Human Subsistence Strategies Research Articles

Bison sex matters: the potential of proteomic tooth enamel analysis for determination of ancient human subsistence strategies

Bison sex matters: the potential of proteomic tooth enamel analysis for determination of ancient human subsistence strategies

Isotopic evidence of high reliance on plant food among Later Stone Age hunter-gatherers at Taforalt, Morocco

The transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture stands as one of the most important dietary revolutions in human history. Yet, due to a scarcity of well-preserved human remains from Pleistocene sites, little is known about the dietary practices of pre-agricultural human groups. Here we present the isotopic evidence of pronounced plant reliance among Late Stone Age hunter-gatherers from North Africa (15,000–13,000 cal BP), predating the advent of agriculture by several millennia. Employing a comprehensive multi-isotopic approach, we conducted zinc (δ66Zn) and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) analysis on dental enamel, bulk carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) and sulfur (δ34S) isotope analysis on dentin and bone collagen, and single amino acid analysis on human and faunal remains from Taforalt (Morocco). Our results unequivocally demonstrate a substantial plant-based component in the diets of these hunter-gatherers. This distinct dietary pattern challenges the prevailing notion of high reliance on animal proteins among pre-agricultural human groups. It also raises intriguing questions surrounding the absence of agricultural development in North Africa during the early Holocene. This study underscores the importance of investigating dietary practices during the transition to agriculture and provides insights into the complexities of human subsistence strategies across different regions.

Seasonal exploitation of intertidal resources at El Mazo (N Iberia) reveals optimized human subsistence strategies during the Mesolithic in Atlantic Europe

Over the last few decades, research has significantly enhanced our understanding of the role played by shellfish in human subsistence during the Mesolithic period along the Atlantic coast of Europe. Instrumental to this advance has been the analysis of stable oxygen isotope measurements (δ18O) from mollusc shells, which offers valuable insights into the seasonality of shellfish exploitation. The δ18O values serve as reliable indicators of past seasonal seawater temperature variations experienced by the molluscs, enabling us to accurately determine the time of year when past humans collected them. Recent studies using this approach have successfully identified seasonal exploitation patterns of the topshell Phorcus lineatus (da Costa, 1778) in Atlantic Europe. However, uncertainties remain regarding the exploitation schedule of Patella depressa Pennant 1777, one of the most abundantly collected species in Mesolithic sites. Here we used shell δ18O values of P. depressa from the Mesolithic sites of El Mazo (Northern Iberia) to determine its seasonality of exploitation. Our study reveals that P. depressa was prevalently exploited during colder months. Modern specimens of the same limpet species were also collected during two annual cycles to assess potential seasonal changes in meat yield return. Results obtained has profound implications for better understanding how last coastal foragers managed available littoral resources throughout the year.

The Evolution of Agrarian Landscapes in the Tropical Andes.

Changes in land-use practices have been a central element of human adaptation to Holocene climate change. Many practices that result in the short-term stabilization of socio-natural systems, however, have longer-term, unanticipated consequences that present cascading challenges for human subsistence strategies and opportunities for subsequent adaptations. Investigating complex sequences of interaction between climate change and human land-use in the past-rather than short-term causes and effects-is therefore essential for understanding processes of adaptation and change, but this approach has been stymied by a lack of suitably-scaled paleoecological data. Through a high-resolution paleoecological analysis, we provide a 7000-year history of changing climate and land management around Lake Acopia in the Andes of southern Peru. We identify evidence of the onset of pastoralism, maize cultivation, and possibly cultivation of quinoa and potatoes to form a complex agrarian landscape by c. 4300 years ago. Cumulative interactive climate-cultivation effects resulting in erosion ended abruptly c. 2300 years ago. After this time, reduced sedimentation rates are attributed to the construction and use of agricultural terraces within the catchment of the lake. These results provide new insights into the role of humans in the manufacture of Andean landscapes and the incremental, adaptive processes through which land-use practices take shape.

Alteration in Plant-Based Subsistence and Its Influencing Factors from Late Neolithic to Historical Periods in Hexi Corridor, Northwestern China: Archaeobotanical Evidence

The spatio-temporal evolution of human subsistence strategies and their driving force in prehistoric Eurasia has received increasing attention with the rapid development of archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, and isotopic research in recent decades, while studies focusing on the historical periods are relatively absent. In the Hexi Corridor in northwestern China, which has served as a hub for trans-Eurasian exchange since the late prehistoric period, archaeobotanical data have been reported from numerous Neolithic and Bronze Age sites, as well as sites from the Wei and Jin Dynasties (220–420 BCE) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368 BCE). However, no archaeobotanical study has been conducted at sites of the Han Dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE), a crucial period connecting prehistoric and historical eras. In this study, we identified 32475 plant remains, including 31,463 broomcorn millets, 233 foxtail millets, and 780 weeds, from the Shuangdun North Beacon Tower (SDNBT) site of the Han Dynasty at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, suggesting that millets played a prominent part in human subsistence strategies in the area during this period. In addition, sheep, chicken, dog, horse, and rodent remains were also collected at the site. By applying a multi-disciplinary approach, we detected a remarkable change in plant-based subsistence in the ancient Hexi Corridor. Specifically, the importance of millet crops, compared with other crops (especially barley and wheat), in plant-based subsistence declined from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age; it apparently improved during the Han and Sui-Tang Dynasties (581–907 CE), when agricultural empires controlled the area, and then declined again during the Wei, Jin, Northern, and Southern Dynasties (220–581 CE) and the Song-Yuan Dynasty (960–1368 CE), when nomadic regimes controlled the area. Climate change, trans-Eurasian exchanges, and geopolitical shifts influenced the diachronic change in plant-based subsistence from the Late Neolithic to the historical periods in the Hexi Corridor.

