Practical Considerations in High-Precision Compound-Specific Radiocarbon Analyses: Eliminating the Effects of Solvent and Sample Cross-Contamination on Accuracy and Precision

Casanova, Emmanuelle; Knowles, Tim; Williams, Christopher; Crump, Matthew P.; Evershed, Richard P.

doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.8b02713

Cited by 44 publications

(44 citation statements)

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“…direct dating of the occurrence of specific foodstuffs, such as carcass or dairy products [33][34][35]. In addition to the conventional radiocarbon dates obtained from some of the sites (shown S5.1 Fig in S5 File), here, we dated two potsherds containing dairy products, providing, for the first time, a direct date for milk use in the Balkans.…”

Section: Competing Interestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living off the land: Terrestrial-based diet and dairying in the farming communities of the Neolithic Balkans

et al. 2020

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The application of biomolecular techniques to archaeological materials from the Balkans is providing valuable new information on the prehistory of the region. This is especially relevant for the study of the neolithisation process in SE Europe, which gradually affected the rest of the continent. Here, to answer questions regarding diet and subsistence practices in early farming societies in the central Balkans, we combine organic residue analyses of archaeological pottery, taxonomic and isotopic study of domestic animal remains and biomolecular analyses of human dental calculus. The results from the analyses of the lipid residues from pottery suggest that milk was processed in ceramic vessels. Dairy products were shown to be part of the subsistence strategies of the earliest Neolithic communities in the region but were of varying importance in different areas of the Balkan. Conversely, milk proteins were not detected within the dental calculus. The molecular and isotopic identification of meat, dairy, plants and beeswax in the pottery lipids also provided insights into the diversity of diet in these early Neolithic communities, mainly based on terrestrial resources. We also present the first compound-specific radiocarbon dates for the region, obtained directly from absorbed organic residues extracted from pottery, identified as dairy lipids.

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Section: Competing Interestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living off the land: Terrestrial-based diet and dairying in the farming communities of the Neolithic Balkans

et al. 2020

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“…Accurate dating of carbonized residues on pottery sherds is clearly also problematic (Figure 3c), and in this case replication is often prevented by the limited material available. Again, archaeological information can be used to identify inaccurate results, but ultimately the solution may lay in alternative methods for directly dating the use of pottery (Casanova et al 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Confessions of a Serial Polygamist: The Reality of Radiocarbon Reproducibility in Archaeological Samples

Bayliss

Marshall

2019

Radiocarbon

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Since 1993 Historic England (and its predecessor English Heritage) has commissioned 9074 radiocarbon (14C) measurements on archaeological samples. Over 80% of these have been interpreted within formal Bayesian statistical models. The multiple strands of reinforcing evidence incorporated in these models provide precise chronologies that make stringent demands on the accuracy of the 14C results included in the analysis. Inter-laboratory replication is consequently a routine part of model construction and validation. We report an analysis of replicate measurements on 1089 archaeological samples. It is clear that laboratory reproducibility accounts for only part of the observed variation. The type of material dated is also critical to the reproducibility of measurements, with some sample types proving particularly problematic.

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“…2. Previously published radiocarbon dates for each site, along with newly generated compound-specific radiocarbon dates on extracted lipids (20), are in SI Appendix, Table S2.…”

Section: Pastoral Neolithic Herdersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular and isotopic evidence for milk, meat, and plants in prehistoric eastern African herder food systems

Grillo

Dunne

Marshall

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The development of pastoralism transformed human diets and societies in grasslands worldwide. The long-term success of cattle herding in Africa has been sustained by dynamic food systems, consumption of a broad range of primary and secondary livestock products, and the evolution of lactase persistence (LP), which allows digestion of lactose into adulthood and enables the milk-based, high-protein, low-calorie diets characteristic of contemporary pastoralists. Despite the presence of multiple alleles associated with LP in ancient and present-day eastern African populations, the contexts for selection for LP and the long-term development of pastoralist foodways in this region remain unclear. Pastoral Neolithic (c. 5000 to 1200 BP) faunas indicate that herders relied on cattle, sheep, and goats and some hunting, but direct information on milk consumption, plant use, and broader culinary patterns is rare. Combined chemical and isotopic analysis of ceramic sherds (n = 125) from Pastoral Neolithic archaeological contexts in Kenya and Tanzania, using compound-specific δ13C and Δ13C values of the major fatty acids, provides chemical evidence for milk, meat, and plant processing by ancient herding societies in eastern Africa. These data provide the earliest direct evidence for milk product consumption and reveal a history of reliance on animal products and other nutrients, likely extracted through soups or stews, and plant foods. They document a 5,000-y temporal framework for eastern Africa pastoralist cuisines and cultural contexts for selection for alleles distinctive of LP in eastern Africa.

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Practical Considerations in High-Precision Compound-Specific Radiocarbon Analyses: Eliminating the Effects of Solvent and Sample Cross-Contamination on Accuracy and Precision

Cited by 44 publications

References 23 publications

Living off the land: Terrestrial-based diet and dairying in the farming communities of the Neolithic Balkans

Living off the land: Terrestrial-based diet and dairying in the farming communities of the Neolithic Balkans

Confessions of a Serial Polygamist: The Reality of Radiocarbon Reproducibility in Archaeological Samples

Molecular and isotopic evidence for milk, meat, and plants in prehistoric eastern African herder food systems

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