New Radiocarbon Dates, Stable Isotope, and Anthropological Analysis of Prehistoric Human Bones from the Balkans and Southwestern Carpathian Basin (original) (raw)
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Radiocarbon chronology of Middle and Upper Paleolithic sites in Serbia, Central Balkans
The Central Balkans, in present-day Serbia, was a potentially dynamic zone during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic (MP-UP), as it is situated between hypothesized dispersal routes of modern humans and refuges of late Neanderthals. However, the population history of the region remains poorly understood because there are little chronometric data from Late Pleistocene sites in Serbia. Here, we review the existing paleoanthropological record for the MP-UP in the Central Balkans and surrounding areas. Then, we add to it by reporting radiocarbon dates from two Serbian cave sites, Pešturina and Hadži Prodanova, which contain Middle Paleolithic and Gravettian assemblages. The results provide reliable human occurrence-dates older than 39 ka calibrated radiocarbon years before present (cal BP) and between 34 and 28 ka cal BP. As shallow palimpsest deposits with low artifact yields, the sites are not ideal contexts for establishing chrono-cultural stratigraphy. However, it is proposed that the occupants before 39 ka cal BP were Neanderthals producing MP artifacts, while those after 34 ka cal BP were modern humans with Gravettian traditions.
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This paper presents new results of stable isotope analysis made on human and animal bones from Mesolithic–Neolithic sites (9500–5200 cal BC) in the Central Balkans. It reconstructs dietary practices in the Mesolithic and documents the development of new subsistence strategies and regional differences during the process of Neolithisation. We achieved these insights into dietary changes by analysing bone collagen δ13C (n = 75), δ15N (n = 75) and δ34S (n = 96) and comparing stable isotope data of Mesolithic–Neolithic communities from the Danube Gorges with the data of the first farmers who lived outside of the Gorges in the Central Balkans. The Bayesian model was employed to evaluate the relative importance of different animal proteins in human diet. Results bring a new overview and highlight important chronological and regional differences. They suggest that Late Mesolithic humans included more anadromous and potamodromous fish in their diet, which is consistent with archaeozoological...
SSRN Electronic Journal
The Usatove (Usatovo) culture provides a pivotal link between the farming world of southeast Europe and the pastoralist cultures of the Pontic steppe during the Eneolithic-Early Bronze Age (EN-EBA) transition. Usatove is conventionally dated to the middle of the 4 th - early 3 rd millennium BCE. However, the AMS dating of human remains from the Mayaky complex of the Usatove culture in Ukraine has produced dates beginning in the late 5 th millennium. We present a comprehensive evaluation of published and newly obtained radiocarbon and stable isotope data from human remains at Mayaky. The results suggest a diet of the Eneolithic individuals interred at Mayaky based on aquatic resources, potentially contributing to a reservoir offset (RO) on the AMS dates obtained on human remains. Additional radiocarbon dates obtained during the analysis establish the utilization of the Mayaky archaeological site for over 5000 years, preceding and post-dating the Usatove culture. https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/175510
European Journal of Archaeology, 2017
The Adriatic Sea and Balkan Peninsula were an important corridor for the spread of agriculture northwards and westwards from the Near East into Europe. Therefore, the pace and nature of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition along the Adriatic coastline has important implications for the movement of new peoples and/or ideas during one of the most eventful periods in European prehistory. We present new Early Neolithic radiocarbon and stable isotope evidence from humans and animals from the Zemunica cave site in Dalmatia, Croatia. The results show that these humans date to the earliest Neolithic in the region, and they have completely terrestrial diets, where the main protein source was most likely to have come from domesticated animals. Data are then compared to previous isotope and archaeological evidence to explore models for the spread of agriculture along the eastern Adriatic coast.
Paleodietary reconstruction of a Neolithic population in Slovenia: A stable isotope approach
The nutritional habits of Neolithic farmers living during the period 6400 to 5300 years cal BP in the interior of Slovenia were determined using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. Human and domesticated and wild animals bone collagen samples found in Ajdovska jama cave, as well as food residuals composed of wheat grains and plants in associated ceramics were isotopically analyzed. The results indicate that the human diet was based on foods of terrestrial origin consisting primarily of cereals and herbivores, most probably the domestic animals raised at that time. The significantly higher d15N values found in infants and young children indicate bnursing effects. The pattern of dietary habits rapidly changed in older children accorded similar dietary status as their parents.
