Diet uniformity at an early farming community in northwest Anatolia (Turkey): carbon and nitrogen isotope studies of bone collagen at Aktoprakl\u0131k

Chelsea Budd,Malcolm Lillie,Songül Alpaslan-Roodenberg,Necmi Karul,Rick Schulting,Alfred Galik

doi:10.1007/s12520-017-0523-4

Abstract

Aktopraklık is a settlement site composed of three areas (A–C) in the Marmara region of northwest Anatolia, with phases of occupation that date to the Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic periods, mid-seventh to mid-sixth millennium bc (ca. 6400–5600 cal. bc). Here, we present 54 human and fauna bone collagen stable isotope results from the site, alongside five modern fish bone collagen isotope results, to examine the nature of human diet. The stable isotope analysis shows that human diet comprised the consumption of select C3 terrestrial resources, with a preference for domestic animal proteins over plant proteins. The evidence to date suggests that animal husbandry was at the forefront of Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic subsistence practices. No isotopic difference in humans is observed between biological sex or between areas B and C at the settlement.

Highlights

Understanding the process of Neolithization in western Anatolia is important, as it is often considered as the ‘jumping off point’ for the transmission of the Neolithic package from Central Anatolia and the Levant into the Balkans, the Aegean, and further beyond into mainland Europe (Roodenberg 2016)
Recent genomic-wide data sampled from Neolithic Anatolian human bone samples has provided a persuasive argument that members of Anatolian communities formed part of the source population of Europe’s first farmers (Lazaridis et al 2014; Mathieson et al 2015)
There has been fluctuating debate surrounding the nature of subsistence practices in Neolithic northwest Anatolia (Arbuckle et al 2014; Thissen et al 2010; Çilingiroğlu and Çakırlar 2013)

Summary

Introduction

Understanding the process of Neolithization in western Anatolia is important, as it is often considered as the ‘jumping off point’ for the transmission of the Neolithic package from Central Anatolia and the Levant into the Balkans, the Aegean, and further beyond into mainland Europe (Roodenberg 2016). Multi-region zooarchaeological work provides convincing evidence that places the origins of western Eurasian domesticates (e.g. sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs) in the Fertile Crescent (Peters et al 2014; Arbuckle and Atici 2013; Vigne et al 2012; Zeder 2011). These recent studies, integrated within the existing framework of research for Neolithic Anatolia, provide evidence for a clear transmission of people and of livestock from the Fertile Crescent into western Turkey and beyond. Fallow deer are recovered in higher quantities from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic phases at Aktopraklık than domestic pigs (Galik et al, personal communication)

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