87 Sr/ 86 Sr 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.

Research paper thumbnail of Isotopic Evidence for Landscape use and the Role of Causewayed Enclosures During the Earlier Neolithic in Southern Britain

Research paper thumbnail of Supplementary Material: Isotopic Evidence for Landscape Use and the Role of Causewayed Enclosures During the Earlier Neolithic in Southern Britain

Research paper thumbnail of Tracking natural and anthropogenic Pb exposure to its geological source

Human Pb exposure comes from two sources: (i) natural uptake through ingestion of soils and typif... more 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.

Research paper thumbnail of Tracking natural and anthropogenic Pb exposure to its geological source

Evans, J., Pashley, V., Madgwick, R., Neil, S. and Chenery, C. 2018. Tracking natural and anthropogenic Pb exposure to its geological source. Scientific Reports 8(1): 1969.

Human Pb exposure comes from two sources: (i) natural uptake through ingestion of soils and typif... more 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.

Research paper thumbnail of Land use and mobility during the Neolithic in Wales explored using isotope analysis of tooth enamel

Neil, S., Montgomery, J., Evans, J., Cook, G.T. and Scarre, C., 2017. Land use and mobility during the Neolithic in Wales explored using isotope analysis of tooth enamel. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 164(2): 371-393.

Research paper thumbnail of Isotopic evidence for residential mobility of farming communities during the transition to agriculture in Britain

Neil, S., Evans, J., Montgomery, J., Scarre, C. 2016. Isotopic evidence for residential mobility of farming communities during the transition to agriculture in Britain. Royal Society Open Science. 3: 150522.

Development of agriculture is often assumed to be accompanied by a decline in residential mobilit... more 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.

Research paper thumbnail of 3rd November 2014: British Museum, London, Neolithic Studies Group Seminar Series. Results of strontium, oxygen and carbon isotope analysis of Hazleton North early Neolithic long cairn and pre-cairn animal assemblage.