Marie Balasse

The use of isotope ratios to test for seaweed eating in sheep

The primitive sheep of North Ronaldsay Island (Orkney), which feed almost exclusively on seaweed, have developed physiological features linked to that diet. The use of seaweed to feed domestic animals, attested for centuries in north-western Europe, may have appeared soon after the arrival of the first domestic herds during the 5th and 4th millennia BC . The use of isotope analysis of sheep tooth enamel as a means to investigate seaweed grazing in prehistoric times was tested. The teeth of five modern North Ronaldsay sheep were analysed for carbon (δ 13 C) and oxygen (δ 18 O) isotope ratios. Owing to differences in the δ 13 C of marine vs terrestrial plants, the seaweed-eating sheep have δ 13 C values clearly outside the range expected for terrestrial plant eaters. Results show that one group of individuals relied exclusively on seaweed throughout the year. In a second group, terrestrial plants provided about half the dietary carbon pool during the summer. In individuals relying exclusively on seaweed, the amplitude of seasonal change in the δ 18 O values of tooth enamel was low, possibly because of ingestion of marine water through fresh seaweed consumption. Analysis of a sheep tooth from the Neolithic site of Holm of Papa Westray (Orkney, Scotland), suggests that as early as at the beginning of the 4th millennium BC in the Orkney, seaweed contributed to the winter diet of domestic sheep.

Inside the “African Cattle Complex”: Animal Burials in the Holocene Central Sahara

Cattle pastoralism is an important trait of African cultures. Ethnographic studies describe the central role played by domestic cattle within many societies, highlighting its social and ideological value well beyond its mere function as ‘walking larder’. Historical depth of this African legacy has been repeatedly assessed in an archaeological perspective, mostly emphasizing a continental vision. Nevertheless, in-depth site-specific studies, with a few exceptions, are lacking. Despite the long tradition of a multi-disciplinary approach to the analysis of pastoral systems in Africa, rarely do early and middle Holocene archaeological contexts feature in the same area the combination of settlement, ceremonial and rock art features so as to be multi-dimensionally explored: the Messak plateau in the Libyan central Sahara represents an outstanding exception. Known for its rich Pleistocene occupation and abundant Holocene rock art, the region, through our research, has also shown to preserve the material evidence of a complex ritual dated to the Middle Pastoral (6080–5120 BP or 5200–3800 BC). This was centred on the frequent deposition in stone monuments of disarticulated animal remains, mostly cattle. Animal burials are known also from other African contexts, but regional extent of the phenomenon, state of preservation of monuments, and associated rock art make the Messak case unique. GIS analysis, excavation data, radiocarbon dating, zooarchaeological and isotopic (Sr, C, O) analyses of animal remains, and botanical information are used to explore this highly formalized ritual and the lifeways of a pastoral community in the Holocene Sahara.

Stable isotope insights (δ18O, δ13C) into cattle and sheep husbandry at Bercy (Paris, France, 4th millennium BC): birth seasonality and winter leaf foddering

Abstract Bercy is a prehistoric village sited by the Seine river (Paris, France), whose main period of occupation was dated to the very beginning of the 4th millennium BC. The animal subsistence economy relied heavily on cattle husbandry, complemented by other species including sheep. Cattle and sheep isotopic history (δ13C, δ18O) was investigated at the seasonal scale, through sequential sampling in tooth enamel, providing new insights into seasonality of birth and diet. Sheep were lambing in mid-spring, only slightly later than expected from what is observed nowadays in temperate Europe at similar latitude. Cattle were born over a period spanning approximately six months, which was an unexpected result compared with a two to three months calving period in free-ranging cattle populations. The extension of the calving period might have been related to seasonal food supplementation. Some cattle and some sheep fed on a 13C-depleted resource in winter, potentially leafy fodder. A direct consequence of an extended calving period would be the availability of cow milk, which would have covered the whole year at Bercy. This is important information in a context where the exploitation of cattle milk by the human community was highly suspected from the demographic management of the herd.

Stable isotope evidence for seasonal consumption of marine seaweed by modern and archaeological sheep in the Orkney archipelago (Scotland).

Abstract The use of seaweed as fodder for domestic animals during winter has been suggested for the North Atlantic isles in prehistory with reference to a historically attested practice. We tested the use of stable isotope analysis in tooth enamel bioapatite to detect seasonal consumption of seaweed on modern sheep from the Orkney archipelago, with no contribution, seasonal contribution or exclusive contribution of seaweed to diet. There was no overlap between the δ13C of local terrestrial vegetation and marine plants available on the shore. Sheep relying on seaweed had enamel δ13C values as high as −3·1‰, differing from grazing sheep with enamel δ13C values comprised between −17·7‰ and −15·1‰. Seaweed consumption was also reflected in lower amplitudes of intra-tooth variation in enamel δ18O values (0·3‰ to 1·8‰ in seaweed-eating sheep; 3·6‰ to 4·1‰ in grazing sheep), likely due to ingestion of oceanic water. The protocol was applied to archaeological assemblages from the same archipelago. A winter consumption of seaweed was detected in one sheep from the Neolithic site of Point of Cott and one sheep from the Iron Age assemblage of Mine Howe. No contribution of seaweed to the sheep diet was shown at the Late Norse site of Earls Bu.

