Vaughan Grimes

Using skeletal remains from the eighteenth-century Fortress of Louisbourg, this study aimed to explore whether the adolescent (< 25 years) and adult (> 25 years) male experiences were synonymous in this New France colony. Additionally, this study also considered the geographic origins of these adolescent males to better understand their lived experience at Louisbourg. For this study, skeletal remains from 13 adolescent male individuals (16–25 years) were compared to 24 adult male individuals (27–47 years). Osteological analysis involved the assessment of macroscopic indicators of stress, including cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, linear enamel hypoplasia, fractures, Schmorl’s nodes, periosteal new bone formation, dental caries, and dental abscesses. When statistically compared, there were no differences between these age cohorts and the prevalence of these indicators. Mortuary data were also assessed, including burial depth, coffin use, and the prevalence of grave goods, again with no differences observed between these age cohorts. We explored dietary patterns and their relationship to geographic origin by measuring stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios in bone collagen and δ13C values of tooth enamel carbonate. All but one of the adolescent individuals consumed a mixed C3 and C4 diet during childhood, suggesting possible origins in an area consistent with what is now the eastern United States. Based on this multi-proxy approach, it is likely that the male adolescents in this group were soldiers from New England stationed at Louisbourg after the first siege in 1745 and had a similar lived experience to that of adult males.   Cette étude visait à évaluer la mesure dans laquelle les expériences d’hommes (> 25 ans) et d’adolescents (< 25 ans) de sexe masculin étaient semblables dans cette colonie de la Nouvelle-France, et ce, à partir de restes humains provenant de la Forteresse de Louisbourg, du XVIIIe siècle. L’étude tenait compte des origines géographiques de ces adolescents de sexe masculin afin de mieux comprendre leur expérience vécue à Louisbourg. Dans le cadre de cette étude, les restes humains de 13 adolescents (16–25 ans) de sexe masculin ont été comparés à ceux de 24 hommes adultes (27–47 ans). Une analyse ostéologique a été menée, consistant à évaluer les indicateurs macroscopiques du stress, notamment la présence de cribra orbitalia (lésions sur le plafond des orbites), de l’hyperostose porotique, de l’hypoplasie linéaire de l’émail, de fractures, de nodules de Schmorl, de néoformation osseuse périostée ainsi que de caries et d’abcès dentaires. Aucune différence n’a été relevée lors d’une comparaison statistique entre ces cohortes d’âge, ni en ce qui a trait à la prévalence de ces indicateurs. Des données mortuaires ont également été évaluées, notamment la profondeur de l’ensevelissement, l’utilisation de cercueils et la prévalence d’objets funéraires. Aucune différence n’a été observée entre ces cohortes d’âge. Par ailleurs, nous avons analysé les habitudes alimentaires et leur relation avec l’origine géographique en mesurant les rapports d’isotopes stables du carbone (δ13C) et de l’azote (δ15N) dans le collagène osseux ainsi que les valeurs δ13C du carbonate de l’émail dentaire. Tous les individus adolescents, sauf un, auraient eu un régime alimentaire mixte (C3 et C4) pendant l’enfance, ce qui suggère des origines dans une région correspondant aujourd’hui à l’est des États-Unis. Selon cette approche reposant sur plusieurs indicateurs, il est probable que les adolescents de sexe masculin de ce groupe étaient des soldats de la Nouvelle-Angleterre postés à Louisbourg après le premier siège de 1745 et qu’ils ont vécu une expérience similaire à celle des hommes adultes.

Competition between taxa related to climate changes has been proposed as a possible factor in Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions, and here we present isotope evidence of the diets of three co‐existing bear species [black bear (Ursus americanus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), and the now extinct short‐faced bear (Arctodus simus)] from a locale in western North America dating to the Late (Terminal) Pleistocene (~14.5–11.7 ka). The three bear species were found at several sites on Vancouver Island, on the western coast of Canada. To examine the chronological overlap and niche partitioning between these species of bear, we used direct radiocarbon dating, stable isotope analysis and ZooMS proteomic identification methods. Here we present new radiocarbon evidence from Terminal Pleistocene U. americanus, U. arctos and A. simus from several sites on the island, along with both bulk collagen and compound‐specific isotope data for these species. Radiocarbon dates confirm the chronological overla...

