Paleodiet characterisation of an Etrurian population of Pontecagnano (Italy) by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS)^#

Abstract

Human bones recovered from the archaeological site of Pontecagnano (Salerno, Italy) have been studied to reconstruct the diet of an Etrurian population. Two different areas were investigated, named Library and Sant' Antonio, with a total of 44 tombs containing human skeletal remains, ranging in age from the 8th to the 3rd century B.C. This time span was confirmed by 14C dating obtained using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) on one bone sample from each site. Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) was used to extract information about the concentration of Sr, Zn, Ca elements in the bone inorganic fraction, whilst stable isotope ratio measurements (IRMS) were carried out on bone collagen to obtain the delta13C and delta15N. A reliable technique has been used to extract and separate the inorganic and organic fractions of the bone remains. Both IRMS and AAS results suggest a mixed diet including C3 plant food and herbivore animals, consistent with archaeological indications.

Geochemical identity of pre-Dogon and Dogon populations at Bandiagara (Mali, 11th–20th cent. AD)

“…Finally, bone Zn levels (100 μg•g − 1 in average), of both Dogon and pre-Dogon, might reflect a low meat intake (Bodorikova et al, 2010;Scarabino et al, 2006). Regarding their low bone Fe content (30 μg•g − 1 in average), this could connect to the detection of cribra orbitalia (Knip, 1971).…”

Identification of Protein Remains in Archaeological Potsherds by Proteomics

“…Collagen has been studied in ancient bones since the early 1980s by δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotope ratio measurements (isotope ratio mass spectrometry) reflecting marine and terrestrial components of ancient human diets. [20][21][22] To obtain more informative results, pioneer analytical work on ancient proteins by mass spectrometry was developed on fossils, allowing the characterization of bone protein osteocalcin by its molecular mass measurement and complementary radioimmunoassay. 23 More recently, peptide mass fingerprinting and peptide sequencing methods were introduced for identification of protein binders in paintings.…”

“…For example, analysis of early medieval potsherds lead to collagen identification, the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein representing 25% of the total protein content. Collagen has been studied in ancient bones since the early 1980s by δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotope ratio measurements (isotope ratio mass spectrometry) reflecting marine and terrestrial components of ancient human diets. – To obtain more informative results, pioneer analytical work on ancient proteins by mass spectrometry was developed on fossils, allowing the characterization of bone protein osteocalcin by its molecular mass measurement and complementary radioimmunoassay . More recently, peptide mass fingerprinting and peptide sequencing methods were introduced for identification of protein binders in paintings. , A complete structural approach for protein analysis in Renaissance paintings was even developed using proteomic technologies adapted to the small sample amount available, i.e., soft protein extraction, controlled hydrolysis, online nanochromatography−tandem mass spectrometry, and bioinformatics .…”

Detection of diagenetic alterations by Spectroscopic Analysis on Archaeological Bones from the Necropolis of Poseidonia (Paestum): A case study

“…Furthermore, carbonate and bicarbonate ions, carried by groundwater, may be deposited in bones as CO 3 −2 salts, such as calcite. Then, the validity of information obtained by spectroscopic and chemical analysis performed on archaeological bones and teeth, depends on their state of preservation and possible changes of metals and CO 3 −2 occurred after burial [2]. The term diagenesis is used to describe the whole of postmortem chemical and physical processes that produce an alteration of the inorganic phase of biological hard tissues [3,4], after interment.…”