Stable isotope analysis of human bone from Ganj Dareh, Iran, ca. 10,100 calBP.

Deborah C Merrett,Christina Cheung,Michael P Richards,Christopher Meiklejohn,Luca Bondioli

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0247569

Abstract

We report here on stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope values from bone collagen of human (n = 20) and faunal (n = 11) remains from the Early Neolithic site of Ganj Dareh, Iran, dating to ca. 10,100 cal. BP. Our focus explores how isotope values of human bone vary by age and sex, and evaluates dietary practices at this site. It also provides a baseline for future studies of subsistence in the early Holocene Central Zagros Mountains, from the site with the first evidence for human ovicaprid management in the Near East. Human remains include individuals of all age groups for dietary reconstruction, as well two Ottoman intrusive burials for temporal and cultural comparison. All analyzed individuals exhibited δ13C and δ15N values consistent with a diet based heavily on C3 terrestrial sources. There is no statistically significant difference between the isotopic compositions of the two sexes, though males appear to show larger variations compared to females. Interesting patterns in the isotopic compositions of the subadults suggested weaning children may be fed with supplements with distinctive δ13C values. Significant difference in sulfur isotope values between humans and fauna could be the earliest evidence of transhumance and could identify one older adult male as a possible transhumant shepherd. Both Ottoman individuals had distinctively different δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S values compared to the Neolithic individuals. This is the first large scale analysis of human stable isotopes from the eastern end of the early Holocene Fertile Crescent. It provides a baseline for future intersite exploration of stable isotopes and insight into the lifeways, health, and processes of neolithisation associated with the origins of goat domestication at Ganj Dareh and the surrounding Central Zagros.

Highlights

The Levant and Anatolia have received substantial attention concerning the origins of agriculture, much less has been reported on the easternmost Fertile Crescent, the Central Zagros
This study provides a new avenue for elucidating human lifeways at the site, with the first stable isotope analysis of the Ganj Dareh human remains
Human and faunal C, N, and S measurements are plotted in Fig 2, together with published human C and N data (n = 3) from the nearby and contemporary sites Abdul Hosein (AH) and

Summary

Introduction

The Levant and Anatolia have received substantial attention concerning the origins of agriculture, much less has been reported on the easternmost Fertile Crescent, the Central Zagros. Ganj Dareh Tepe, a small mound or Tepe in the High Zagros of Kermanshah Province in Western Iran, is one of several in the area (Fig 1). New research based on re-examination of the original field notes of Philip Smith, shows the stratigraphy of the site to be more complex than previously published [13] but does not alter any of the conclusions of this paper.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion