Tracking animals using strontium isotopes in teeth: the role of fallow deer (<i>Dama dama</i>) in Roman Britain

Sykes, Naomi; White, Judith; Hayes, T.E.; Palmer, Martin R.

doi:10.1017/s0003598x00094539

Cited by 65 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Since the model is predicated on seasonal migration between the highlands of the Apennines and the Tyrrhenian coast of central Italy, we tested its central precept by applying sequential combined oxygen ( 18 O/ 16 O), carbon ( 13 C/ 12 C) and strontium ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) isotope measurements in tooth enamel crowns to reconstruct seasonal environmental variations as well as animal mobility patterns. Skeletal mineral (bioapatite) 13 C/ 12 C and 18 O/ 16 O ratios reflect the isotopic chemistry of food and drink that the animal acquired in vivo. In the case of herbivores, the 13 C/ 12 C ratio reflects the composition of the ingested vegetation, primarily C 3 versus C 4 or, at a lower level of variability, a number of factors including the level of humidity or aridity in the environment, solar radiation, and the concentration of CO 2 .…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Skeletal mineral (bioapatite) 13 C/ 12 C and 18 O/ 16 O ratios reflect the isotopic chemistry of food and drink that the animal acquired in vivo. In the case of herbivores, the 13 C/ 12 C ratio reflects the composition of the ingested vegetation, primarily C 3 versus C 4 or, at a lower level of variability, a number of factors including the level of humidity or aridity in the environment, solar radiation, and the concentration of CO 2 . e.g.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…7 The 18 O/ 16 O ratio in the phosphate and carbonate components of fossil bioapatite in individuals reflects the isotopic composition of the total ingested water in food and drink 8,9 and, in turn, climate variability via the effects of temperature and Rayleigh distillation on the isotopic composition of precipitation environmental water. Sequential intra-tooth measurements of 18 O/ 16 O and 13 C/ 12 C along the direction of growth are useful to assess the compositional variations of these parameters along a tooth mineralisation trajectory, as they reflect seasonal environmental variations during this period. [10][11][12][13] Mobility (or residence) patterns can be reflected in 87 Sr/ 86 Sr from tooth enamel, since Sr deposited in the skeletal tissues from food and drink links the animal to the geographical region from which it sourced its food and drink.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Sequential intra-tooth measurements of 18 O/ 16 O and 13 C/ 12 C along the direction of growth are useful to assess the compositional variations of these parameters along a tooth mineralisation trajectory, as they reflect seasonal environmental variations during this period. [10][11][12][13] Mobility (or residence) patterns can be reflected in 87 Sr/ 86 Sr from tooth enamel, since Sr deposited in the skeletal tissues from food and drink links the animal to the geographical region from which it sourced its food and drink. 11 The ability to detect movement across a landscape, or landscapes, requires that the underlying geologies across which the animal traverses have differing 87 Sr/ 86 Sr compositions.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…[10][11][12][13][14][15] On this basis, we performed a detailed isotopic investigation on animal dental remains of ungulates from four archaeological sites in central Italy.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Faunal migration in late‐glacial central Italy: implications for human resource exploitation

