Diatom Microfossils in Archaeological Settings

Stone, Jeffery R.; Yost, Chad

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-42622-4_3

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 129 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The inclusion of non‐dietary microfossils in dental calculus samples, such as silica‐rich fragments, has already been documented in the literature. The recovery of such type of remains, including microalgae, provided evidence of the phytoplancton diversity from water sources in archaeological contexts, together with demographic implications of settlement strategy and geographic mobility (Dudgeon & Tromp, 2014; King et al., 2017; Stone & Yost, 2020). Among many, Radiolarians and diatoms possess biogenic silica structures, which can be resilient to alteration by salivary digestion, masticatory activities and acids.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microparticles from dental calculus disclose paleoenvironmental and palaeoecological records

D'Agostino,

Di Marco,

Rolfo

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plants have always represented a key element in landscape delineation. Indeed, plant diversity, whose distribution is influenced by geographic/climatic variability, has affected both environmental and human ecology. The present contribution represents a multi‐proxy study focused on the detection of starch, pollen and non‐pollen palynomorphs in ancient dental calculus collected from pre‐historical individuals buried at La Sassa and Pila archaeological sites (Central Italy). The collected record suggested the potential use of plant taxa by the people living in Central Italy during the Copper‐Middle Bronze Age and expanded the body of evidence reported by previous palynological and palaeoecological studies. The application of a microscopic approach provided information about domesticated crops and/or gathered wild plants and inferred considerations on ancient environments, water sources, and past health and diseases. Moreover, the research supplied data to define the natural resources (e.g., C4‐plant intake) and the social use of the space during that period. Another important aspect was the finding of plant clues referable to woody habitats, characterised by broad‐leaved deciduous taxa and generally indicative of a warm‐temperate climate and grassy vegetation. Other unusual records (e.g., diatoms, brachysclereids) participated in defining the prehistoric ecological framework. Thus, this work provides an overview on the potential of the human dental calculus analysis to delineate some features of the ancient plant ecology and biodiversity.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microparticles from dental calculus disclose paleoenvironmental and palaeoecological records

D'Agostino,

Di Marco,

Rolfo

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Primate archaeology should also take advantage of the latest archaeological advances. Soil analysis, including the study of biomarkers, diatoms, environmental DNA, and phytoliths, are becoming ever more commonplace in modern human archaeology (Neumann et al, 2016; Salisbury et al, 2022; Stone & Yost, 2020). Combined with micro‐archaeology (Salisbury et al, 2022; Weiner, 2010), this research can reveal previously overlooked behavioral traces, and provide greater ecological resolution.…”

Section: Archaeology Beyond Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Primate archaeology 3.0

Pascual‐Garrido,

Carvalho,

Almeida‐Warren

2023

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The new field of primate archaeology investigates the technological behavior and material record of nonhuman primates, providing valuable comparative data on our understanding of human technological evolution. Yet, paralleling hominin archaeology, the field is largely biased toward the analysis of lithic artifacts. While valuable comparative data have been gained through an examination of extant nonhuman primate tool use and its archaeological record, focusing on this one single aspect provides limited insights. It is therefore necessary to explore to what extent other non‐technological activities, such as non‐tool aided feeding, traveling, social behaviors or ritual displays, leave traces that could be detected in the archaeological record. Here we propose four new areas of investigation which we believe have been largely overlooked by primate archaeology and that are crucial to uncovering the full archaeological potential of the primate behavioral repertoire, including that of our own: (1) Plant technology; (2) Archaeology beyond technology; (3) Landscape archaeology; and (4) Primate cultural heritage. We discuss each theme in the context of the latest developments and challenges, as well as propose future directions. Developing a more “inclusive” primate archaeology will not only benefit the study of primate evolution in its own right but will aid conservation efforts by increasing our understanding of changes in primate‐environment interactions over time.

show abstract

Reconstructing dietary practices at Tell Kamid el-Loz (Lebanon) during the Bronze and Iron Age III / Persian to Hellenistic periods using plant micro-remains from dental calculus and stable isotope analysis of bone collagen

Gur-Arieh,

Eisenmann,

Henry

et al. 2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tell Kamid el-Loz (Lebanon) was an important Bronze Age urban center that dominated one of the central crossroads of the Ancient Near East, connecting Egypt and the Levant with northern Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Syria, as well as the interior with the Mediterranean coast. However, by the early Iron Age, the site had shrunk to a small rural settlement. Later, in the Iron Age III / Persian-Hellenistic, only enigmatic pits and a large cemetery remained. In this paper, we analyzed plant micro-remains from the dental calculus of 15 individuals (3 from the Middle Bronze Age II and 12 from the Iron Age III / Persian-Hellenistic) and δ13C and δ15N stable isotope data from tbulk bone collagen of 74 individuals (10 from the Middle Bronze Age II and 64 from the Iron Age III / Persian-Hellenistic) and 13 Late Bronze Age animal bones (7 Ovis/Capra and 6 Bos). Our results indicate general stability of human diet throughout the Middle Bronze Age II and the Iron III / Persian-Hellenistic periods, with a reliance on C3 plant crops and terrestrial animals also consuming C3 plants. In the later period, the plant micro-remains indicate the consumption of C4 plants and sedges, and the stable isotope analysis indicates differences in diet between males and females.

show abstract

Diatom Microfossils in Archaeological Settings

Cited by 5 publications

References 129 publications

Microparticles from dental calculus disclose paleoenvironmental and palaeoecological records

Microparticles from dental calculus disclose paleoenvironmental and palaeoecological records

Primate archaeology 3.0

Reconstructing dietary practices at Tell Kamid el-Loz (Lebanon) during the Bronze and Iron Age III / Persian to Hellenistic periods using plant micro-remains from dental calculus and stable isotope analysis of bone collagen

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About