Bronze Age meat industry: ancient mitochondrial DNA analyses of pig bones from the prehistoric salt mines of Hallstatt (Austria).
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ABSTRACT: Objective
In the Bronze Age Hallstatt metropolis ('Salzkammergut' region, Upper Austria), salt richness enabled the preservation of pork meat to sustain people's livelihood suggesting an organized meat production industry on a yearly basis of hundreds of pigs. To pattern the geographic and temporal framework of the early management of pig populations in the surrounding areas of Hallstatt, we want to gain insights into the phylogeographic network based on DNA sequence variation among modern pigs, wild boars and prehistoric (likely) domestic pigs.Results
In this pilot study, we successfully adapted ancient DNA extraction and sequencing approaches for the analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence variation in ten prehistoric porcine teeth specimens. Minimum-spanning network analyses revealed unique mitochondrial control region DNA haplotypes ranging within the variation of modern domestic pig and wild boar lineages and even shared haplotypes between prehistoric and modern domestic pigs and wild boars were observed.
SUBMITTER: Hammer SE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5899323 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundThe prosperity of Hallstatt (Salzkammergut region, Austria) is based on the richness of salt in the surrounding mountains and salt mining, which is documented as far back as 1500 years B.C. Substantial archaeological evidence of Bronze and Iron Age salt mining has been discovered, with a wooden staircase (1108 B.C.) being one of the most impressive and well preserved finds. However, after its discovery, fungal mycelia have been observed on the surface of the staircase, most probably due to airborne contamination after its find.ObjectiveAs a basis for the further preservation of this valuable object, the active micro-flora was examined to investigate the presence of potentially biodegradative microorganisms.ResultsMost of the strains isolated from the staircase showed to be halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms, due to the saline environment of the mine. Results derived from culture-dependent assays revealed a high fungal diversity, including both halotolerant and halophilic fungi, the most dominant strains being members of the genus Phialosimplex (synonym: Aspergillus). Additionally, some typical cellulose degraders, namely Stachybotrys sp. and Cladosporium sp. were detected. Numerous bacterial strains were isolated and identified as members of 12 different genera, most of them being moderately halophilic species. The most dominant isolates affiliated with species of the genera Halovibrio and Marinococcus. Halophilic archaea were also isolated and identified as species of the genera Halococcus and Halorubrum. Molecular analyses complemented the cultivation assays, enabling the identification of some uncultivable archaea of the genera Halolamina, Haloplanus and Halobacterium. Results derived from fungi and bacteria supported those obtained by cultivation methods, exhibiting the same dominant members in the communities.ConclusionThe results clearly showed the presence of some cellulose degraders that may become active if the requirements for growth and the environmental conditions turn suitable; therefore, these microorganisms must be regarded as a threat to the wood.
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Project description:Based on old detailed mining maps and own observations in the Hallstatt salt mine, we reinterpret the structure of the Hallstatt evaporite body of the Upper Permian to Lower Triassic Haselgebirge Fm. within the Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA). The Haselgebirge Fm. represents a rocksalt mylonite with abundant lenses of sulphates, mudstones and limestones. In comparison to published results of analogue modeling we interpret the present shape of the Hallstatt body as a WNW-ESE elongated compressive teardrop-like diapir. This is overprinted by NNE-SSW shortening and dominantly sinistral shearing along a W-trending shear zone. The internal structure shows steeply dipping rock units and foliation. Earlier dextral ductile shear fabrics of likely late Early Cretaceous age are preserved in sulphate rocks and are subsequently overprinted by mylonitic fabrics in rocksalt and cataclastic fabrics in other rocks. The low strength of halite results in recent subvertical shortening and a strain rate [Formula: see text] of 8 × 10-10 [s-1] is deduced from deformed subhorizontal boreholes. This value is similar to such strain rates (10-10 to 10-9 s-1) estimated by the halite grain size distribution from other salt mines in the NCA and thus indicative of sub-recent formation of the halite microfabrics.
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