Bones represent a valuable biological archive of environmental lead (Pb) exposure for modern and archaeological populations. Synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence imaging (SR-XFI) generates maps of Pb in bone on a microstructural scale, potentially providing insights into an individual's history of Pb exposure and, in the context of archaeological bone, the biogenic or diagenetic nature of its uptake. The aims of this study were to (1) examine biogenic spatial patterns for Pb from bone samples of modern cadavers compared with patterns observed archaeologically, and (2) test the hypothesis that there are spatial differences in the distribution of Pb for diagenetic and biogenic modes of uptake in bone. To address these aims, this study used inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and SR-XFI on unaltered and experimentally altered cadaveric bone samples (University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK) and archaeological bone samples from 18th to 19th century archaeological sites from Antigua and Lithuania. Bone concentrations of modern individuals are relatively low compared to those of archaeological individuals. SR-XFI results provide insights into modern Saskatchewan Pb exposure with some samples demonstrating a pattern of relatively low Pb exposure with higher levels of Pb exposure occurring in bone structures of a relatively older age that formed earlier in life, likely during the era of leaded gasoline (pre-1980s), and other samples demonstrating a pattern of fairly consistent, low-level exposure. Results support hypotheses for the spatial distribution of Pb corresponding to biogenic vs. diagenetic uptake. Diagenetic Pb is mainly confined to the periosteal surface of each sample with some enrichment of cracks and sub-periosteal canals. This may be useful in the future for differentiating diagenetic from biogenic Pb accumulation, analyzing environmental contamination, and informing sampling strategies in archaeological or fossil bone.

Abstract We present here a map of bioavailable strontium for Southwestern Turkey derived from measurements of modern plants and mollusk (land snail) shells from various geological areas. Samples were collected from 87 locations and strontium isotope measurements were made on 283 plant and mollusk samples. The plants consisted of deep-rooted, medium-rooted and shallow-rooted species each sampling strontium from different water sources. The data was interpolated to produce a predictive strontium isotope map (‘Sr-isoscape’) of the region. Despite the complex underlying geology of this region the bioavailable Sr values broadly grouped into two separate areas, related to the age of the underlying bedrock. These results provide a baseline for interpretation of strontium isotope values of archaeological samples to help understand past animal and human mobility, and can also be used by researchers in a range of other disciplines that incorporate strontium analysis for mobility, including animal ecology and forensics.

Bonesamples forcarbon and nitrogen isotopeanalysis, and enamel samples for oxygen isotope analysis. were prepared and analysed at the University of Bradford. Strontium isotope data were obtained from tooth enamel samples, which"", ere prepared at the University of Bradford following the method given in Montgomery (2002), and then transferred to the clean laboratory suite at the NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, Keyworth, NOttinghamshire, for chemical separation and analysis. The strontium data for ...

We undertook a large-scale study of Neolithic and Bronze Age human mobility on Crete using biomolecular methods (isotope analysis, DNA), with a particular focus on sites dating to the Late Bronze Age (‘Late Minoan’) period. We measured the strontium and sulphur isotope values of animal remains from archaeological sites around the island of Crete to determine the local baseline values. We then measured the strontium and sulphur values of humans from Late Neolithic and Bronze Age sites. Our results indicate that most of the humans have sulphur and strontium isotope values consistent with being local to Crete, showing no evidence for a wide-scale movement of people from the Greek mainland or other areas away from Crete in these time periods. However, we found four individuals from the late Bronze Age (Late Minoan III) cemetery of Armenoi with sulphur isotope values not typically found in Crete and are instead consistent with an origin elsewhere. This cemetery at Armenoi also has one of...