Early herding at Măgura-Boldul lui Moş Ivănuş (early sixth millennium bc, Romania): environments and seasonality from stable isotope analysis

AbstractStable isotope analyses were conducted on faunal remains from the site of Măgura-Boldul lui Mos Ivănus with the objective of characterizing the environments and seasonality of husbandry in the earliest Neolithic (Gura Baciului-Cârcea/Starcevo-Cris I) of southern Romania. Results from bone collagen analysis indicate extensive herding strategies for cattle and pigs. However, sequential analysis in tooth enamel also provides evidence for winter leaf foddering in one bovine, potentially kept by the settlement over winter. In some instances, sheep were fed a 13C-enriched resource in late winter, which may have also coincided with lactation. It could not be determined whether this contribution was from C3 or C4 plants. Although isolated, these findings may be important in evaluating how early agricultural communities dealt with environmental constraints. These results are also interpreted with reference to the models of intensive mixed farming systems recently proposed by and .

Sophisticated cattle dairy husbandry at Borduşani-Popină (Romania, fifth millennium BC): the evidence from complementary analysis of mortality profiles and stable isotopes

Abstract Borduşani-Popină is a Gumelniţa tell site in south-eastern Romania. The cattle mortality profile suggests a husbandry oriented towards prime meat exploitation and dairy production highlighted by the keeping of cattle to advanced age. Besides, the culling strategy also targeted young calves. A stable isotope ratio study was undertaken on dental rows. Bone and dentine collagen δ15N values show that the calves within the slaughtering peak were well-advanced in the weaning process, suggesting that the slaughter was delayed until the end of the cows’ lactation. A consequence would be the sharing of milk production between herders and calves. High inter- and intra-individual variability in bone collagen and enamel bioapatite δ13C values indicated variations in the seasonal ratio of C4 and C3 plants in fodder and between age groups. Overall, the complementary study of mortality profiles and stable isotopes provide evidence of sophisticated husbandry during the fifth millennium cal. bc.

Social complexification and pig (Sus scrofa) husbandry in ancient China : a combined geometric morphometric and isotopic approach

Pigs have played a major role in the economic, social and symbolic systems of China since the Early Neolithic more than 8,000 years ago. However, the interaction between the history of pig domestication and transformations in Chinese society since then, have not been fully explored. In this paper, we investigated the co-evolution from the earliest farming communities through to the new political and economic models of state-like societies, up to the Chinese Empire, using 5,000 years of archaeological records from the Xiawanggang (XWG) and Xinzhai (XZ) sites (Henan Province). To trace the changes of pig populations against husbandry practices, we combined the geometric morphometric analysis of dental traits with a study of the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from bone collagen. The domestication process intensified during the Neolithic Yangshao, prompted by greater selective pressure and/or better herd control against wild introgression. After that, pig farming, in XWG, relied on local livestock and a gradual change of husbandry practices overtime. This was characterized by a gentle increase in millet foddering and animal protein intake, until a complete change over to household management during the Han dynasty. The only rupture in this steady trend of husbandry occurred during the Longshan period, with the appearance of small sized and idiosyncratic pigs with specific feeding practices (relying on millet and household scraps). From three exploratory hypothesis, we explored the possibility of anti-elite pig production in XWG during the Longshan period, as a means to resist incorporation into a new economic model promoting intensified domestic production. This exploratory hypothesis is the most suitable to our dataset; however, numerous areas need to be explored further in order to adequately document the role of pigs in the rise of China’s complex societies.

Crop Fertility Conditions in North-Eastern Gaul During the La Tène and Roman Periods: A Combined Stable Isotope Analysis of Archaeobotanical and Archaeozoological Remains

ABSTRACT Considerable archaeobotanical datasets describe cereal cultivation in north-eastern France, from the Iron Age to the Roman period. This study aims to complement these by using stable isotope analysis on charred cereal grains. Soil fertility was investigated through δ15N and δ13C analyses of 1480 charred cereal grains, dated from the Late La Tène to the Late Antiquity periods. In the Île-de-France, charred grain Δ13C values suggested good hydric conditions, with drier episodes in the 1st and 3rd century AD; while in Champagne, the lower Δ13C values for spelt reflect the lower water holding capacity of the chalky soils. A wide range of cereal δ15N values (0.8–8.7‰) implies a wide range of soil fertility conditions. Jouars-Pontchartrain and Palaiseau (Île-de-France) yielded the highest cereal δ15N values, whereas Acy-Romance (Champagne) delivered among the lowest. From these three sites, the δ15N values of red deer bone collagen were used to estimate the reference δ15N values for unmanured plants. Unlike in Acy-Romance, there were significant differences in Palaiseau and Jouars-Pontchartrain, indicating that the cultivated cereals inherited their high δ15N values from manured soil. At Jouars-Pontchartrain, the δ15N value (almost 9‰) suggested a high trophic level manuring source, possibly from pig and/or human faeces.