Lives before and after Stonehenge: An osteobiographical study of four prehistoric burials recently excavated from the Stonehenge World Heritage Site

Mays, Simon; Roberts, David; Marshall, P.; Pike, Alistair; Heekeren, Vivian van; Ramsey, Christopher Bronk; Dunbar, Elaine; Reimer, Paula J.; Linscott, Bethan; Radini, Anita; Lowe, Abigail; Dowle, Adam; Speller, Camilla; Vallender, John; Bedford, J.

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.06.008

Cited by 14 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 90 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The combined results obtained here from British sites indicate that Neolithic populations were utilising milk and/or dairy products from either cattle, goat or sheep (or potentially combinations of these). This evidence is consistent with the recent discovery of bovine milk consumption in the Middle Neolithic individual recovered from Stonehenge (Mays et al 2018). The results obtained here also show varying numbers of BLG spectra detected across all individuals, as has been observed in previous studies (Warinner et al 2014a;Mays et al 2018).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

“…2). These levels of degradation are more advanced than those reported in previous analyses of BLG from ancient dental calculus proteomes (Mays et al 2018;Mackie et al 2017), a result consistent with the greater antiquity of these Neolithic individuals compared to previous studies (e.g., Middle Bronze Age, Roman and Medieval individuals).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

“…A small number of studies have now explored dietary proteins preserved within human dental calculus. To date, evidence of putative plant proteins originating from oats (Avena sativa), peas (Pisum sativum) and Brassicaceae in archaeological dental calculus have been recovered, as well as a putative faunal blood haemoglobin (HBB) protein, and the milk proteins lactoperoxidase (LPO) and α-S1-casein (CSN1S1) (Hendy et al 2018a;Jersie-Christensen et al 2018;Mays et al 2018). The detection of these proteins showcases how metaproteomic analysis can provide a new direct way of determining dietary information from the archaeological past.…”

Section: Dietary Proteins Within Dental Calculusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If correct, the presence of BLG in Neolithic calculus may provide an additional source of information on Neolithic dairy consumption and the origins of raw milk consumption. Although the presence of BLG in dental calculus has been explored in samples dating back to the Bronze Age (Warinner et al 2014a) and a single individual from the Middle Neolithic (Mays et al 2018), applications of metaproteomic analyses to early prehistoric calculus have not yet been widely explored.…”

Section: Lactase Persistence and The Origins Of Milk Consumptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here we apply metaproteomic analysis to human dental calculus samples from three British Neolithic sites to assess the prevalence of dietary and milk proteins, and its efficacy as a method via which to increase our understanding of Neolithic diets. To date, the calculus from only a single Middle Neolithic individual has yet been analysed using metaproteomic methods (Mays et al 2018). To our knowledge, this study represents the oldest human dental calculus samples analysed proteomically to date globally.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

New insights into Neolithic milk consumption through proteomic analysis of dental calculus

Charlton

Ramsøe

Collins

et al. 2019

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There has long been debate over the origins of dairy consumption within European populations. Whilst it was previously assumed that lactase persistence (LP) was under positive selection following the advent of agriculture, recent genetic studies of prehistoric human remains have revealed LP may have only emerged in Europe in the last 4000 years. These findings stand in contrast to organic residue analysis of Neolithic pottery indicating the utilisation of dairy products, and zooarchaeological mortality profiles consistent with dairying herds at Neolithic sites. The recent discovery of the milk protein β-lactoglobulin (BLG) within human dental calculus presents a new method via which to explore dairy product consumption in the archaeological past. Here, we apply shotgun proteomic analysis to dental calculus samples from three British Neolithic sites, revealing the earliest identification of BLG in human dental calculus to date. The presence of BLG peptides in individuals who are unlikely to possess LP provides new insight into dairying in the British Neolithic, suggesting the potential processing of milk by Neolithic populations to reduce the lactose content of dairy products.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Dietary Proteins Within Dental Calculusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Lactase Persistence and The Origins Of Milk Consumptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

New insights into Neolithic milk consumption through proteomic analysis of dental calculus

Charlton

Ramsøe

Collins

et al. 2019

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Archaeological Proteomics

Hendy¹

2023

Handbook of Archaeological Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Historical overview and new directions in bioarchaeological trace element analysis: a review

Simpson

Cooper

Swanston

et al. 2021

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Given their strong affinity for the skeleton, trace elements are often stored in bones and teeth long term. Diet, geography, health, disease, social status, activity, and occupation are some factors which may cause differential exposure to, and uptake of, trace elements, theoretically introducing variability in their concentrations and/or ratios in the skeleton. Trace element analysis of bioarchaeological remains has the potential, therefore, to provide rich insights into past human lifeways. This review provides a historical overview of bioarchaeological trace element analysis and comments on the current state of the discipline by highlighting approaches with growing momentum. Popularity for the discipline surged following preliminary studies in the 1960s to 1970s that demonstrated the utility of strontium (Sr) as a dietary indicator. During the 1980s, Sr/Ca ratio and multi-element studies were commonplace in bioarchaeology, linking trace elements with dietary phenomena. Interest in using trace elements for bioarchaeological inferences waned following a period of critiques in the late 1980s to 1990s that argued the discipline failed to account for diagenesis, simplified complex element uptake and regulation processes, and used several unsuitable elements for palaeodietary reconstruction (e.g. those under homeostatic regulation, those without a strong affinity for the skeleton). In the twenty-first century, trace element analyses have been primarily restricted to Sr and lead (Pb) isotope analysis and the study of toxic trace elements, though small pockets of bioarchaeology have continued to analyse multiple elements. Techniques such as micro-sampling, element mapping, and non-traditional stable isotope analysis have provided novel insights which hold the promise of helping to overcome limitations faced by the discipline.

show abstract

Lives before and after Stonehenge: An osteobiographical study of four prehistoric burials recently excavated from the Stonehenge World Heritage Site

Cited by 14 publications

References 90 publications

New insights into Neolithic milk consumption through proteomic analysis of dental calculus

New insights into Neolithic milk consumption through proteomic analysis of dental calculus

Archaeological Proteomics

Historical overview and new directions in bioarchaeological trace element analysis: a review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About