A multi‐isotope investigation of diet and subsistence amongst island and mainland populations from early medieval western <scp>B</scp>ritain

Hemer, Katie A.; Lamb, Angela L.; Chenery, Carolyn; Evans, Jane

doi:10.1002/ajpa.23127

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…How diet and sex relate is not clear-cut. Isotopic evidence from the sites and others from the period indicate no differential access to dietary resources based on sex (Muldner and Richards, 2007; Mays and Beavan, 2012; Monterrosa Preziosi, 2016; Hemer et al, 2017), and therefore differential access to dietary resources is an unlikely cause of the difference observed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Dimorphism in Dental Tissues: Sex differences in Archaeological Individuals for Multiple Tooth Types

Fernee

Brown

Zakrzewski

2020

Preprint

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ObjectivesDimorphism in the dentition has been observed in human populations worldwide. However, research has largely focused on traditional linear crown measurements. As imaging systems, such as micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), become increasingly more accessible, new dental measurements such as dental tissue size and proportions can be obtained. This research investigates the variation of dental tissues and proportions by sex in archaeological samples.Materials and MethodsUpper and lower first incisor to second premolar tooth rows were obtained from 30 individuals (n=300), from 3 archaeological samples. The teeth were micro-CT scanned and surface area and volumetric measurements were obtained from the surface meshes extracted. Dental wear was also recorded and differences between sexes determined.ResultsEnamel and crown measurements were found to be larger in females. Conversely, dentine and root measurements were larger in males.DiscussionThe findings support the potential use of dental tissues to estimate sex of individuals from archaeological samples, whilst also indicating that individuals aged using current dental ageing methods may be under- or over-aged due to sex differences in enamel thickness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Dimorphism in Dental Tissues: Sex differences in Archaeological Individuals for Multiple Tooth Types

Fernee

Brown

Zakrzewski

2020

Preprint

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“…How diet and sex relate is not clear‐cut. Isotopic evidence from the sites and others from the period indicate no differential access to dietary resources based on sex (Hemer, Lamb, Chenery, & Evans, 2017; Mays & Beavan, 2012; Monterrosa Preziosi, 2016; Muldner & Richards, 2007). However, isotopic evidence only gives a general dietary signature rather than an exact dietary composition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Dimorphism in dental tissues: Sex differences in archaeological individuals for multiple tooth types

Fernee

Zakrzewski

Brown

2020

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives Dimorphism in the dentition has been observed in human populations worldwide. However, research has largely focused on traditional linear crown measurements. As imaging systems, such as micro‐computed tomography (micro‐CT), become increasingly more accessible, new dental measurements such as dental tissue size and proportions can be obtained. This research investigates the variation of dental tissues and proportions by sex in archaeological samples. Materials and Methods Upper and lower first incisor to second premolar tooth rows were obtained from 30 individuals (n = 300), from 3 archaeological samples. The teeth were micro‐CT scanned and surface area and volumetric measurements were obtained from the surface meshes extracted. Dental wear was also recorded and differences between sexes determined. Results Enamel and crown measurements were found to be larger in females. Conversely, dentine and root measurements were larger in males. Discussion The findings support the potential use of dental tissues to estimate sex of individuals from archaeological samples, while also indicating that individuals aged using current dental aging methods may be underaged or overaged due to sex differences in enamel thickness.

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“…The animal with the highest δ 15 N value (8.8‰) also has a high δ 13 C value (−21.1‰), meaning salt-marsh origins are plausible (Müldner et al, 2014), but the absence of sulfur values above 12‰ indicates that coastally raised caprines were rare at Potterne. This cannot, however, be entirely ruled out as more sheltered coastal zones can produce significantly lower δ 34 S biosphere values (averaging 8.8‰ in humans from coastal south-east Wales) within the coastal zone in Britain (Hemer et al, 2017). The preponderance of negative sulfur values (including the individual posited to be salt marsh-raised) strongly suggests that animals were raised in wetland environments (Guiry et al, 2022;Stevens et al, 2023).…”

Section: Caprinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farming and feasting during the Bronze Age–Iron Age transition in Britain (ca. 900–500 bce): multi-isotope evidence for societal change

Madgwick,

Esposito,

Lamb

2023

Front. Environ. Archaeol.

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The Late Bronze Age saw the rise of a new site type in southern Britain, commonly termed a midden. These vast monumental mounds, some comprising tens of thousands of artefacts/ecofacts dominated by animal bone and ceramics, signal a societal refocus towards agricultural intensification and communal feasting on a grand scale. These sites point to agricultural produce being the mainstay of the economy, with bronze having a reduced social and economic importance. This likely created new regimes of managing landscapes and livestock and new networks and agricultural catchments anchored on the sites. Major questions remain surrounding the strategies employed to enhance agricultural productivity, how landscapes and livestock were managed, and how different sites and regions met these challenges at a time of climatic deterioration. This article employs multi-isotope analyses on domestic and wild fauna to address these questions. It presents carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S, respectively) isotope analyses on 235 animals from 6 midden sites in 2 major regions of midden accumulation: the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire and the Thames Valley. The results demonstrate distinct differences in approaches to maximising agricultural productivity, with varied strategies apparent at a site, species, and regional level. Some sites, such as Potterne and Runnymede, clearly drew domestic fauna from a wide catchment where wide-ranging management and foddering regimes were employed. Other sites, such as East Chisenbury, had a more restricted catchment but a tightly controlled, intensive management regime. These data provide new insights into regional responses to the reorganisation of the economy, landscape use, and developing agricultural networks during the Bronze Age–Iron Age transition in Britain, revealing dynamic and evolving societal change.

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A multi‐isotope investigation of diet and subsistence amongst island and mainland populations from early medieval western Britain

Cited by 13 publications

References 52 publications

Dimorphism in Dental Tissues: Sex differences in Archaeological Individuals for Multiple Tooth Types

Dimorphism in Dental Tissues: Sex differences in Archaeological Individuals for Multiple Tooth Types

Dimorphism in dental tissues: Sex differences in archaeological individuals for multiple tooth types

Farming and feasting during the Bronze Age–Iron Age transition in Britain (ca. 900–500 bce): multi-isotope evidence for societal change

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