Chemical data on ashy soils as an information basis for dating archaeological sites
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Lisetskii F
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7779740 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Phytoliths can occlude some organic carbon during their deposition in plants. This carbon fraction is recognised as an ideal dating material because of its high resistance to decomposition and post-deposition contamination at the time of phytolith formation. However, the reliability of phytolith radiocarbon dating has recently been questioned. The development of a new extraction protocol for phytoliths, with paired dating between phytoliths and other materials from the same sediment, may provide further evidence for the reliability of phytolith dating. We present an improved method for extracting phytoliths from soils. We compared the dating of phytoliths and other materials (e.g., charcoal and plant seeds) recovered at the same depth from seven pits at six archaeological sites in China. The estimated ages of the phytoliths and other materials were generally consistent, except for one outlier. We attribute this inconsistency to the post-depositional processes of phytoliths in soil, rather than to the uptake of old carbon from the soil. Our results clearly show the potential for phytolith carbon dating at archaeological sites in the absence of other dating materials.
| S-EPMC4880898 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The information presented here includes the results of strontium isotope analysis on 75 baseline samples from nine Fremont sites in Utah. The baseline samples are of lagomorphs and rodents with limited foraging ranges. The baseline ranges for each site were calculated with two standard deviations. Also included are the raw strontium isotopic data for 30 large game samples from Wolf Village, a Fremont site in Utah. Additional data include a map showing the location of the sites in this study, box plots portraying the local ranges of nine Fremont sites in Utah, and an individual value plot comparing the Wolf Village large game samples to the strontium baseline for the site. These data compliment the discussions and interpretations found in "Identifying Strontium Baselines and Large Game Animal Trade at Fremont Sites through Strontium Isotope (87Sr/86Sr) Analysis" [1].
| S-EPMC6817664 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Radiocarbon dating archaeological bone typically requires 300-1000 mg material using standard protocols. We report the results of reducing sample size at both the pretreatment and 14C measurement stages for eight archaeological bones spanning the radiocarbon timescale at different levels of preservation. We adapted our standard collagen extraction protocol specifically for <100 mg bone material. Collagen was extracted at least twice (from 37-100 mg material) from each bone. Collagen aliquots containing <100 μg carbon were measured in replicate using the gas ion source of the AixMICADAS. The effect of sample size reduction in the EA-GIS-AMS system was explored by measuring 14C of collagen containing either ca. 30 μg carbon or ca. 90 μg carbon. The gas dates were compared to standard-sized graphite dates extracted from large amounts (500-700 mg) of bone material pretreated with our standard protocol. The results reported here demonstrate that we are able to reproduce accurate radiocarbon dates from <100 mg archaeological bone material back to 40,000 BP.
| S-EPMC6440986 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSocial media sites, dating apps, and information search sites have been used to reach individuals at high risk for HIV infection. However, it is not clear which platform is the most efficient in promoting home HIV self-testing, given that the users of various platforms may have different characteristics that impact their readiness for HIV testing.ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare the relative effectiveness of social media sites, dating apps, and information search sites in promoting HIV self-testing among minority men who have sex with men (MSM) at an increased risk of HIV infection. Test kit order rates were used as a proxy to evaluate promotion effectiveness. In addition, we assessed differences in characteristics between participants who ordered and did not order an HIV test kit.MethodsCulturally appropriate advertisements were placed on popular sites of three different platforms: social media sites (Facebook, Instagram), dating apps (Grindr, Jack'D), and information search sites (Google, Bing). Advertisements targeted young (18-30 years old) and minority (Black or Latinx) MSM at risk of HIV exposure. Recruitment occurred in 2 waves, with each wave running advertisements on 1 platform of each type over the same period. Participants completed a baseline survey assessing sexual or injection use behavior, substance use including alcohol, psychological readiness to test, attitudes toward HIV testing and treatment, and HIV-related stigma. Participants received an electronic code to order a free home-based HIV self-test kit. Follow-up assessments were conducted to assess HIV self-test kit use and uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) at 14 and 60 days post enrollment.ResultsIn total, 271 participants were enrolled, and 254 were included in the final analysis. Among these 254 participants, 177 (69.7%) ordered a home HIV self-test kit. Most of the self-test kits were ordered by participants enrolled from dating apps. Due to waves with low enrollment, between wave statistical comparisons were not feasible. Within wave comparison revealed that Jack'D showed higher order rates (3.29 kits/day) compared to Instagram (0.34 kits/day) and Bing (0 kits/day). There were no associations among self-test kit ordering and HIV-related stigma, perceptions about HIV testing and treatment, and mistrust of medical organizations.ConclusionsOur findings show that using popular dating apps might be an efficient way to promote HIV self-testing. Stigma, perceptions about HIV testing and treatment, or mistrust of medical organizations may not affect order rates of HIV test kits promoted on the internet.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04155502; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04155502.International registered report identifier (irrid)RR2-10.2196/20417.
