In 2005 four outstanding multiple burials were discovered near Eulau, Germany. The 4,600-year-old graves contained groups of adults and children buried facing each other. Skeletal and artifactual evidence and the simultaneous interment of the individuals suggest the supposed families fell victim to a violent event. In a multidisciplinary approach, archaeological, anthropological, geochemical (radiogenic isotopes), and molecular genetic (ancient DNA) methods were applied to these unique burials. Using autosomal, mitochondrial, and Y-chromosomal markers, we identified genetic kinship among the individuals. A direct child-parent relationship was detected in one burial, providing the oldest molecular genetic evidence of a nuclear family. Strontium isotope analyses point to different origins for males and children versus females. By this approach, we gain insight into a Late Stone Age society, which appears to have been exogamous and patrilocal, and in which genetic kinship seems to be a focal point of social organization.burial rites ͉ Neolithic ͉ violence ͉ Corded Ware Culture ͉ exogamy
Objectives
Here, we examine (1) if the sex‐related differences in iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) isotope ratios, represented as δ56Fe and δ65Cu values, respectively observed in humans exist in bulk occipital bone and incisors of male and female non‐human primates, and (2) if the variation of Fe and Cu isotope ratios, known to vary in human blood as a factor of age are similar in non‐human primate bone.
Materials and Methods
Isotope ratios were measured from the skeletal elements of 20 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) with known life history traits. The metals were purified by column chromatography and their isotope ratios measured by MC‐ICP‐MS. Data were analyzed using generalized additive models (GAM).
Results
When accounting for age and sex independently, we found a significant relationship between δ65Cu values and occipital bone, but not in incisors. There were no significant relationships observed between δ56Fe values, occipital bone, or incisors. Similarly, there were no significant relationships observed between δ56Fe values, δ65Cu values, and age.
Discussion
We suggest that Cu and Fe isotope ratios have the potential to be useful supplementary tools in future research in biological anthropology, but additional studies are needed to further verify the relationship between sex, age, δ65Cu, and δ56Fe values in primates.
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