Bulk Stable Isotope Analyses of 14C Dated Carbonized Crusts on the Earliest Potteries of Northeastern Europe

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper presents bulk stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N, C/N ratio) measurements of14C dated carbonized crusts on 6th and 5th millennium cal BC pottery from Finland and northwestern Russia. Based on this data, it explores the differences in the origins of crusts attached on the inner and outer surfaces of vessels, and the changes in dietary practices and pottery use. It is argued that during the earliest phase of pottery use, mostly terrestrial ingredients were processed in the vessels, and aquatic resources became visible centuries later during the 5th millennium cal BC.