The influence of manuring on stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) in Celtic bean (Vicia faba L.): archaeobotanical and palaeodietary implications

Treasure, Edward R.; Church, Mike J.; Gröcke, Darren R.

doi:10.1007/s12520-015-0243-6

Cited by 38 publications

(34 citation statements)

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“…15 N ratios do not exhibit the same dramatic manuring effect as cereals since they fix nitrogen directly from the atmosphere. However, in cases of extremely intensive manuring pulse δ 15 N has been observed to increase(Fraser et al 2011;Treasure et al 2015).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A bottom-up view of food surplus: using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis to investigate agricultural strategies and diet at Bronze Age Archontiko and Thessaloniki Toumba, northern Greece

et al. 2017

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confidence: 99%

A bottom-up view of food surplus: using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis to investigate agricultural strategies and diet at Bronze Age Archontiko and Thessaloniki Toumba, northern Greece

et al. 2017

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“…However, isotopic baseline studies in the UK suggest that nineteenth century London populations in particular had elevated 15 N values relative to other places not because of greater meat intake but because of agricultural practices such as growing on salt marshes and/or centuries of manuring pastoral land (e.g. Treasure et al, 2016;Beaumont et al, 2013b). In reality the difference between bone and dentine values likely reflects a combination of dietary change, and differences in agricultural practices in the new colony.…”

Section: 2a the Story From The Isotopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Captain of All These Men of Death”: An Integrated Case Study of Tuberculosis in Nineteenth-Century Otago, New Zealand

Snoddy¹,

Buckley²,

King³

et al. 2020

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The South Island of New Zealand saw several major waves of migration in the mid-nineteenth century, predominantly from Europe but also with an ethnically distinct Chinese presence. The rural community of Milton, Otago, was a settler community established primarily by immigrants from the United Kingdom in search of a better quality of life. However, these settlers faced unique challenges related to surviving in an isolated location with very little infrastructure compared to their origin populations. In 2016 excavation was undertaken at St. John's Burial Ground, Milton, with the object of using bioarchaeological methods to elucidate the lived experience of the first organized European settlement of this region, particularly in terms of health and disease. Here we present a case study of Burial 21 (B21), a male individual of known identity and a documented cause of death. We use biochemical and paleopathological methods to ground-truth his written history, which includes a period of invalidism due to tuberculosis, and discuss the implications of our findings for the community, provision of care, and quality of life in rural colonial New Zealand.

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“…An indication of cultivation conditions may be obtained from the analysis of Celtic bean dimensions as seed size is influenced by the health of the crop, soil nutrients and water availability (Carruthers 2009, 345;Treasure et al 2015). Genetic factors will also affect both the size and shape of Celtic bean (Carruthers 2009, 345) and it has been suggested that a number of varieties of Celtic bean may have been present across prehistoric Europe (see discussion in Carruthers 1991a, 110-111 andCarruthers 2001, 47-50).…”

Section: Research Question 2: What Was the Nature Of Crop Husbandry Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, manuring is known to increase the size, particularly length, of modern Celtic Black broad bean (Treasure et al 2015). Interestingly, naked barley grains at Bestwall Quarry were also larger than those recovered from contemporary sites which could be taken to indicate better growing conditions (Carruthers 2009).…”

Section: Research Question 2: What Was the Nature Of Crop Husbandry Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can't find a pulse? Celtic bean (Vicia fabaL.) in British prehistory

Treasure

Church

2016

Environmental Archaeology

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Archaeobotanical research on prehistoric crops in Britain has primarily focussed on cereals and the potential importance of alternative crops, such as pulses, has often been overlooked. This paper reviews evidence for Celtic bean (Vicia faba L.) in British prehistory, using a database of archaeobotanical assemblages from 75 sites. Celtic bean is rare in the Neolithic -Early Bronze Age and it only becomes frequent from the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1500 cal BC) onwards, particularly in southern England. Though there is a paucity of evidence at many sites, it is suggested that this reflects a preservation bias and in some areas at least, Celtic bean formed an important element of past agricultural systems.Keywords: Pulse, Celtic bean, Prehistoric Britain, Archaeobotany IntroductionWithin the last few decades, knowledge of crops in prehistoric Britain has significantly expanded and benefitted from extensive sampling programmes to recover plant remains. In particular, the expansion of developer-funded archaeology has resulted in the creation of large archaeobotanical datasets (Hall and Kenward 2006). Despite this, archaeobotanical research on prehistoric crops in Britain has primarily focussed on cereals and the potential role of alternative crops has received comparatively little study. There is considerable evidence to indicate that a wide range of crops were cultivated in prehistoric Britain, including oil crops, such as flax, opium poppy and brassicas, and also pulses, such as pea and Celtic bean (Pelling and Campbell 2013, 58). This paper draws upon a large and predominantly untapped archaeobotanical dataset for prehistoric Britain, focussing on evidence for an understudied crop, Celtic bean (Vicia faba L.).Celtic bean (Vicia faba L.) (Figs. 1 and 2), also referred to as Horse bean, is a member of the Fabaceae family. Celtic bean seeds are small, suboval and rounded in shape, although significant morphological variability exists between seeds and it is possible that sub-varieties were present across prehistoric Europe (Renfrew 1973, 108; Zohary et al. 2012, 89-92).Written sources indicate that beans were an important component of Medieval diets in Europe, being particularly valued as a protein-rich food, often amongst poorer populations where it served as a substitute for meat (Hanawalt 1986;Dyer 1989;Pounds 1994;Rippon 2001;Moffett 2006). This is clearly reflected in an extract from a late-fourteenth century document which stated that 'labourers of old were not wont to eat of wheaten bread; their meat was of beans …' (Hanawalt 1986, 55). In addition to human consumption, beans also provided a high quality animal fodder alongside other pulse crops, such as peas (Hamilton and Thomas 2012, 52; Moffett 2006, 53;Rippon 2004). In crop husbandry regimes, beans were cultivated as both a garden and field crop and the benefits of cultivating beans to improve soil fertility was well-established and clearly recognised by the Medieval period (Gross and Butcher 1995, 109; Pounds 1994, 200;Rippon 2001;Tusser 1580). Moreover...

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The influence of manuring on stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) in Celtic bean (Vicia faba L.): archaeobotanical and palaeodietary implications

Cited by 38 publications

References 74 publications

A bottom-up view of food surplus: using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis to investigate agricultural strategies and diet at Bronze Age Archontiko and Thessaloniki Toumba, northern Greece

A bottom-up view of food surplus: using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis to investigate agricultural strategies and diet at Bronze Age Archontiko and Thessaloniki Toumba, northern Greece

“Captain of All These Men of Death”: An Integrated Case Study of Tuberculosis in Nineteenth-Century Otago, New Zealand

Can't find a pulse? Celtic bean (Vicia fabaL.) in British prehistory

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