BAR S2059 International Centre for Albanian Archaeology Monograph Series No. 2 The Complex of Tumuli 9, 10 and 11 in the Necropolis of Apollonia (Albania). Volume I © Archaeopress and M G Amore 2010 ISBN 978 1 4073 0548 6 (this volume) ISBN 978 1 4073 0549 3 (volume II) ISBN 978 1 4073 0550 9 (complete set of two volumes) Printed in England by Blenheim Colour Ltd All BAR titles are available from: Hadrian Books Ltd 122 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7BP England

Strontium isotopes analysis is a powerful tool in the study of past animal movements, notably the sequential analysis of tooth enamel to reconstruct individual movements in a time-series. Compared to traditional solution analysis, high resolution sampling using laser-ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) has the potential to reflect fine scale mobility. However, the averaging of the 87Sr/86Sr intake during the enamel mineralization process may limit fine scale inferences. We compared solution and LA-MC-ICP-MS 87Sr/86Sr intra-tooth profiles from the second and third molars of 5 caribou from the Western Arctic herd, Alaska. Profiles from both methods showed similar trends, reflecting the seasonal migratory movements, but LA-MC-ICP-MS profiles showed a less damped 87Sr/86Sr signal than solution profiles. Geographic assignments of the profile endmembers to the known summer and winter ranges were consistent between methods and with the expec...

OBJECTIVES By focusing on two Danish leprosaria (Naestved and Odense; 13th-16th c. CE) and using diet and origin as proxies, we follow a multi-isotopic approach to reconstruct life histories of patients and investigate how leprosy affected both institutionalized individuals and the medieval Danish community as a whole. MATERIALS AND METHODS We combine archaeology, historical sources, biological anthropology, isotopic analyses (δ13 C, δ15 N, δ34 S, 87 Sr/86 Sr) and radiocarbon dating, and further analyze bones with different turnover rates (ribs and long bones). RESULTS The δ13 C, δ15 N and δ34 S results indicate a C3 terrestrial diet with small contributions of marine protein for leprosy patients and individuals from other medieval Danish sites. A similar diet is seen through time, between males and females, and patients with and without changes on facial bones. The isotopic comparison between ribs and long bones reveals no significant dietary change. The δ34 S and 87 Sr/86 Sr results suggest that patients were local to the regions of the leprosaria. Moreover, the radiocarbon dates show a mere 50% agreement with the arm position dating method used in Denmark. CONCLUSIONS A local origin for the leprosy patients is in line with historical evidence, unlike the small dietary contribution of marine protein. Although only 10% of the analyzed individuals have rib/long bone offsets that undoubtedly show a dietary shift, the data appear to reveal a pattern for 25 individuals (out of 50), with elevated δ13 C and/or δ15 N values in the ribs compared to the long bones, which points toward a communal type of diet and reveals organizational aspects of the institution.

Abstract The site of Nakum has been the subject of extensive archaeological investigation, but little is known of the subsistence practices or mobility of the Prehispanic Maya who lived there. This study employed a multi-isotopic approach to investigate the diet and mobility of the Nakum Maya. Despite the poor preservation typical of tropical environments, the isotopic compositions of five human bone samples were compared to carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur isotope baselines developed from 16 archaeological faunal specimens from Nakum. The bone collagen carbon and nitrogen results indicate that the Nakum Maya consumed a maize-based diet supplemented with other cultigens and animal protein. Stable carbon isotope values from the bioapatite of five human bone and seven human tooth samples show that maize was an important dietary component throughout life, although two individuals consumed less maize during childhood. The bone collagen sulphur data and strontium isotope results from three teeth indicate that the Nakum individuals consumed local foods. However, two human oxygen isotope values were lower than the local range developed from human bone and tooth enamel samples, indicating these individuals moved to the site from outside the Maya region. Although the faunal sulphur values were much higher than expected at an inland site due to the underlying marine carbonate limestone geology, one faunal sample exhibited a very low value, suggesting that it was imported to the site over a considerable distance. Finally, this is the first study to publish baseline sulphur isotope values derived from Maya faunal remains and contributes to a better understanding of this isotope system in the Maya region.

