Stable isotope analysis of Neolithic and Chalcolithic populations from Aktopraklık, northern Anatolia (original) (raw)
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RESULTS OF STABLE ISOTOPES FROM KÖRTIK TEPE SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY
Körtik Tepe (southeast Anatolia) is one of the few sites in the Near East which were occupied from the Younger Dryas to the Early Holocene. It is a key-site to reconstruct the multifaceted interplay of climatic and ecological changes and the praxis of its inhabitants. Human bone and teeth were analysed for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bone collagen, as well as strontium and oxygen isotopes in tooth enamel. The reconstruction of the human diet revealed that there were significant changes in nutrition concerning the carbon intake from the Younger Dryas to the early Holocene. Although changes in nitrogen correlated positively with the changes in 232 carbon values, they did not significantly correlate with time, but with sex. We therefore suggest that ecological changes, visible in the archaeobotanical records of Körtik Tepe and early sedentism had different impacts on the diet of females and males. Strontium and oxygen isotopes show the local signal of the area for all individuals irrespective of time, age and sex, indicating a local origin and reduced mobility.
Stable isotope analysis of faunal remains from Bronze Age Kaymakçı, Western Anatolia
This paper presents the results of stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotopic analysis of bulk bone collagen from faunal remains from the Bronze Age site of Kaymakçı in western Anatolia. We use the isotopic values in conjunction with zooarchaeological data and contextual archaeological information to examine human-environment interactions; in particular, animal management and husbandry. Middle and Late Bronze Age agricultural systems in western and central Anatolia remain poorly understood, and this research aims to contribute to rectifying this research gap. We obtained stable isotopic values from both wild and domestic species, including deer, hare, birds, catfish, dogs, pigs, caprids and cattle. The δ 13 C values range from −22.0‰ to −16.9‰ and the δ 15 N values range from 2.3‰ to 10.3‰. For cattle, the δ 13 C values suggest that some specimens were subject to different management strategies, likely related to feeding or herding patterns or even the movement of animals in and around the region through some exchange mechanism. There appears to be no fixed location or strategy for the management of caprids and, furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that the herding/management areas of some caprids overlapped with those of wild animals such as deer and hare. Variation in δ 15 N values for pigs may indicate that whilst some animals in the sampled assemblage were free-roaming, others were penned. For the pigs and some other herbivorous domesticated species variation in δ 15 N values may also point to the exploitation of the wetland areas around Lake Marmara.
Stable isotope evidence of diet at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2003
We report here new evidence for human subsistence from stable isotope analysis of humans and fauna from Catalhöyük. The analyses complement other lines of subsistence evidence, and indicate that, contrary to the original excavator James Mellaart's assertion (Mellaart, 1975), cattle was unlikely to have been the main source of dietary protein for all occupants. The analyses have also indicated the incorporation of C4 plants into diets, which was previously unrecognized. In addition, the stable isotope measurements of juveniles have provided an indication of the age of weaning in this Early Neolithic society.
2016
Stable isotope analysis is an essential investigative technique, complementary to more traditional zooarchaeological approaches to elucidating animal keeping practices. Carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope values of 132 domesticates (cattle, caprines and pigs) were evaluated to investigate one aspect of animal keeping, animal forage, at the Late Chalcolithic (mid-fourth millennium BC) site of Çamlıbel Tarlası, which is located in north-central Anatolia. The analyses indicated that all of the domesticates had diets based predominantly on C3 plants. Pig and caprine δ13C and δ15N values were found to be statistically indistinguishable. However, cattle exhibited distinctive stable isotope values and, therefore, differences in diet from both pigs and caprines at Çamlıbel Tarlası. This difference may relate to the distinct patterns of foraging behaviour exhibited by the domesticates. Alternatively, this diversity may result from the use of different grazing areas or from the foddering practices of the Çamlıbel Tarlası inhabitants.
Animal keeping in Chalcolithic north-central Anatolia: what can stable isotope analysis add?
