Integrating buccal and occlusal dental microwear with isotope analyses for a complete paleodietary reconstruction of Holocene populations from Hungary

Abstract

Dietary reconstruction is used to make inferences about the subsistence strategies of ancient human populations, but it may also serve as a proxy to characterise their diverse cultural and technological manifestations. Dental microwear and stable isotope analyses have been shown to be successful techniques for paleodietary reconstruction of ancient populations but, despite yielding complementary dietary information, these techniques have rarely been combined within the same study. Here we present for the first time a comprehensive approach to interpreting ancient lifeways through the results of buccal and occlusal microwear, and δ13C and δ15N isotope analyses applied to the same individuals of prehistoric populations of Hungary from the Middle Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age periods. This study aimed to (a) assess if the combination of techniques yields a more precise assessment of past dietary and subsistence practices, and (b) contribute to our understanding of the dietary patterns of the prehistoric Hungarian populations. Overall, no correlations between microwear and δ13C and δ15N isotope variables were observed, except for a relationship between nitrogen and the vertical and horizontal index. However, we found that diachronic differences are influenced by the variation within the period. Particularly, we found differences in microwear and isotope variables between Middle Neolithic sites, indicating that there were different dietary practices among those populations. Additionally, microwear results suggest no changes in the abrasiveness of the diet, neither food processing methods, despite higher C4 plant resource consumption shown by carbon isotopic signal. Thus, we demonstrate that the integration of dental microwear and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope methodologies can provide complementary information for making inferences about paleodietary habits.

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes identify nuanced dietary changes from the Bronze and Iron Ages on the Great Hungarian Plain

“…However, this is a less parsimonious explanation given previous cultures from the same region ought then to also exhibit elevated δ 13 C values if they or their livestock consumed wild C 4 -enriched plants 84 . Moreover, δ 13 C values of fauna (− 21.8 to − 19.4‰ with a mean value of − 20.6‰ ± 0.6‰ (1σ)), we previously obtained from the GHP, are consistent with terrestrial C 3 environment ranges 57 , 60 .…”

“…Northward dispersal of millet from the GHP may have progressed through such “communication corridors”, together with the exchange of cultural objects and information 47 . Several of our Füzesabony samples derive from the site of Mezőzombor-Községi temető, located near the central Tisza River at the confluence of the GHP and mountains 60 . Another sample, radiocarbon dated to 1740–1440 cal BCE, is from Nagyrozvágy-Papdomb, located on the Bodrog River; the site also has bronze and gold artefacts 60 .…”

“…Several of our Füzesabony samples derive from the site of Mezőzombor-Községi temető, located near the central Tisza River at the confluence of the GHP and mountains 60 . Another sample, radiocarbon dated to 1740–1440 cal BCE, is from Nagyrozvágy-Papdomb, located on the Bodrog River; the site also has bronze and gold artefacts 60 . Located near rivers, these sites were ideally situated for trade.…”

What about the buccal surfaces? Dental microwear texture analysis of buccal and occlusal surfaces refines paleodietary reconstructions

“…For instance, occlusal microwear analyses shifted towards quantification through Dental Microwear Texture Analysis (DMTA) using confocal microscopy (e.g., El‐Zaatari, 2010; Mahoney et al, 2016; Schmidt et al, 2015; Schmidt et al, 2019; Ungar et al, 2003), whereas the majority of buccal microwear analyses continue to rely on quantification from images obtained with scanning electron and optical microscopy—SEM and OM, respectively (e.g., Lalueza et al, 1996; Pérez‐Pérez et al, 1994; Romero et al, 2012; Romero et al, 2013; Hernando, Fernández‐Marchena et al, 2020). Recent studies used SEM and OM to demonstrate how the combination of buccal and occlusal microwear can provide complementary data for reconstructing dietary behaviors given the differential rates of microwear accumulation and turnover between the two surfaces (García‐González et al, 2015; Hernando Ackermans et al, 2021; Hernando, Willman et al, 2020). Nonetheless, DMTA has rarely been explored on buccal surfaces (but see: Aliaga‐Martínez et al, 2017), and no study has yet used DMTA on both the occlusal and buccal surfaces of the same tooth.…”

“…Dental microwear is generally analyzed on either the buccal or occlusal surfaces, and both surfaces are rarely examined in the same study (García-González et al, 2015;Hernando et al, 2021;. This may be explained by a difference in imaging technology and associated difficulties of data comparison.…”