Investigating the Upper Holocene palaeoenvironment and human subsistence strategy in the Khor Rori coastal area by studying mollusc remains from the Inqitat plateau (Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman)

ABSTRACTArchaeological shells have a great potential for reconstructing past environments and human–environment interactions. The Inqitat plateau (Khor Rori Archaeological Park, Oman) shows rich mollusc assemblages, present in the HAS1 settlement and in a shell midden nearby (Iron Age). By analysing the environmental requirements of the species identified in the assemblages, we reconstruct the past coastal environment and investigate its exploitation by the local population and human activities during the settlement occupation. This is the first multidisciplinary investigation of Iron Age molluscs from Dhofar. Our results indicate that the environment surrounding the site was characterised by rocky shores and shallow‐water sandy to sandy‐muddy substrates, where locals collected shells. Mangrove species were recovered in few numbers, indicating that this environment was restricted or not exploited. Furthermore, a different use of shells between circular houses within the settlement and the midden was observed; in the former, species used as ornaments are more abundant, whereas, in the latter, species used for food purposes are found, confirming the primary use of the midden as a dump. The presence of easily accessible settings for mollusc collection in the site's vicinity and the richness in food resources due to a coastal upwelling makes this region very attractive for human populations.

광역 스펙트럼 혁명(Broad-Spectrum Revolution)과 홀로세 초기의 작물 재배

This study attempts to understand the role of Broad-Spectrum Revolution (hereafter, BSR) in the Neolithic East Asia, especially focusing on the China, Japanese archipelago, and Korean peninsula. This paper also tried to reveal how BSR and the initial beginning of plant domestication are related in those contexts. Initially introduced in 1969 by Kent Flannery, the concept quickly became a powerful explanatory tool for understanding prehistoric human subsistence strategy and emergence of both plant and animal domestication. BSR has been often conjoined with theoretical frameworks such as diet-breath model based on optimal foraging theory and environmental niche construction to explain prehistoric subsistence pattern. In this study, I tried to synthesize recent evidence regarding Neolithic subsistence generated from advanced techniques including organic residue analysis and paleoethnobotany. The results indicated that BSR was clearly found at least in some part of East Asia, and some of them showed evidence of initial plant domestication. With this study, we were able assume affinity between BSR and the beginning of plant domestication in certain area of East Asia.

Hearth Residue Analysis Reveals Human Adaptation to the Younger Dryas on the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

ABSTRACT Human adaptation to the extreme environment of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has drawn widespread attention as a case study on how to successfully deal with environmental changes. However, little is known about the human subsistence strategy on the QTP during the Younger Dryas (YD) cold event due to limited findings on bioarcheological remains. In this study, animal exploitation during the YD on the northeastern QTP (NEQTP) was explored through hearth sediment analysis at the Bronze Wire site. The results support the food preparation function of these hearths and indicate the preservation of fuel plant lipids as well as terrestrial non-ruminant animal fat. The absence of ruminant herbivorous fats and freshwater resources implies a hostile surrounding environment during the YD, where small-sized animals with higher tolerance may have dominated and could have thus been the main source of non-ruminant animal fat in the hearths. Although the shift to a broadspectrum pattern was not thought to be the direct result of environmental change, it could have greatly influenced such a process in certain areas. Lipid residue analysis has been applied for the first time for hearth study on the NEQTP, showing great potential in understanding human behaviour regarding subsistence strategies in the Paleolithic Age.

Characterization of pottery foodcrusts through lipid and proteomic analyses: A case study from the Xiawan site in Yixing city, East China

Foodcrusts are often discovered inside archaeological pottery and other containers, and they can provide abundant information about vessel function, diet, cuisine activities and human subsistence strategies. Lipid analysis has been used for decades to characterize foodcrusts, indicating their composition and biological sources. Recently, proteomics has also been applied to foodcrusts, providing more specific information about the tissues and species origins. In this study, lipid and proteomic analyses were combined to analyze foodcrusts in pottery from the Xiawan site of the Taihu Lake region, East China. These pottery sherds are mainly attributed to the Songze cultural period (ca. 5800–5300 BP). The results show that these foodcrusts contain interpretable concentrations of lipid compounds, including a series of common medium- and long-chain fatty acids, dicarboxylic acids, aliphatic alcohols, sterols and their derivatives, isoprenoid fatty acids and long-chain ketones, as well as proteins of terrestrial mammals and aquatic products. This study provides direct evidence for the function of pottery and the exploitation of animal and plant resources at that time, especially freshwater products, marine fish, rice and millet. Therefore, the combination of lipid and proteomic analyses has great potential in organic residue analysis for foodcrusts.

