Dietary Changes across the Neolithic Levels of the Tepecik-Çiftlik Population

Özdemir, Kameray; Akyol, Ali Akın; Büyükkarakaya, Ali Metin

doi:10.21547/jss.312067

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 26 publications

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“…Evaluating REEs and Ca/P ratios continues to be a popular means of identifying possible diagenetic contamination in skeletal remains today (e.g. Willmes et al 2016 ; Giffin et al 2017 ; Özdemir et al 2017 ; Kamenov et al 2018 ).…”

Section: Critiques Of Trace Element Analysis (Late 1980s–1990s)mentioning

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: Critiques Of Trace Element Analysis (Late 1980s–1990s)mentioning

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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Microbotanical analyses of dental calculus and caries occurrence at Neolithic Tepecik-Çiftlik, Türkiye: insights into diet and oral health

Santiago-Marrero,

Büyükkarakaya,

Küçükel

et al. 2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The transition to agriculture-based economies and sedentary lifeways during the Neolithic brought significant changes in oral health and diet. Despite the influence of physiological and cultural factors, the frequency of dental pathologies, such as caries and dental calculus, is a common consequence of carbohydrate-rich diets. Caries result from bacterial activity that transforms carbohydrates into lactic acid, leading to the demineralisation of tooth enamel. In contrast, dental calculus can trap and preserve biomolecules and microremains—such as phytoliths and starch grains—making it a valuable resource for investigating past diets and lifeways. Although microbotanical analyses of dental calculus and caries occurrence are common in archaeology, these methods are rarely applied together in the same case study. This paper presents the results of the analyses of microbotanical remains, such as phytoliths and starch grains, retrieved from dental calculus, as well as caries occurrence in 11 individuals from Tepecik-Çiftlik, a Neolithic settlement in southwestern Cappadocia, Turkey. Caries prevalence aligns with previous studies highlighting the poor oral health of the Neolithic Tepecik-Çiftlik community and suggests a high reliance on carbohydrate-rich diets. Microbotanical remains showed contrasting results, with phytoliths indicating the presence of cereals but an absence of starch grains of cereal origin. This lack of cereal starch grains could point towards the influence of culinary and foodway practices on the preservation and occurrence of microbotanical remains in dental calculus, variables often overlooked in the study of ancient diets. These findings contribute to our understanding of the lifeways and oral health of the Neolithic Tepecik-Çiftlik community while drawing attention to how foodways and culinary practices may influence or bias the archaeological record.

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