Characterization of ancient lipids in prehistoric organic residues: Chemical evidence of livestock‐pens in rock‐shelters since early neolithic to bronze age

Abstract

The characterization of ancient lipids from prehistoric sediments (fumiers) located in a rock-selter has been possible after the optimization of an analytical method based on the microwave-assisted extraction and solid-phase extraction clean-up step and a final derivatization step followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Eight sterols and two bile acids were detected just in the partially burned and unburned layers of the fumiers (animal organic residues deriving from manure/dung). The relationship between some of these compounds can be used to distinguish the biogenic origin of the samples, concluding that these strata (from Early Neolithic to Late Chalcolithic/Early Bronze Age) can be classified as ruminant residues. Three main periods of activity are observed over a period of 2000 years: one from 3990 ± 40 before present (4530-4410 calibrated before present) to 4100 ± 40 before present (4820-4750/4730-4510/4470-4450 calibrated before present), the second from 4470 ± 40 before present (5300-4970 calibrated before present) to 5490 ± 30 before present (6310-6275/6230-6220 calibrated before present) and the third from 5880 ± 30 before present (6775-6765/6750-6645 calibrated before present) to 6010 ± 30 before present (6940-6780/6765-6755 calibrated before present). Chemical data obtained are in concordance with the previous results obtained in the area.

Comparison of Sporormiella dung fungal spores and oribatid mites as indicators of large herbivore presence: evidence from the Cuzco region of Peru

“…Future studies might also consider incorporating an analysis of ancient DNA (Etienne et al, 2015;Ficetola et al, 2018) and/or promising new biochemical markers linked to faecal matter (e.g. D'Anjou et al, 2012;Guillemot et al, 2016;Gea et al, 2017;Zocatelli et al, 2017), thereby increasing the confidence of inferring livestock presence from the sedimentary record.…”

Biomolecular Evidence of Early Human Occupation of a High-Altitude Site in Western Central Asia During the Holocene

“…Conversely, coprostanol, a cholesterol derivative, accounts for ∼60% of the total sterols in human feces Bull et al, 2002;Daughton, 2012). Therefore, human fecal input can be distinguished from those of herbivores Ortiz et al, 2016), enabling their use in paleoenvironmental and archeological studies (e.g., Baeten et al, 2012;D'Anjou et al, 2012;Gea et al, 2017;Engels et al, 2018;White et al, 2018).…”

Tracing ephemeral human occupation through archaeological, palaeoenvironmental and molecular proxies at Łabajowa Cave

“…They have been successfully analysed in archaeology to recognise contamination with human faecal material and to distinguish faecal material of specific groups of animals or species (Bull et al 2002; Shillito et al 2020). In caves, they have been mostly analysed within layers of fumiers —that is, layers of dung that are connected to the use of caves as livestock-pens (Gea et al 2017)—but broader approaches have been tested as well (see for instance Krajcarz et al 2013). Consequently, faecal sterols and bile acids can indicate which vertebrate species, including humans, used a cave at a particular time.…”