The effect of animal herding practices on the diversity of human stable isotope values in North Central Asia

Ananyevskaya, Elina; Akhatov, Gaziz; Loman, Valeriy; Dmitriev, Evgeniy; Ermolayeva, Antonina; Evdokimov, Valeriy; Garbaras, Andrius; Goryachev, Alexander; Kukushkin, Alexey; Kukushkin, I. A.; Kurmankulov, Zholdasbek; Logvin, Andrey; Lukpanova, Yana; Onggaruly, Akhan; S., Sakenov; Šapolaitė, Justina; Shevnina, Irina; Usmanova, Emma; Utubayev, Zhanbolat; Varfolomeev, Viktor; Voyakin, Dmitryi; Yarygin, Sergei; Matuzevičiūtė, Giedrė Motuzaitė

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102615

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…However, more detailed study would be required to determine the reason with higher certainty. As for the 1‰ difference in δ 13 C between horse/pony and cattle, similar lower δ 13 C values in horses in comparison to cattle and sheep/goats were found in other studies and interpreted as related to differences in pasturing strategies between species or as potentially caused by metabolic processes [94][95][96]. This difference may contribute to the higher δ 13 C values observed among domestic fauna in the 11-13 th centuries, as the proportion of fauna represented by cattle is the biggest for this period (n = 18 compared to 8 in 13-16 th centuries and 2 in the 16-18 th centuries), while both horse and cattle samples are rather evenly distributed among sites.…”

Section: Diet In Belarus Between the 11 Th And 18 Th Centuries Admentioning

confidence: 53%

Medieval and early modern diets in the Polack region of Belarus: A stable isotope perspective

Haponava

Kots²,

Lucas³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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In western and north-western Europe there has been a growing focus on exploring how major economic, political, and social changes during the Medieval period impacted the lived experience of different populations and sectors of society. Stable isotope analysis has proven particularly powerful in this regard, providing direct insights into the long-term diets of individuals and communities. Despite experiencing similarly dramatic social reconfigurations and changes, eastern Europe has, however, received far less attention in this regard. The territory of Belarus has, especially, so far remained a relative blank spot on the bioarchaeological map of Europe, though cities such as Polack emerged rapidly as key nodes within a growing economic and religious network. To gain direct insight into the diets of inhabitants of the Polack region of Belarus in the 11-18th centuries, we applied stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis to bone and dentine collagen from human (n = 143) and animal (n = 105) individuals from the city of Polack and surrounding rural sites. Results indicate a diet based on C3 terrestrial resources, which did not differ between sexes and showed limited variation over time. Contrary to expectations, it appears that animal products were commonly consumed by rural dwellers, but no significant reliance on fish resources or millet consumption is found. In contrast to examples from western Europe, we argue that the diets in the city and the surrounding villages remained broadly similar for the majority of the population, and similar to commoners analysed in Poland and Lithuania, perhaps suggestive of slightly different economic changes operating in this part of the Medieval world.

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Section: Diet In Belarus Between the 11 Th And 18 Th Centuries Admentioning

confidence: 53%

Medieval and early modern diets in the Polack region of Belarus: A stable isotope perspective

Haponava

Kots²,

Lucas³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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“…Some individuals during this period, however, also consumed C 4 plants (Figure 2). It is notable that the mean δ 15 N value of 11.9‰ (excluding an outlier, BTC-KY-H5: δ 15 N = 16.9‰) is slightly lower than the mean values from previously analysed second-millennium BC agro-pastoral communities in south-eastern Kazakhstan (12.7‰) (Motuzaite Matuzeviciute et al 2015; Ananyevskaya et al 2020a). Our results show the importance of C 3 plant food—probably barley and wheat—in the population's diet during the earliest stages of the introduction of the cultigen to the central Tien Shan Highlands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

The integration of millet into the diet of Central Asian populations in the third millennium BC

et al. 2022

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Stable isotope analyses demonstrate that C4 plants played an important dietary role in Eurasian prehistory. Uncertainty remains, however, about when and how crops were integrated into the diet of Central Asian populations. Here, the authors present δ13C and δ15N stable isotope analysis of human and animal bone collagen from Kyrgyzstan, revealing C4 plant—likely broomcorn millet—consumption in the third millennium BC. Combining this evidence with AMS radiocarbon dating and animal collagen peptide fingerprinting demonstrates that broomcorn millet was consumed by humans and animals during the earliest episodes of the westward spread of this crop plant. The results contribute to debates about the timing and means by which domesticated millets were dispersed across Eurasia.

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“…Our Bayesian isoscape indicates that millet was consumed by as early as 1600 BCE (Figure 3a). By 1500 BCE there is unambiguous evidence for millet consumption among populations in the Minusinsk Basin and in central Kazakhstan; the latter has evidence that rain-fed agriculture was possible at the base of granite outcrops in the Kent Mountains [49][50][51][52]. Both locales are designated as cropland (Figure 1).…”

Section: Patterns Of Millet Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptability of Millets and Landscapes: Ancient Cultivation in North-Central Asia

Ventresca-Miller,

Wilkin,

Smithers

et al. 2023

Agronomy

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Millet is a highly adaptable plant whose cultivation dramatically altered ancient economies in northern Asia. The adoption of millet is associated with increased subsistence reliability in semi-arid settings and perceived as a cultigen compatible with pastoralism. Here, we examine the pace of millet’s transmission and locales of adoption by compiling stable carbon isotope data from humans and fauna, then comparing them to environmental variables. The Bayesian modelling of isotope data allows for the assessment of changes in dietary intake over time and space. Our results suggest variability in the pace of adoption and intensification of millet production across northern Asia.

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The effect of animal herding practices on the diversity of human stable isotope values in North Central Asia

Cited by 7 publications

References 46 publications

Medieval and early modern diets in the Polack region of Belarus: A stable isotope perspective

Medieval and early modern diets in the Polack region of Belarus: A stable isotope perspective

The integration of millet into the diet of Central Asian populations in the third millennium BC

Adaptability of Millets and Landscapes: Ancient Cultivation in North-Central Asia

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