Federico Lugli

MapIT!: a simple and user-friendly MATLAB script to elaborate elemental distribution images from LA-ICP-MS data

The use of LA-ICP-MS imaging to study trace element distribution in solid samples has spread widely in the last few years throughout different disciplinary fields. This technique generates a large quantity of data that must be corrected for analytical and matrix effects and might not be easy to handle for non-experts. We present here a MATLAB® script, MapIT!, that allows fast treatment and correction of LA-ICP-MS data with minimum preparation of the raw data and the LA imaging in a short time (less than ∼30 minutes). The script is not specific for a single type of material, nor the spectrometer used for acquisition. It offers different types of calibration protocols (internal and external or only external) depending on the needs. We also present three application examples (a speleothem, a fossil tooth and a magmatic plagioclase sample) to show the potentiality of MapIT!. ESI accompanies this paper and elucidates the various steps of the data processing.

Suspected limited mobility of a Middle Pleistocene woman from Southern Italy: strontium isotopes of a human deciduous tooth

We present the Sr isotopic composition of enamel of the most ancient deciduous tooth ever discovered in Italy to assess human mobility in Middle Pleistocene. Reconstructing ancient mobility is crucial for understanding human strategy at exploiting temporally and spatially patchy resources, with most studies focusing on indirect evidences, ultimately affecting our interpretation on hominin territoriality and energetic costs invested by hominin groups. Here, we use the high spatial resolution and micro-destructivity options offered by the Laser Ablation Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry technique, to determine the 87Sr/ 86Sr intra-tooth variability of a human deciduous incisor from the Middle Pleistocene layers of the Isernia La Pineta site (Italy). We compared these data with the Sr isotopic signature of local micro-mammals, the broadest home-range of the macro-mammals and with modern plant samples. Our study reveals that while macro-mammals have possibly migrated through the landscape for up to 50 km, the pregnant woman from Isernia was probably local, given that the isotopic ratio of the enamel falls within the local range and is comparable with the signature of the local plants in a radius of 10 km. This is the first case study of Sr isotopic composition determination in such ancient deciduous tooth.

Unravelling biocultural population structure in 4th/3rd century BC Monterenzio Vecchio (Bologna, Italy) through a comparative analysis of strontium isotopes, non-metric dental evidence, and funerary practices

The 4th century BC marks the main entrance of Celtic populations in northern Italy. Their arrival has been suggested based on the presence of Celtic customs in Etruscan mortuary contexts, yet up to now few bioarchaeological data have been examined to support or reject the arrival of these newcomers. Here we use strontium isotopes, non-metric dental traits and funerary patterns to unravel the biocultural structure of the necropolis of Monterenzio Vecchio (Bologna, Italy). Subsamples of our total sample of 38 individuals were analyzed based on different criteria characterizing the following analyses: 1) strontium isotope analysis to investigate migratory patterns and provenance; 2) non-metric dental traits to establish biological relationships between Monterenzio Vecchio, 13 Italian Iron age necropolises and three continental and non-continental Celtic necropolises; 3) grave goods which were statistically explored to detect possible patterns of cultural variability. The strontium isotopes results indicate the presence of local and non-local individuals, with some revealing patterns of mobility. The dental morphology reveals an affinity between Monterenzio Vecchio and Iron Age Italian samples. However, when the Monterenzio Vecchio sample is separated by isotopic results into locals and non-locals, the latter share affinity with the sample of non-continental Celts from Yorkshire (UK). Moreover, systematic analyses demonstrate that ethnic background does not retain measurable impact on the distribution of funerary elements. Our results confirm the migration of Celtic populations in Monterenzio as archaeologically hypothesized on the basis of the grave goods, followed by a high degree of cultural admixture between exogenous and endogenous traits. This contribution shows that combining different methods offers a more comprehensive perspective for the exploration of biocultural processes in past and present populations.

p-XRF analysis of multi-period Impasto and Cooking Pot wares from the excavations at Stromboli-San Vincenzo, Aeolian Islands, Italy

