Trace Elements in Eneolithic and Late Medieval Human Bones from Two Archaeological Sites in Tuscany: Evaluation of Diagenetic Processes, Diet and Exposure to Heavy Metals

Bianchi, N.; Moroni, Adriana; Bonucci, Simone; Capecchi, Giulia; Ancora, Stefania; Ricci, Stefano; Leonzio, Claudio

doi:10.15640/jaa.v5n2a3

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 26 publications

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“…Some of these studies (e.g. González-Reimers et al Szostek et al 2003 ; Busetto et al 2008 ; Corti et al 2013 ; Ïzci et al 2013 ; Bianchi et al 2017 ; Guede et al 2017 ; Bocca et al 2018 ; Rasmussen et al 2020a ) have continued to suggest that elements, such as Ba, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), Sr, and Zn, among others, can be used to make direct inferences about palaeodiet. In doing so, these studies often rely upon the correlational literature from the 1980s to advocate for the use of TE concentrations and ratios to deduce the relative contributions of different dietary constituents, such as terrestrial animal and marine proteins versus plants.…”

Section: Post-critique: Trace Element Analysis In the Twenty-first Cementioning

confidence: 99%

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

Simpson

Cooper

Swanston

et al. 2021

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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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.

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Section: Post-critique: Trace Element Analysis In the Twenty-first Cementioning

confidence: 99%

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

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Nutritional reconstruction in an early modern population: Searching for a relationship between dental microwear and bone element composition

Dąbrowski

Kulus

Grzelak

et al. 2022

Annals of Anatomy - Anatomischer Anzeiger

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Copper exposure in medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany: its relationship to residence location and social position

et al. 2020

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For medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany, trace elements can potentially contribute to our understanding of diet, migration, social status, exposure to urban settings, and disease treatment. Copper, of particular interest as a marker of access to everyday metal items, can be used to clarify socioeconomic distinctions between and within communities. Postmortem alteration of bone (diagenesis), however, must be ruled out before the elements can be used to characterize life in the past. Femoral cortical bone samples of ca. 40 mg were thoroughly decontaminated, and the concentrations of Al, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, As, Sr, Ba, and Pb were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The concentrations of these elements were quantified in bone samples from 553 skeletons from 9 rural and urban cemeteries, and 34 soil samples obtained near three burials. Copper, the primary element of interest in this work, is generally absent from the femoral cortical bone of rural people, although it occurs in high concentrations in the skeletons of the inhabitants of towns. The Cu in medieval to post-medieval bones likely originated from everyday objects, notably kitchen utensils. A rural to urban distinction in Cu concentrations, found repeatedly at two sites, likely resulted from differential access to much-desired, although still utilitarian, household items. An uneven distribution of metal objects used in domestic contexts, demonstrated through bone chemistry, was greater between rural and urban communities than it was within urban centres, at least among the socioeconomic positions sampled in this study.

show abstract

Trace Elements in Eneolithic and Late Medieval Human Bones from Two Archaeological Sites in Tuscany: Evaluation of Diagenetic Processes, Diet and Exposure to Heavy Metals

Cited by 3 publications

References 26 publications

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

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

Nutritional reconstruction in an early modern population: Searching for a relationship between dental microwear and bone element composition

Copper exposure in medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany: its relationship to residence location and social position

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