Child murder in the Early Bronze Age: proteomic sex identification of a cold case from Schleinbach, Austria

Rebay‐Salisbury, Katharina; Janker, Lukas; Pany-Kucera, Doris; Schuster, Dina; Spannagl-Steiner, Michaela; Waltenberger, Lukas; Salisbury, Roderick B.; Kanz, Fabian

doi:10.1007/s12520-020-01199-8

Cited by 24 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Before the widespread application of LC–MS/MS to archaeological samples, attempts to use MALDI-TOF/TOF to identify both AMELX and AMELY for sex determination were met with minimal success. , Subsequent efforts using LC–MS/MS have proven much more productive for sex determination in ancient humans ,,,,− and archaic hominids . Sex determination for other species has been limited to date, but includes extinct species of rhinoceros ( Stephanorhinus sp …”

Section: Applications In Paleoproteomicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleoproteomics

2022

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Paleoproteomics, the study of ancient proteins, is a rapidly growing field at the intersection of molecular biology, paleontology, archaeology, paleoecology, and history. Paleoproteomics research leverages the longevity and diversity of proteins to explore fundamental questions about the past. While its origins predate the characterization of DNA, it was only with the advent of soft ionization mass spectrometry that the study of ancient proteins became truly feasible. Technological gains over the past 20 years have allowed increasing opportunities to better understand preservation, degradation, and recovery of the rich bioarchive of ancient proteins found in the archaeological and paleontological records. Growing from a handful of studies in the 1990s on individual highly abundant ancient proteins, paleoproteomics today is an expanding field with diverse applications ranging from the taxonomic identification of highly fragmented bones and shells and the phylogenetic resolution of extinct species to the exploration of past cuisines from dental calculus and pottery food crusts and the characterization of past diseases. More broadly, these studies have opened new doors in understanding past human−animal interactions, the reconstruction of past environments and environmental changes, the expansion of the hominin fossil record through large scale screening of nondiagnostic bone fragments, and the phylogenetic resolution of the vertebrate fossil record. Even with these advances, much of the ancient proteomic record still remains unexplored. Here we provide an overview of the history of the field, a summary of the major methods and applications currently in use, and a critical evaluation of current challenges. We conclude by looking to the future, for which innovative solutions and emerging technology will play an important role in enabling us to access the still unexplored "dark" proteome, allowing for a fuller understanding of the role ancient proteins can play in the interpretation of the past.

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Section: Applications In Paleoproteomicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleoproteomics

2022

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“…Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes can be used to investigate husbandry practices, including forage and pasture management strategies [ 23 – 27 ]. The δ 13 C signatures of animal tissues reflect the carbon component of protein (bone) and carbohydrate (fats) intake, and total diet (teeth) and, for herbivores, tissue carbon isotope ratios directly reflect plant stable isotopic composition [ 28 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus can be used to reconstruct pasture and fodder resource environments [ 23 – 25 ]. The nitrogen isotopic composition of bone and dentine collagen can indicate the level of anthropogenic activity associated with their food source [ 22 , 23 , 26 , 27 ]. Previous stable isotopic analyses of bone collagen from faunal material recovered from Stubline and Vinča-Belo brdo suggest that different types of forage were provisioned to different domesticated species, with cattle exhibiting a wide range of δ 13 C values indicative of open and closed forest pasturing [ 22 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Of herds and societies—Seasonal aspects of Vinča culture herding and land use practices revealed using sequential stable isotope analysis of animal teeth

et al. 2021

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Late Neolithic Vinča communities, spread over much of central and northern Balkans during the late sixth to mid-fifth millennium BC and characterised by unusually large and densely population centres, would have required highly organised food production systems. Zooarchaeological analysis indicates that domesticate livestock were herded, but little is known about the seasonal husbandry practices that helped ensure a steady supply of animal products to Vinča farming communities. Here, we present new stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotopic measurements of incremental bioapatite samples from the teeth of domesticated livestock and wild herbivore teeth from two late Neolithic Vinča culture sites: Vinča-Belo brdo and Stubline (Serbia). Our results show a low variation overall within sheep and goats in terms of pasture type that may have been composed of seasonal halophyte plant communities, which have higher δ13C values due to the saline rich growing environments. Cattle feeding strategies were more variable and provided with supplementary forage, such as cut branches or leafy hay, during winter. The sharp distinction in the management of cattle and sheep/goat may be associated with the development of herding strategies that sought to balance livestock feeding behaviours with available forage or, more provocatively, the emergence of household-based control over cattle–an animal that held a central economic and symbolic role in Vinča societies.

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“…Strongly gendered burial practices, even among younger children in the context of Franzhausen I, suggest gender was an important component of childhood identity in the community [25]. Recent developments in amelogenin peptide-based sex determination provide a reliable means to determine the sex of non-adult human remains [26][27][28]. Such methods allow the further comparison of dental wear and the prevalence of dental pathological conditions among male and female children to discuss potential gendered differences in childhood diet among prehistoric populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dental wear and oral pathology among sex determined Early Bronze-Age children from Franzhausen I, Lower Austria

et al. 2023

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The physical properties of diet and oral health throughout childhood play an important role in the development of human dentition, and differed greatly before the industrial revolution. In this study we examined dental wear and oral pathology in a sample of children from the Early Bronze-Age to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of childhood diet and related oral health. We explore cross-sectional age and sex-based variation of children in the sample. The analysis was carried out on the dentitions of 75 children, 978 teeth, excavated from the Early Bronze-Age cemetery Franzhausen I in Lower Austria. Presence of dental caries and calculus was recorded. Dental wear was measured using dentine exposure, occlusal topography, and dental microwear texture analysis. Sex determination was carried out using amelogenin peptide analysis. Caries were found in only 4 individuals (crude prevalence rate—5%, 95% CI 1% to 13%), affecting only 5 teeth (true prevalence rate—less than 1%). Dentine exposure was observed in over 70% of deciduous molars and dental wear measurements indicate a comparatively strong dental wear accumulation especially, among younger children, when compared to modern-day and later pre-industrial populations. Microwear textures presented a high complexity (Asfc > 2)/low anisotropy (epLsar < 1) profile, especially in older children. Differences between male and female children were not generally significant but increased dentine exposure was observed in the lower molars of younger female children. Our results suggest that the Early Bronze-Age children at Franzhausen I consumed a non-cariogenic diet, more abrasive and inclusive of harder/polyhedral foodstuffs than present-day children and some later Medieval children. Differences in dental wear accumulation were observed between children within the population, but with minimal variation between the sexes mostly occurring among younger children.

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Child murder in the Early Bronze Age: proteomic sex identification of a cold case from Schleinbach, Austria

Cited by 24 publications

References 44 publications

Paleoproteomics

Paleoproteomics

Of herds and societies—Seasonal aspects of Vinča culture herding and land use practices revealed using sequential stable isotope analysis of animal teeth

Dental wear and oral pathology among sex determined Early Bronze-Age children from Franzhausen I, Lower Austria

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