Isotopic analysis of the Blick Mead dog: A proxy for the dietary reconstruction and mobility of Mesolithic British hunter-gatherers

Rogers, Bryony; Gron, Kurt J.; Montgomery, Janet; Rowley‐Conwy, Peter; Nowell, Geoff; Peterkin, Joanne; Jacques, David

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.02.022

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…The zooarchaeological evidence from Siraf seems to suggest a lesser dependence on marine protein by humans in the area compared to Qalhât. This is further supported by the isotope values of animals such as dogs and chickens, which have previously been considered as proxies for human diets 97 , 108 , 109 (however, see also Refs. 110 , 111 ) and which have mean δ 13 C values indicative of a terrestrial diet.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

A dietary perspective of cat-human interactions in two medieval harbors in Iran and Oman revealed through stable isotope analysis

Brozou

Fuller

Cupere

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Cats are hypercarnivorous, opportunistic animals that have adjusted to anthropogenic environments since the Neolithic period. Through humans, either by direct feeding and/or scavenging on food scraps, the diet of cats has been enriched with animals that they cannot kill themselves (e.g., large mammals, fish). Here, we conducted carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio analysis to reconstruct the diet of medieval cats and investigate cat-human interactions in two medieval harbor sites (Qalhât, Oman and Siraf, Iran). The analysis included 28 cat individuals and 100 associated marine and terrestrial faunal samples pertaining to > 30 taxa. The isotopic results indicate a high marine protein-based diet for the cats from Qalhât and a mixed marine-terrestrial (C4) diet for the cats from Siraf. Cats at these sites most likely scavenged on both human food scraps and refuse related to fishing activities, with differences in the two sites most likely associated with the availability of marine resources and/or the living conditions of the cats. By shedding light on the dietary habits of cats from two medieval harbors in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, this study illustrates the potential of stable isotope analysis in reconstructing human-cat interactions in the past.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

A dietary perspective of cat-human interactions in two medieval harbors in Iran and Oman revealed through stable isotope analysis

Brozou

Fuller

Cupere

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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“…In principle, these techniques can be applied to the majority of mammals (i.e., kangaroo [8] , domestic dogs [22] , human [27] , [28] ). However, the most common subjects are domesticated mammals, predominantly those with hypsodont molars — high crowning teeth that mineralise over a longer period, subsequently giving an elongated isotopic timeline (e.g.…”

Section: Experimental Design Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Incremental dentine sampling is notably less frequent in zooarchaeology than its enamel counterpart, in both the United Kingdom, and the international field [11] . Of the two studies included in this dataset [10] , [22] , both methodologies are drastically different, as they are applied to teeth with notably different morphology. Though some sampling protocols have been published for specific animals (i.e cattle: Zazzo et al 2006 [33] ), it is only with increased application that more specific protocols will be produced, that are better suited for specific species with different tooth morphologies.…”

Section: Experimental Design Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incremental enamel and dentine isotopic data of faunal remains from the United Kingdom

et al. 2022

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“…These researchers do not subject samples to chemical analysis or high temperatures. Most manually remove the outer tooth surface (e.g., (Glassburn et al, 2018;Moore et al, 2020), cementum, or dentine (e.g., Budd et al, 2000;Hedman et al, 2009;Pokutta et al, 2019;Rogers et al, 2019), and sometimes clean samples with deionized water or acetone (e.g., (Evans et al, 2006;Esker et al, 2019;Janzen et al, 2020). These approaches minimize damage to a specimen.…”

Section: Frontiers In Environmental Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of powdered enamel sample pretreatment methods for strontium isotope analysis

Crowley

Simpson²,

Hammer³

et al. 2023

Front. Environ. Chem.

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Most researchers assume minimal impact of pretreatment on strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) for bones and teeth, and methods vary tremendously. We compared 14 pretreatment methods, including no prep other than powdering enamel, ashing, soaking in water, an oxidizing agent (bleach or hydrogen peroxide) or acetic acid (0.1 M, 1.0 M, and 1.0 M buffered with calcium acetate), and a combination of these steps. We prepared and analyzed aliquots of powdered molar enamel from three proboscideans (one modern captive Indian elephant, Elephas maximus indicus; one Pleistocene mastodon, Mammut americanum; and one Miocene gomphothere, Afrochoerodon kisumuensis). Each pretreatment was performed in triplicate and we measured 87Sr/86Sr, Sr concentration, and uranium (U) concentration, using the same lab space and instrumentation for all samples. Variability in 87Sr/86Sr and Sr and U concentrations was considerable across pretreatments. Mean 87Sr/86Sr across methods ranged from 0.70999 to 0.71029 for the modern tooth, 0.71458 to 0.71502 for the Pleistocene tooth, and 0.70804 to 0.70817 for the Miocene tooth. The modern tooth contained the least Sr and negligible U. The Pleistocene tooth contained slightly more Sr and measurable amounts of U, and the Miocene tooth had approximately 5x more Sr and U than the Pleistocene tooth. For all three teeth, variance in 87Sr/86Sr, Sr concentrations, and U concentrations among replicates was statistically indistinguishable across pretreatments, but there were apparent differences among pretreatments for the modern and Pleistocene teeth. Both contained relatively little Sr, and it is possible that small amounts of exogenous Sr from reagents, building materials or dust affected some replicates for some pretreatments. For the modern tooth, median 87Sr/86Sr varied considerably (but statistically insignificantly) across pretreatments. For the Pleistocene tooth, variability in median 87Sr/86Sr was also considerable; some pretreatments were statistically distinct but there were no obvious patterns among methods. For the Miocene tooth, variability in median 87Sr/86Sr was much smaller, but there were significant differences among pretreatments. Most pretreatments yielded 87Sr/86Sr and Sr concentrations comparable to, or lower than, untreated powder, suggesting selective removal of exogenous material with high 87Sr/86Sr. Further evaluation of the mechanisms driving isotopic variability both within and among pretreatment methods is warranted. Researchers should clearly report their methods and avoid combining data obtained using different methods. Small differences in 87Sr/86Sr could impact data interpretations, especially in areas where isotopic variability is low.

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Isotopic analysis of the Blick Mead dog: A proxy for the dietary reconstruction and mobility of Mesolithic British hunter-gatherers

Cited by 3 publications

References 91 publications

A dietary perspective of cat-human interactions in two medieval harbors in Iran and Oman revealed through stable isotope analysis

A dietary perspective of cat-human interactions in two medieval harbors in Iran and Oman revealed through stable isotope analysis

Incremental enamel and dentine isotopic data of faunal remains from the United Kingdom

Comparison of powdered enamel sample pretreatment methods for strontium isotope analysis

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