Dietary Habits and Freshwater Reservoir Effects in Bones from a Neolithic NE German Cemetery

Olsen, Jesper; Heinemeier, Jan; Lübke, Harald; Lüth, Friedrich; Terberger, Thomas

doi:10.1017/s0033822200045665

Cited by 77 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The youngest samples have almost terrestrial δ 13 C values. This relation seems to be typical of water bodies in regions with developed soils, and it was already indicated many decades ago: Aquatic plants and organic lake mud have been measured to have δ 13 C values down to -30 [3], and fish that spent at least part of their live in freshwater systems were found to have δ 13 C values significantly more negative than marine fish [66].…”

Section: Aquatic Animalsmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Measurements of the stable carbon isotope ratio, 13 C/ 12 C, are essential for normalising 14 C-measurements. Furthermore, they provide information about the origin of a sample.…”

Section: Stable Carbon Isotope Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This reflects most likely the carbon source: dissolved ancient limestone has infinite 14 C ages and δ 13 (Table 1). If the only source for large radiocarbon ages were dissolved carbonate minerals, and the only source for small radiocarbon ages soil CO 2 , then the low δ 13 C values of the Alster would be inconsistent with the large 14 C ages.…”

Section: Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…fish from different lakes [13]. Also in archaeological fish bone from England, a time and space variable FRE has been measured [27].…”

Section: Aquatic Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it took several decades before the FRE was measured and discussed in archaeologically relevant sample types, such as human bones [9][10][11][12][13][14] or food crusts on pottery [15][16][17][18]. In these cases, the consumption or preparation of large amounts of freshwater fish lead to spurious apparent ages of the bones and pottery.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

The freshwater reservoir effect in radiocarbon dating

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The freshwater reservoir effect can result in anomalously old radiocarbon ages of samples from lakes and rivers. This includes the bones of people whose subsistence was based on freshwater fish, and pottery in which fish was cooked. Water rich in dissolved ancient calcium carbonates, commonly known as hard water, is the most common reason for the freshwater reservoir effect. It is therefore also called hardwater effect. Although it has been known for more than 60 years, it is still less well-recognized by archaeologists than the marine reservoir effect. The aim of this study is to examine the order of magnitude and degree of variability of the freshwater reservoir effect over short and long timescales. Radiocarbon dating of recent water samples, aquatic plants, and animals, shows that age differences of up to 2000 14 C years can occur within one river. The freshwater reservoir effect has also implications for radiocarbon dating of Mesolithic pottery from inland sites of the Ertebølle culture in Northern Germany. The surprisingly old ages of the earliest pottery most probably are caused by a freshwater reservoir effect. In a sediment core from the Limfjord, northern Denmark, the impact of the freshwater reservoir effect on radiocarbon dating in an estuarine environment is examined. Here, freshwater influence causes reservoir ages to vary between 250 and 700 14 C years during the period 5400 BC -AD 700. The examples in this study show clearly that the freshwater reservoir effect can seriously corrupt radiocarbon dating at inland sites. Reservoir effects should therefore be considered whenever food remains on pottery or the bones of omnivores are radiocarbon dated -irrespective of the site's distance to the coast.

show abstract

Section: Aquatic Animalsmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Measurements of the stable carbon isotope ratio, 13 C/ 12 C, are essential for normalising 14 C-measurements. Furthermore, they provide information about the origin of a sample.…”

Section: Stable Carbon Isotope Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…fish from different lakes [13]. Also in archaeological fish bone from England, a time and space variable FRE has been measured [27].…”

Section: Aquatic Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The freshwater reservoir effect in radiocarbon dating

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Quantitative diet reconstruction of a Neolithic population using a Bayesian mixing model (FRUITS): The case study of Ostorf (Germany)

Fernandes¹,

Grootes²,

Nadeau

et al. 2015

American J Phys Anthropol

127

139

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Ostorf population apparently adopted elements associated with a Neolithic culture but adapted to available local food resources and implemented a subsistence strategy that involved a large proportion of fish and terrestrial meat consumption. This case study exemplifies the diversity of subsistence strategies followed during the Neolithic. Am J Phys Anthropol 158:325-340, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

show abstract

Accuracy vs. Precision: Understanding Potential Errors from Radiocarbon Dating on African Landscapes

Wright¹

2017

Afr Archaeol Rev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The application of radiocarbon dating to determine the geochronology of archaeological sites is ubiquitous across the African continent. Accelerator mass spectrometry has made radiocarbon dating the most precise method to determine the death of living organisms that occurred within the last 50,000 years. However, the method is not without limitations and this review article provides Africanist archaeologists with cautionary insights as to when, where, and how to utilize radiocarbon dates. Specifically, the review will concentrate on the potential of carbon reservoirs and recycled organic remains to inflate apparent age estimates, diagenesis of carbon isotopes in variable pH ecologies, and hot-humid climates and non-climate-controlled archives that can compromise the efficacy of samples. Legacy radiocarbon ages must be critically examined for what method was used to generate the age, and calibration radiocarbon ages from critical periods of African prehistory lack precision to resolve significant debates. A multipronged dating strategy and careful selection of radiocarbon sample materials are advocated from the earliest stages of research design.Résumé L'application de la datation par le carbone 14 pour déterminer la géochronologie des sites archéologiques est. omniprésente à travers le continent africain. La spectrométrie de masse a rendu la datation par le carbone 14 la méthode la plus précise pour déter-miner la mort d'organismes vivants ayant eux lieux au cours des 50,000 dernières années. Cependant, la méthode n'est. pas sans limites. Cette revue fournit les archéologues africanistes avec des appréciations et des mises en garde sur l'utilisation des âges radiocarbone. Plus précisément, cette revue se concentrera sur la possibilité que les estimations d'âge apparentes soient exagérées par la présence de réservoirs de carbone et de restes organiques recyclées, sur la diagenèse d'isotopes de carbone dans les écologies de pH variables, et sur les climats chauds et humides ainsi que les archives sans température contrôlée qui peuvent compromettre l'efficacité des échantillons. Les âges radiocarbone basés sur des données anciennes doivent être rigoureusement examinés pour en déduire la méthode employée dans la détermination d'âge. Egalement, les âges radiocarbone de calibration, issue de périodes critiques de la préhistoire africaine, manque la précision nécessaire pour résoudre des débats importants. Une stratégie de datation multiple et une sélection rigoureuse des matériaux d'échantillons de radiocarbone sont conseillées dès les premières étapes de la conception de la recherche.

show abstract

Dietary Habits and Freshwater Reservoir Effects in Bones from a Neolithic NE German Cemetery

Cited by 77 publications

References 30 publications

The freshwater reservoir effect in radiocarbon dating

The freshwater reservoir effect in radiocarbon dating

Quantitative diet reconstruction of a Neolithic population using a Bayesian mixing model (FRUITS): The case study of Ostorf (Germany)

Accuracy vs. Precision: Understanding Potential Errors from Radiocarbon Dating on African Landscapes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About