Abstract
The expansion of Neolithic stable isotope studies in France now allows distinct regional population-scale food patterns to be linked to both local environment influences and specific economic choices. Carbon and nitrogen isotope values of more than 500 humans and of animal samples also permit hypotheses on sex-biased human provenance. To advance population scale research, we here present the first study that draws together carbon (C), nitrogen (N), sulphur (S) and strontium (Sr), dental calculus, aDNA, and palaeoparasitology analysis to infer intra-population patterns of diet and provenance in a Middle Neolithic population from Le Vigneau 2 (human = 40; fauna = 12; 4720–4350 cal. BC) from north-western France. The data of the different studies, such as palaeoparasitology to detect diet and hygiene, CNS isotopes and dental calculus analysis to examine dietary staples, Sr and S isotopes to discriminate non-locals, and aDNA to detect maternal (mtDNA) versus paternal lineages (Y chromosome), were compared to anthropological information of sex and age. Collagen isotope data suggest a similar diet for all individuals except for one child. The provenance isotopic studies suggest no clear differences between sexes, suggesting both males and females used the territory in a similar pattern and had access to foods from the same environments.
Highlights
Regional BackgroundOver the last 15 years, the diet of individuals and populations from the Neolithic period in France has been studied with stable isotope analyses on human remains
Carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope data have been used to define distinct regional food patterns linked to both local environment and specific economic choices, which has led to hypotheses of differential mobility of females during the Middle Neolithic (Goude 2007; Goude et al 2013)
‘These point to a gradual change of values that impact the signals of environment and food choice (Goude and Fontugne 2016), thereby suggesting that in France, Middle Neolithic human groups have a significant intake of animal protein from terrestrial ecosystems, and highlighting intra- and inter-group variability
Summary
Power4,5,6 & Johanna Terrom7 & Maïté Rivollat8 & Marie-France Deguilloux9 & Marie-Hélène Pemonge8 & Matthieu Le Bailly9 & Guy Andre1 & Arnaud Coutelas10 & Anne Hauzeur. Platz 6, Leipzig, Germany 5 Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische. Straße 10, Jena, Germany 6 BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia 7 Contract Employee, Paléotime sarl, 38250 Villard-de-Lans, France 8 Bordeaux University, UMR 5199 PACEA, Pessac, France 9 University of Bourgogne Franche-Comte, CNRS UMR 6249 Chrono-environment, 16 route de. 25030 Besançon cedex, France Responsable d’opération ArkeMine SARL, Associate researcher UMR 8546 AOROC (ENS Paris), Paris, France Responsable d’opération Paléotime SARL, 38250 Villard-de-Lans, France
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