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2016
Stable isotope analysis is an essential investigative technique, complementary to more traditional zooarchaeological approaches to elucidating animal keeping practices. Carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) stable isotope values of 132 domesticates (cattle, caprines and pigs) were evaluated to investigate one aspect of animal keeping, animal forage, at the Late Chalcolithic (mid-fourth millennium BC) site of Çamlıbel Tarlası, which is located in north-central Anatolia. The analyses indicated that all of the domesticates had diets based predominantly on C 3 plants. Pig and caprine δ 13 C and δ 15 N values were found to be statistically indistinguishable. However, cattle exhibited distinctive stable isotope values and, therefore, differences in diet from both pigs and caprines at Çamlıbel Tarlası. This difference may relate to the distinct patterns of foraging behaviour exhibited by the domesticates. Alternatively, this diversity may result from the use of different grazing areas or from the foddering practices of the Çamlıbel Tarlası inhabitants. Keywords North-central Anatolia. Animal forage. Stable isotope analysis. δ 13 C. δ 15 N
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2006
Human and animal bones from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site of Nevalı Çori (southeast Anatolia) were analyzed with regard to stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bone collagen, and stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in bone carbonate. The reconstruction of the vertebrate food web at this site revealed that humans may have faced difficulties with meat procurement, since their stable-isotope ratios reflect a largely herbivorous diet. This is in contrast with the preceding Pre-Pottery Neolithic A contexts and late Neolithic sites in the Fertile Crescent, where humans are located at the top of the food chain. Conceivably, Nevalı Çori represents a community in the transition from a hunting and gathering subsistence to an economy with agriculture and animal husbandry, since domesticated einkorn and sheep, pigs, and probably also goats are in evidence at the site. In the second half of the 9th millennium calibrated (cal.) BC, however, the contribution of stock on the hoof to the human diet still seems modest. Animals kept under cultural control obviously had a dietary spectrum different from their free-ranging relatives. We conclude that these animals had been deliberately nourished by their owners, whereby the overall low δ15N-signatures in both humans and livestock might result from the consumption of protein-rich pulses. Am J Phys Anthropol 131:181–193, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2023
Here we present the results of stable carbon isotope (δ13C) analysis on charred crop seeds from the Bronze Age site of Kaymakçı in western Anatolia. The δ13C data, in conjunction with some 14C-dated seeds, allows for insights into the water availability for crops and a comparison among taxa, enabling a relatively high-resolution investigation of field agriculture, crop cultivation, and crop and field management around the site. From this data, we discuss agroeconomic structures and local paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic conditions in the local micro-region, as well as more generally for western Anatolia. A total of 35 single carbonized seeds were analysed, including seeds of wheat, barley, bitter vetch, pulses, and grape. Almost all samples date to the first half of the second millennium BC, based on radiocarbon dating of 24 seeds from the sample assemblage. The δ13C data demonstrates that crops at Kaymakçı were generally moderately to well-watered, and water availability was likely not a limiting factor for growth. This water availability is unlikely to result from artificial and man-made irrigation systems, however, but rather crop-management and field-location choices, taking advantage of the humid conditions along the shores of Lake Marmara and in surrounding wetland environs. A seeming paradox is the ubiquity of risk buffering crops (barley and bitter vetch) despite a supposed abundance of water availability. This evidence for mixed approaches further underlines the importance of versatility in local agricultural systems and their underlying structures, favored and implemented by local communities.
Diet at Late Chalcolithic Çamlıbel Tarlası, north-central Anatolia: An isotopic perspective
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2016
Carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) stable isotope analysis of bone collagen from 57 human and 137 faunal samples was conducted with the aim of reconstructing human diet at the Late Chalcolithic (mid-4 th millennium BC) site of Çamlıbel Tarlası, northcentral Anatolia. The analyses indicate that the diet of the inhabitants of Çamlıbel Tarlası was based largely on C3 resources. Comparison of human and faunal δ 15 N values suggest that animal proteins were likely to be of secondary importance to diet, with cultigens such as wheat and barley and potentially pulses taking the role of dietary staples. Age-related variation in stable isotope signals was identified.