| S-EPMC9591705 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Beside natural factors, human activities are important for the development of microbiomes. Thus, local soil bacterial communities are affected by recent activities such as agriculture, mining and industry. In addition, ancient human impacts dating back centuries or millennia have changed soils and can emboss the recent bacterial communities up to now, representing a certain long-term "memory of soil". Soil samples from five different archaeological excavation places were investigated for the presence of Archaea with a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis of the DNA coding for 16S r-RNA sequences. It was found that the abundance of Archaea differs strongly between less than one and more than 40 percent of bacteria. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of all samples shows that the archaeological excavation places can be distinguished from each other by the archaeal component of soil bacterial communities, which presents a typical pattern for each place. Most samples are marked by the dominance of Crenarchaeota, which are presented mainly by ammonia-related types. High contents of Nanoarchaeaota have been observed in one ash deposit of a historical saline and all samples of a historical tannery area. These samples are also marked by a significant presence of Dadabacteria. The specific abundancies of special Archaea-among them ammonia-oxidizing and sulphur-related types-are due obviously to former human activities and support the concept of the "ecological memory of soil".
| S-EPMC10052888 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Direct and accurate radiocarbon dating of lipid residues preserved in ceramics is a recently established method that allows direct dating of specific food products and their inception in human subsistence strategies. The method targets individual fatty acids originating from animal fats such as ruminant dairy, ruminant adipose, non-ruminant adipose and aquatic fats. Horse lipid residues found in Central Asian pottery vessels are also directly dateable using this new method. Here we present the identification of equine lipid residues preserved in two pottery assemblages from the Neolithic and Eneolithic in Kazakhstan and their direct 14C dating. The site of Botai, previously radiocarbon-dated to the 4th millennium BC, was used as a reference to evaluate the dates obtained directly on horse lipids. The direct dating of equine products extracted from Botai potsherds are shown to be compatible with previous 14C dates at the site. The site of Bestamak, lacking previous14C measurements, had been relatively dated to the Neolithic based on pottery typologies. The direct dating of equine residues made it possible to anchor the pottery assemblage of Bestamak in the 6th millennium BC confirming their Neolithic attribution. These findings demonstrate the potential for dating horse products through a compound-specific approach, while highlighting challenges in 14C dating individual fatty acids from lipid extracts in which their abundances differ substantially. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-022-01630-2.
| S-EPMC9388454 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Chemical analyses of residues extracted from pottery vessels from Puerto Escondido in what is now Honduras show that cacao beverages were being made there before 1000 B.C., extending the confirmed use of cacao back at least 500 years. The famous chocolate beverage served on special occasions in later times in Mesoamerica, especially by elites, was made from cacao seeds. The earliest cacao beverages consumed at Puerto Escondido were likely produced by fermenting the sweet pulp surrounding the seeds.
| S-EPMC2141886 | biostudies-other
Project description:Homo species were exposed to a new biogeochemical environment when they began to occupy caves. Here we report the first evidence of palaeopollution through geochemical analyses of heavy metals in four renowned archaeological caves of the Iberian Peninsula spanning the last million years of human evolution. Heavy metal contents reached high values due to natural (guano deposition) and anthropogenic factors (e.g. combustion) in restricted cave environments. The earliest anthropogenic pollution evidence is related to Neanderthal hearths from Gorham's Cave (Gibraltar), being one of the first milestones in the so-called "Anthropocene". According to its heavy metal concentration, these sediments meet the present-day standards of "contaminated soil". Together with the former, the Gibraltar Vanguard Cave, shows Zn and Cu pollution ubiquitous across highly anthropic levels pointing to these elements as potential proxies for human activities. Pb concentrations in Magdalenian and Bronze age levels at El Pirulejo site can be similarly interpreted. Despite these high pollution levels, the contaminated soils might not have posed a major threat to Homo populations. Altogether, the data presented here indicate a long-term exposure of Homo to these elements, via fires, fumes and their ashes, which could have played certain role in environmental-pollution tolerance, a hitherto neglected influence.
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Project description:Various physical attributes of the Earth's surface are factors that influence local topography and indirectly influence human behaviour in terms of habitation locations. The determination of geomorphological setting plays an important role in archaeological landscape research. Several landform types can be distinguished by characteristic geomorphic attributes that portray the landscape surrounding a settlement and influence its ability to sustain a population. Geomorphometric landform information, derived from digital elevation models (DEMs), such as the ASTER Global DEM, can provide useful insights into the processes shaping landscapes. This work examines the influence of landform classification on the settlement locations of Bronze Age (Minoan) Crete, focusing on the districts of Phaistos, Kavousi and Vrokastro. The landform classification was based on the topographic position index (TPI) and deviation from mean elevation (DEV) analysis to highlight slope steepness of various landform classes, characterizing the surrounding landscape environment of the settlements locations. The outcomes indicate no interrelationship between the settlement locations and topography during the Early Minoan period, but a significant interrelationship exists during the later Minoan periods with the presence of more organised societies. The landform classification can provide insights into factors favouring human habitation and can contribute to archaeological predictive modelling.
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Project description:The work is the first comprehensive analysis of equine pathological changes from the Polish territory. The research material was collected from 20 archaeological sites, mainly early medieval settlements, such as strongholds, settlements, towns and horse graves. In the material examined, 186 cases of lesions were found. Of these, 26.9% were lesions of the spine, 39.8% lesions of the limb skeleton and 31.7% lesions of the head including dental pathologies. Most of the lesions in the limbs involved their distal segments. The vast majority of pathological cases can be linked to animal use. It was found that horses in which pathological lesions were observed were used under cover. In one case, the observed cranial trauma was the cause of death associated with injury to the nasal auricles and large vessels and consequent blood loss and possible shock. It was found that, in some of the cases, the horses started to be used early which affected their organs of motion and spine.
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