Sled dogs were an integral part of Labrador Inuit life from the initial expansion and settlement of northeastern Canada to the present day. Tasked with pulling sleds and assisting people with other subsistence activities in the winter, dogs required regular provisioning with protein and fat. In this paper, we conduct stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio analysis of the skeletal remains of dogs (n = 35) and wild fauna (n = 68) from sites located on the north and south coasts of Labrador to characterize dog provisioning between the 15th to early 19th centuries. In addition, we analyse bone (n = 20) and dentine (n = 4) collagen from dogs from Double Mer Point, a communal house site in Hamilton Inlet to investigate how dog diets intersected with Inuit subsistence and trade activities at a local level. We find that dog diets were largely composed of marine mammal protein, but that dogs on the north coast consumed more caribou and fish relative to dogs from the central and south coast...

The analysis of stable sulfur isotopes from bone collagen offers researchers a novel technique for distinguishing dietary protein from various environments (i.e., marine, freshwater or terrestrial) and identifying nonlocal individuals in archaeological samples. This is possible because the sulphur isotope composition of the local environment is incorporated into the tissues of consumers and will, therefore, reflect the area in which their dietary resources were obtained. However, the sulfur isotope composition of the environment must first be determined in order to accurately interpret the values obtained from archaeological human tissue. Here, we present the predicted sulfur isotope composition of various environments throughout the Maya region in a working model based on known sulfur isotope values from similar environments elsewhere in the world. Coastal areas are predicted to exhibit sulfur isotope values near +20‰ that are expected to decrease wi th increasing altitude and distance from the coast, and with increasing input from terrestrial sulfur sources. The model is supported by preliminary sulfur data from one Preclassic and 12 Classic human bone samples from the Maya site of Caledonia, Cayo District, Belize, which are consistent with the sulfur values predicted for the local environment. Analyses of archaeological faunal remains from multiple sites throughout the Maya region will further test the environmental values predicted in the model. Once confirmed, such a model will not only contribute to understandings of prehispanic Maya diet and movement but will also provide a method by which similar models in other regions may be developed in the future. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Canadian Association of Physical Anthropology, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Strontium isotopes (87Sr/86) in tooth enamel reflect the geological subtrate on which an animal lived during tooth development. Therefore, strontium isotopes of tecth in fosil cave accumulations are potentially useful in determining whether an animal was native to the vicinity of the site or was brought in by other agents such as predators from farther afield. In this study, we tested the ability of strontium isotopes to help determine the origins of fossil rodents in Gladysvale Cave, South Africa. First, biologically available 87 Sr/86) ratios were established using modern plants recovered from three geologically distintct areas, the Malmani dolomite, the Hekpoort andesite/basalt, and the Timeball Hill shale, all of which were found to be significantly different. Strontium isotope values were then measured on tooth enamel of rodents from a moder barn ow (Tyto alba) roost in Gladysvale (67%) versus those from other geological zones. We then measured strontium isotope values of ename...

Abstract Subsistence practices and migration among the prehispanic Maya have been extensively studied using multiple isotopic techniques, although stable sulfur isotope (δ34S) analysis has been minimally applied in the Maya archaeology. This study compares expected variation in δ34S values in the Maya region with the values from 148 faunal specimens to create a sulfur isotope baseline for the Northern and Eastern lowlands. These data are combined with stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen isotope (δ15N) results to investigate the diets and identify nonlocal animals at Maya sites located in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico. The δ13C and δ15N results are consistent with those of previous Maya archaeological faunal studies. The sulfur isotope data indicate that terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems exhibit different values, which were used to evaluate the hypothesized variation in δ34S values in this part of the Maya region. Marine taxa δ34S values were likely influenced by dissimilatory sulfate reduction (DSR) and freshwater sulfur inputs in coastal areas. The δ34S values of freshwater taxa similarly reflect the influence of DSR, but also the variable sulfur sources in freshwater ecosystems. The terrestrial fauna from coastal sites had δ34S values influenced by marine sulfate deposited by sea spray. The δ34S values of inland terrestrial animals overlap those from coastal sites due to the underlying limestone geology derived from marine evaporites. Eight terrestrial faunal δ34S values from six sites were statistical outliers, representing nonlocal animals that were exchanged from isotopically distinct regions. The results suggest δ34S values may differentiate between Maya consumption of terrestrial- and freshwater-based dietary protein and can identify nonlocal animals and, by extension, humans. This study presents the first extensive archaeological faunal sulfur isotope baseline for Mesoamerica and for a tropical continental setting in general. These results demonstrate a multi-isotopic framework that includes sulfur isotope analysis can provide important insights into Maya subsistence practices, migration, and animal exchange.

