Stable isotope analysis of human bone from Ganj Dareh, Iran, ca. 10,100 calBP

Abstract

We report here on stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope values from bone collagen of human (n = 20) and faunal (n = 11) remains from the Early Neolithic site of Ganj Dareh, Iran, dating to ca. 10,100 cal. BP. Our focus explores how isotope values of human bone vary by age and sex, and evaluates dietary practices at this site. It also provides a baseline for future studies of subsistence in the early Holocene Central Zagros Mountains, from the site with the first evidence for human ovicaprid management in the Near East. Human remains include individuals of all age groups for dietary reconstruction, as well two Ottoman intrusive burials for temporal and cultural comparison. All analyzed individuals exhibited δ13C and δ15N values consistent with a diet based heavily on C3 terrestrial sources. There is no statistically significant difference between the isotopic compositions of the two sexes, though males appear to show larger variations compared to females. Interesting patterns in the isotopic compositions of the subadults suggested weaning children may be fed with supplements with distinctive δ13C values. Significant difference in sulfur isotope values between humans and fauna could be the earliest evidence of transhumance and could identify one older adult male as a possible transhumant shepherd. Both Ottoman individuals had distinctively different δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S values compared to the Neolithic individuals. This is the first large scale analysis of human stable isotopes from the eastern end of the early Holocene Fertile Crescent. It provides a baseline for future intersite exploration of stable isotopes and insight into the lifeways, health, and processes of neolithisation associated with the origins of goat domestication at Ganj Dareh and the surrounding Central Zagros.

Early evidence of extra‐masticatory dental wear in a Neolithic community at Bestansur, Iraqi Kurdistan

“…Evidence of plant foods being processed at Bestansur include cereal grains such as glume and free threshing wheats, and wild plant remains including nuts and fruits (Whitlam et al, 2020). Similar dietary resources have been identified at other sites in the region including Ganj Dareh, Abdul Hosein, and Choga Golan (Merrett et al, 2021;Weide et al, 2017).…”

La Sassa cave: Isotopic evidence for Copper Age and Bronze Age population dynamics in Central Italy

“…One conceivable and significant limitation of this study is the potential for selection bias. Even though grounded on a scientifically sound approach [ 68 , 69 , 104 ], individual identification may introduce a bias in the sample composition. We pursued a strictly conservative approach considering only the recurrent bone fragments to be sure not to overestimate the sample size for the diet reconstruction.…”

“…Due to the impossibility of identifying whether some anatomically disarticulated bones pertain to a single individual, we selected 46 bones representative of the whole set of bones identified to explore the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes ratios, even though multiple districts could be redundant [ 68 , 69 ]. However, we limited our interpretation on the data gained through the evaluation of the MNI and the adjunct individual from RA.…”

Stable Isotope Trajectory Analysis (SITA): A new approach to quantify and visualize dynamics in stable isotope studies

“…For instance, using trajectory analysis on multitrace element data, including SI or not, would provide appealing insights into subpopulation migratory patterns in fish populations based on otolith chemistry (Elsdon et al, 2008;Trueman et al, 2012). Similar applications can easily been foreseen at the individual scale from tree rings, in a dendrochronology context (Sleen et al, 2017), or from environmental signals recorded in bivalves shells (Butler et al, 2019), or bone growth layers (Merrett et al, 2021;Turner Tomaszewicz et al, 2016). As shown at the scale of the northeast Pacific water body (EA 6), sea water SI composition can be tracked to large spatio-temporal scales and may be tested for long-term or seasonal SI trajectories in rain and snowfall (Aizen et al, 2005;Tian et al, 2018), or ice (Schotterer et al, 1997;van Trigt et al, 2002;Werner et al, 2018).…”