Pellegrini

Donahue

Chenery³

et al. 2008

Rapid Comm Mass Spectrometry

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The hunter-gatherer transhumance model presents foragers as specialised hunters of migratory ungulates, which moved seasonally between coastal lowlands and interior uplands. We studied six animal teeth of horse (Equus hydruntinus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) from four different archaeological sites: the Grotta di Vado all'Arancio, Grotta di Settecannelle, Grotta Polesini and Grotta di Pozzo, in central Italy to test whether the migratory patterns and seasonal variations recorded in their teeth were consistent with expectations of the transhumance model for this region during the late Upper Palaeolithic. Sequential sub-samples of enamel were analysed from each tooth for oxygen, carbon and strontium isotope ratios to reconstruct mobility and yearly seasonal variations. The results show little evidence that these animals were moving over different geological terrains throughout the year, although small variations in Sr isotope ratios and concentrations were detected that corresponded to probable seasonal variations as shown by variability in oxygen isotope sequences. The results do, however, demonstrate that Cervus elaphus and Equus hydruntinus had different ranging behaviours, with the former moving over wider areas than the latter. This methodology produces results appropriate to assess animal migratory behaviour and, in turn, to test the consistency of proposed models of hunter-gatherer subsistence and mobility strategies. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Eurasian hunter-gatherer populations experienced rapid and extreme environmental changes from the Last Glacial Maximum to the early Holocene (ca. 18 000 to 8000 BP). e.g. 1,2 During this period profound socio-economic changes and technological developments took place that culminated with the transition to agriculture. Various models have been applied to explore the relationship between the environment and hunter-gatherer behaviour during the late-glacial in Mediterranean Europe. The hunter-gatherer transhumance model, a variation of the seasonal mobility model originally developed by Higgs, 3,4 presents foragers as specialised hunters of migratory ungulates that moved seasonally between coastal lowlands and interior uplands. In Italy, Barker hypothesised that hunter-gatherers of the late Pleistocene followed seasonally migratory herd species including Cervus elaphus and Equus hydruntinus between the Apennine uplands and the coastal plains. 5,6 These two locations offer seasonally distinct opportunities for grazing species: in winter the mountains are inhospitable and cold while the coastal plains remain grass-covered. In summer, instead, the lowlands are dry with little vegetation and the mountains remain vegetated. These distinctions would have been intensified in the late Pleistocene, and Barker argued that the seasonal climatic variations of this Mediterranean landscape would have suited wild species of grazing herbivores that could migrate between these two regions. 6 Although the hunter-gatherer transhumance model is attractive for various reasons...

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

“…[10][11][12][13][14][15] On this basis, we performed a detailed isotopic investigation on animal dental remains of ungulates from four archaeological sites in central Italy.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Faunal migration in late‐glacial central Italy: implications for human resource exploitation

Pellegrini

Donahue

Chenery³

et al. 2008

Rapid Comm Mass Spectrometry

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Changes in the size and shape of fallow deer—evidence for the movement and management of a species

Sykes

Carden

Harris

2011

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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The European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) is native to the eastern Mediterranean and whilst it is clear that its dispersion from this region was the result of human transportation, the timing and circumstances of its postglacial diffusion are still uncertain. Archaeological fallow deer remains offer perhaps the best opportunity to understand the deep history of the species, with measurements of ancient bones providing important information about an individual's sex and size. Unfortunately, the fragmentary nature of archaeological remains means that metrical samples are usually too small to draw any meaningful conclusions. Biometrical scaling techniques can increase the size of the sample available for comparison and in this paper log ratios are used in combination with traditional metrical analysis to provide new information about archaeological fallow deer populations, in particular highlighting the size variations across time and space and shifts in hunting and management practices.

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The Movement and Exchange of Dogs in the Prehistoric Caribbean: An Isotopic Investigation

Laffoon

Plomp

Davies³

et al. 2013

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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This study explores the feasibility of using strontium isotope ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) analyses of enamel from domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) to investigate networks of exchange in the prehistoric Circum-Caribbean. Dog teeth were obtained from burial and domestic contexts from two prehistoric sites (Anse à la Gourde and Morel) on Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles). Strontium isotope results were compared with local biosphere 87 Sr/ 86 Sr data at the scale of the site, island and archipelago. The isotope results indicate both local and nonlocal origins with three dogs (30%) identified as nonlocal (one from Anse à la Gourde and two from Morel). The variance in 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of the nonlocal dog teeth is consistent with diverse multiple origins external to the island of Grande-Terre but consistent with origins from other islands of the Lesser Antilles. The diverse origins of the nonlocal dog samples indicate that the prehistoric circulation of dogs occurred at multiple scales from regional to long distance. Significantly, the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of some of the dog teeth are comparable with values of nonlocal humans at Anse à la Gourde determined in previous studies. It is possible that these comparable 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios result from similar natal origins, for example if individuals were migrating to Guadeloupe with dogs. The results of this study contribute to an ongoing regional investigation of the economic, social and political roles of animals and animal remains and the multiscalar networks of prehistoric mobility and exchange in the Circum-Caribbean region.

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Tracking animals using strontium isotopes in teeth: the role of fallow deer (Dama dama) in Roman Britain

Cited by 65 publications

References 19 publications

Faunal migration in late‐glacial central Italy: implications for human resource exploitation

Faunal migration in late‐glacial central Italy: implications for human resource exploitation

Changes in the size and shape of fallow deer—evidence for the movement and management of a species

The Movement and Exchange of Dogs in the Prehistoric Caribbean: An Isotopic Investigation

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