ABSTRACT This exploratory study focuses on the elemental analysis by p-XRF (portable X-Ray Fluorescence Analyser) of 62 samples of coarse wares, consisting of Bronze Age handmade burnished ware, so-called Impasto, and of Cooking ware (dated from the Roman period to Modern times). All wares originate from the site of San Vincenzo, Stromboli, and Aeolian Islands. The question addressed here is whether it is possible to differentiate between local (Aeolian) and imported (non-Aeolian) fabrics with the use of the p-XRF; 42 of the 62 samples were also subjected to petrographic analysis as a way of testing our hypothesis. Our results show that p-XRF analysis can clearly assist in distinguishing between Aeolian vs. non-Aeolian wares. Analyses can take place in the field and large quantities of sherds can be processed as a result. We suggest that no further demands should be made of the technique in providing answers to more detailed provenance questions. This is because finer separation in subgroups (as achieved recently by combined petrographic and EPMA analysis on select samples) is not possible given the nature of coarse pottery and the limitations of the technique in measuring key light elements (Na, Mg). Furthermore, for some elements (e.g Cr) accuracy is below acceptable levels in which case results for these particular elements are considered semi-quantitative.

Comment on: metals in bones of the middle-aged inhabitants of Sardinia island (Italy) to assess nutrition and environmental exposure [Bocca et al. (2018), Environ Sci Pollut Res]

This comment addresses several inferences made by Bocca et al. (2018) to assess the nutrition of middle-aged inhabitants from four Sardinian localities (Alghero, Bisarcio, Geridu, and Sassari). Bocca et al. analyzed 72 human bone specimens dating from the twelfth to the eighteenth century for metal contents (Ba, Ca, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sr, and Zn) by SC-ICPMS and applied a univariate and multivariate approach, using element-Ca ratios, to examine the eating habits and environmental exposure of the individuals. While we agree with their interpretation of the Hg/Ca and Pb/Ca ratios, attributable to various forms of environmental exposure, we disagree with some of their paleodiet claims. Based on certain elemental indexes of bone tissue (i.e., Ba/Ca, Cu/Ca, Sr/Ca, and Zn/ Ca), Bocca et al. suggest that the individuals from the four sites consumed different foods (e.g., vegetables, cereals, red meat, and marine food). For instance, the individual from Sassari according to Bocca et al. would have consumed a high-protein diet because of their significantly higher level of Cu in bones compared to other sites. Similar dietary inferences have been argued by Guede et al. (2017) from trace element content of human bones from the Tauste medieval necropolis in Spain. However, a commentary by Lugli and Cipriani (2017) has recently debunked the misconceptions and the improper use of trace elements to assess eating habits. They contend the results of Guede et al., in particular the misinterpretation of the individual diet based on bio-essential element data (e.g., Zn, Mg, and Na). Unfortunately, similarly to Guede et al. (2017), Bocca et al. have ignored a big portion of the literature on trace element analyses for paleodiet purposes (e.g., Klepinger, 1990; Ezzo, 1994; Burton et al., 1999; Balter et al., 2002; Burton and Price, 2002; Mays, 2003; Burton, 2008; Humphrey et al., 2008; Balter et al., 2012; Lösch et al., 2014; Reynard and Balter, 2014; Lugli et al., 2017; Tacail et al., 2017), and rely on literature which is based on erroneous assumptions (i.e., Giorgi et al., 2005 and references therein), and does not provide a scientific basis for their conclusions. In fact, Bocca et al. (2018) (and a number of other studies, e.g., Francalacci 1989; Busetto et al., 2008; Corti et al., 2013; Guede et al., 2017) claim that the bone elemental content is directly correlated to the diet ignoring several physiological mechanisms that regulate the actual abundance of these elements in bones. Among others, homeostasis, gut absorption and pathways from blood serum to bones (e.g., Burton et al., 1999; Burton and Wright, 1995). The lack of theoretical bases in using trace elements as a proxy of diet has been shown since the 1990s. In particular, Ezzo (1994) has discussed the problematics of zinc as a paleodiet marker in archeological studies. The mineral essential nutrients (e.g., Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu) in the body are controlled by homeostasis and their level is physiologically kept constant, in a sort of Bsupply-anddemand^ system, where a steady and sufficient supply of the micronutrient is ensured and a simultaneous excess is prevented (Scheiber et al., 2013). For this reasons, biological essential elements can be used, at best, to unravel nutritional deficiencies (Reynard and Balter, 2014), and not to detect the Bincidence of vegetables, cereals, and animal foods in the diet^ (Bocca et al., 2018). The inadequacy of essential elements for human diet reconstruction has been also demonstrated by Klepinger (1990) Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues