Anthropic resource exploitation and use of the territory at the onset of social complexity in the Neolithic-Chalcolithic Western Pyrenees: a multi-isotope approach

Abstract

Carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) stable isotope analyses from bone collagen provide information about the dietary protein input, while strontium isotopes (87 Sr/ 86 Sr) from tooth enamel give us data about provenance and potential territorial mobility of past populations. To date, isotopic results on the prehistory of the Western Pyrenees are scarce. In this article, we report human and faunal values of the mentioned isotopes from the Early-Middle Neolithic site of Fuente Hoz (Anuntzeta) and the Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic site of Kurtzebide (Letona, Zigoitia). The main objectives of this work are to analyse the dietary and territorial mobility patterns of these populations. Furthermore, as an additional aim, we will try to discuss social ranking based on the isotope data and existing literature on this topic in the region of study. Our results show that, based on the bioavailable Sr values, both purported local and non-local humans were buried together at the sites. Additionally, they suggest similar resource consumption based on C 3 terrestrial resources (i.e. ovicaprids, bovids, and suids) as the main part of the protein input. Overall, this study sheds light on how individuals from different backgrounds were still buried together and shared the same Bdietary lifestyle^at a time in the Prehistory of Iberia when social complexities started to appear.

Paleodiet in the Iberian Peninsula: exploring the connections between diet, culture, disease and environment using isotopic and osteoarchaeological evidence

“…Movement of people during Chalcolithic in the northcentral Spain has been suggested by several authors (Jones et al 2019;Sarasketa-Gartzia et al 2018). At these sites, locals and non-locals were buried together and shared a similar diet (Sarasketa-Gartzia et al 2018), although some of them also showed different dietary intakes (Jones et al 2019).…”

“…The dietary information provided by this study is an excellent example of the power of integrating a large, comprehensive dataset. They report a relatively homogeneous diet based on C 3 plants with some contribution of animal protein during the Neolithic, a dietary profile that has also been detected for early farming communities at north-central, north-eastern and south-central Spain (Díaz-Zorita Bonilla et al 2019;Jones et al 2019;Sarasketa-Gartzia et al 2018;Villalba-Mouco et al 2018). Bonilla et al 2019).…”

“…Movement of people during Chalcolithic in the northcentral Spain has been suggested by several authors (Jones et al 2019;Sarasketa-Gartzia et al 2018). At these sites, locals and non-locals were buried together and shared a similar diet (Sarasketa-Gartzia et al 2018), although some of them also showed different dietary intakes (Jones et al 2019). However, age-and sex-related isotopic (Fernández-Crespo et al 2018) and dental microwear (García-González et al 2018) differences are also identified suggesting a complicated panorama where division of labour and socioeconomic status have to be considered (Fernández-Crespo et al 2018).…”

“…There is an intense debate surrounding the timing of the introductions of millets during the Middle or Late Bronze Age (see discussion in López-Costas et al 2015b). No evidence of C 4 plant consumption has been detected during Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age in northern, north-eastern and south-eastern sites (Díaz-Zorita Bonilla et al 2019;Fernández-Crespo et al 2018;Jones et al 2019;Sarasketa-Gartzia et al 2018;Villalba-Mouco et al 2018). In these cases, if C 4 plants were a component in human diet, then they were not being consumed in sufficient quantities to register in bone collagen.…”

“…Map created with data from Natural Earth and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) with Helen Goodchild (York University)approached other aspects including weaning(García- González et al 2018; Grandal-d'Anglade et al 2019). Finally, the contributions studied a range of funerary deposits: burial caves(García-González et al 2018;Jones et al 2019;Sarasketa-Gartzia et al 2018;Villalba-Mouco et al 2018), pit graves(Fernández-Crespo et al 2018; Grandal-d'Anglade et al 2019;Jones et al 2019) and megalithic monuments (Díaz-ZoritaBonilla et al 2019; García-González et al 2018;Jones et al 2019;Sarasketa-Gartzia et al 2018).…”