SSRN, 2022
The Usatove (Usatovo) culture provides a pivotal link between the farming world of southeast Europe and the pastoralist cultures of the Pontic steppe during the Eneolithic-Early Bronze Age (EN-EBA) transition. Usatove is conventionally dated to the middle of the 4 th - early 3 rd millennium BCE. However, the AMS dating of human remains from the Mayaky complex of the Usatove culture in Ukraine has produced dates beginning in the late 5 th millennium. We present a comprehensive evaluation of published and newly obtained radiocarbon and stable isotope data from human remains at Mayaky. The results suggest a diet of the Eneolithic individuals interred at Mayaky based on aquatic resources, potentially contributing to a reservoir offset (RO) on the AMS dates obtained on human remains. Additional radiocarbon dates obtained during the analysis establish the utilization of the Mayaky archaeological site for over 5000 years, preceding and post-dating the Usatove culture.
Chronological and dietary aspects of the human burials from Ajdovska Cave, Slovenia [2007]
Ajdovska Jama (The Pagan’s Cave) in southeast Slovenia lies within the catchment of the River Sava, a major tributary of the Danube. The site is well known for its Neolithic burials and has been excavated to a high standard on various occasions since 1884. The human remains at the site occurred as distinct clusters of mainly disarticulated bones belonging to at least 31 individuals. Hitherto, dating of the burials has been based on the associated archaeological finds, including a few low-precision radiometric radiocarbon measurements on charred plant material. In the present study, bones from 15 individuals were subsampled for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and stable isotope analyses. These comprised adults and children from 3 of the clusters. The results of the study indicate that the burials all belong to a relatively short time interval, while the stable isotope data indicate a mixed diet based on C3 plant and animal food sources. These interpretations differ somewhat from those of previous researchers. The AMS 14C and stable isotope analyses form part of a wider investigation of dietary and demographic change from the Mesolithic to the Iron Age in the Danube Basin.
Revealing the “hidden” Pannonian and Central Balkan Mesolithic: new radiocarbon evidence from Serbia
Quaternary International
With the exception of the well known Mesolithic sites in the Danube Gorges (or the Iron Gates), the wider areas of the Central Balkans and southern fringes of the Great Pannonian Plain still represent a terra incognita when it comes to the presence of Mesolithic communities. The absence of Mesolithic sites in the region was associated with environmental changes in the Early Holocene, presumed low human population densities, limited possibilities of detection, or the lack of adequate research. However, valuable insights into the obscure regional Mesolithic can be gained not only by new archaeological excavations, but also by revisiting and reanalysing of existing archaeological collections. Particularly informative in this respect are the Early Neolithic sites, indicative of the extensive spread of farming communities from c. 6200 cal BC. Within the ERC Project BIRTH, a large sample of human and animal remains from these sites was dated, falling in the (expected) range between c. 6200-5300 cal BC. However, one human and several animal bone samples from the sites of Magareći mlin, Gospođinci-Nove zemlje and Grabovac-Đurića vinogradi were dated to the 8th millennium cal BC, providing the first radiocarbon evidence of Early Holocene sequences in the territory of Serbia other than the Danube Gorges. In this paper, we present the new radiocarbon dates, discuss the contextual provenance of dated bones, and explore the implications of these results for a better understanding of the problem of the "missing" and "invisible" Mesolithic in the region.
Radiocarbon Dates of the Earliest Neolithic in Central Europe
Radiocarbon, 1995
I discuss here a series of radiocarbon dates from sites of the earliest phase of the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) culture. The samples were collected during excavations directed by Prof. Jens Lüning (Frankfurt am Main) between 1979 and 1987. The samples were mainly charcoal, including cereals and food remains, but bones and potsherds containing organic temper were also included in the study. Although the results on cereal, bone and food remains were consistent, almost all differed from those measured on charred wood. From a series of dates measured by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) on organic temper in potsherds, variable amounts of sample contamination were observed, probably deriving from the natural organic components of the clay used in the ceramic production. By critically evaluating14C dates, individual activities on the sites were dated as accurately as possible. A chronological framework could then be established for the earliest phase of the LBK culture. The dating results ...