Abstract Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and common millet (Panicum miliaceum) were important staple crops for the inhabitants of northern China since the Neolithic. The near exclusive consumption of these millets results in extremely elevated bulk collagen δ13C values (~−7‰ to −5‰), which serve as natural isotopic tracers in palaeodiet studies. Here we report individual amino acid δ13C results (δ13CAA) for humans (n = 12) and animals (n = 9) that consumed varying amounts of millets at the Proto-Shang period (2000–1600 BC) site of Nancheng, China. Using established δ13CAA proxies (Δ13CGly-Phe, Δ13CVal-Phe, and plots of δ13CPhe vs. δ13CVal, δ13CLys vs. Δ13CGly-Phe, and δ13CLys vs. Δ13CVal-Phe) and machine learning assisted principal component analysis (MLA-PCA), we compared the Nancheng data to published known archaeological C3, C4, marine and freshwater protein consumers. Exclusive millet-consuming humans and animals from Nancheng displayed highly 13C-enriched amino acid results, which were distinct from C4 consumers of maize (Zea mays) in the Americas. Compared to δ13CAA dietary proxies, MLA-PCA provides improved separation for all of the different dietary categories reviewed. Further, this method was able to distinguish additional dietary details, such as identifying brackish species. Increased application of MLA-PCA in palaeodiet research utilizing δ13CAA measurements could create regional and global aminoisoscapes that can reveal unique dietary and environmental information that is otherwise hidden by bulk and existing δ13CAA proxy isotopic analyses.

Abstract Eastern Africa is a key region for studying archaeological, palaeontological, and ecological movements. This region hosts critical developments in hominin and human evolution, the dispersal of food-producing populations across the continent, and some of the largest known contemporary mammalian migrations on the planet. Strontium isotope analysis of biominerals such as tooth enamel, eggshell, and other tissues in modern animals have been used to reconstruct migration, residential mobility, and provenience. The diverse geologies of Kenya and Tanzania, ranging from the Archaean Basement System rocks of the Tanzanian Craton to the recent volcanics of rift valleys, make it a highly promising area for mobility and provenience studies using strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr). Nevertheless, the application of strontium isotope analysis to reconstruct migration and individual mobility has been limited in the region due to the lack of a map predicting biologically available (bioavailable) 87Sr/86Sr. We present bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr data from a variety of modern and archaeological materials throughout Kenya and northern Tanzania. We show that 87Sr/86Sr of living organisms in the study area range from as low as 0.70439 for samples collected from Neogene volcanics to 0.72796 for samples collected from Precambrian Basement System rocks. We also present an 87Sr/86Sr map (isoscape) of Kenya and Tanzania developed using a machine-learning framework and a compilation of bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr data from Africa. This map provides the first predictions of bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr for East Africa, and represents a crucial resource for future work on ancient and modern animal and human mobility.

Navan Fort is an iconic prehistoric Irish ceremonial centre and the legendary capital of Ulster. The fort has produced an exceptional pig-dominated faunal assemblage that also contained a barbary macaque skull. Dating from the 4th to 1st century BC, it is likely to be a ceremonial feasting centre that may have drawn people and their animals from across Ulster and beyond. This study uses a multi-isotope (87Sr/86Sr, δ34S, δ13C, δ15N) approach to identify non-local animals and reconstruct site catchment. New biosphere mapping means that isotope data can be more confidently interpreted and the combination of strontium and sulphur analysis has the potential to estimate origins. In the absence of human remains, fauna provide the best proxy for human movement. Results for the 35 analysed animals are wide-ranging, especially in terms of strontium (0.707–0.715), which has the largest range for an Irish site. Sulphur values are more restricted (13.1‰−17.1‰) but are high in the context of Brit...