Taphonomic data from the transitional Aurignacian of El Castillo cave (Spain) reveals the role of carnivores at the Aurignacian Delta level

Palaeolithic sites are complex palimpsests due to the recurrent presence of human groups and carnivores through time, as documented in several European caves and rock shelters. Within these contexts, it can be challenging to identify the main contributors to bone accumulations and interpret human subsistence strategies and the role of carnivores. Consequently, taphonomic analyses are crucial for distinguishing the origins of these occupation episodes. One example of alternating occupations is found at El Castillo cave (Cantabria, Spain), specifically in the so-called Transitional Aurignacian level (∼46-42 ka uncal BP). According to a recent study conducted at this level (Luret et al., 2020), the human groups had a hunting specialisation focused on red deer, while carnivores had little influence on the assemblage. However, these interpretations were based only on the faunal assemblage from the recent excavations (1980–2011). A previous excavation phase was conducted on this site from 1910 to 1914, and after that, the faunal remains recovered were separated across several institutions, lacking a complete archaeozoological and taphonomic analysis of the whole level. In this work, a new taxonomic assessment and, for the first time, a taphonomic study of the macrofauna recovered in the Aurignacian Delta level during the initial excavations, stored at Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira (Cantabria, Spain), is carried out. This work provides new information about the human and carnivore groups that occupied El Castillo, constructing new hypotheses to interpret this relevant archaeological level.

Historical dynamics of the human-environment interactions in Cyprus during the 12th-10th millennia cal. BP: The last 30 years contributions of the Amathous area (Limassol district)

The interdisciplinary approach and analytical tools applied in the last 30 years in the Amathous region (Cyprus), especially at the sites of Shillourokambos and Klimonas, generated a huge quantity of archaeological, geoarchaeological and bioarchaeological data. They significantly contributed to document the interactions between the early Neolithic human societies and the environment and natural resources of an isolated island, during this pivotal period when both the climate and the human subsistence strategies went through radical changes. This paper briefly reviews these changes through several insights: hydrological changes and their impact on the establishment and preservation of Neolithic sites; plant and vertebrate faunal evolution, especially as a consequence of the introduction of new wild and domestic species in the island; birth and evolution of the commensal fauna (e.g. mice, cats); local domestication of wild boar and goats; adaptation and intensification of cultivation and breeding to the local environments. Altogether, these insights can provide a heuristic model at a regional scale to further understand the incipient human niche construction of the Eastern Mediterranean area.

Ancient human DNA recovered from a Palaeolithic pendant

Artefacts made from stones, bones and teeth are fundamental to our understanding of human subsistence strategies, behaviour and culture in the Pleistocene. Although these resources are plentiful, it is impossible to associate artefacts to specific human individuals1 who can be morphologically or genetically characterized, unless they are found within burials, which are rare in this time period. Thus, our ability to discern the societal roles of Pleistocene individuals based on their biological sex or genetic ancestry is limited2–5. Here we report the development of a non-destructive method for the gradual release of DNA trapped in ancient bone and tooth artefacts. Application of the method to an Upper Palaeolithic deer tooth pendant from Denisova Cave, Russia, resulted in the recovery of ancient human and deer mitochondrial genomes, which allowed us to estimate the age of the pendant at approximately 19,000–25,000 years. Nuclear DNA analysis identifies the presumed maker or wearer of the pendant as a female individual with strong genetic affinities to a group of Ancient North Eurasian individuals who lived around the same time but were previously found only further east in Siberia. Our work redefines how cultural and genetic records can be linked in prehistoric archaeology.

Diverse subsistence strategies related to the spatial heterogeneity of local environments in the Hengduan Mountain Region during the Bronze Age

Human subsistence strategies in East Asia changed significantly during the Bronze Age. The notable spatial variability in these strategies has been mainly attributed to the asynchronous introduction and adoption of new crops and livestock, as well as climate changes. However, the impact of differential local environments on spatial patterns of subsistence strategies in diverse geomorphic areas, such as the Hengduan Mountain Region (HMR), is poorly understood. In this study, we present new carbon and nitrogen isotopic data of human bone collagen from the Adong and Gaozhai tombs in the HMR. Adong is located in a mountain area, and Gaozhai is located on a river terrace. Both sites were dated to the early third Millennium BP (before the present). Our results suggest that human diets at Gaozhai were dominated by C3 foods. Human diets at Adong, alternatively, displayed more differentiation, with greater consumption of C4 foods. Further evidence is needed to discuss the significant differences in δ15N values of human bone collagen between the Gaozhai and Adong tombs. By comparing published isotopic, archaeobotanical, and zooarchaeological data, as well as the altitude and precipitation at the archaeological sites, we propose that precipitation may have affected the diversity of human dietary strategies in the Bronze Age HMR. We conclude that at higher altitudes, humans adopted diverse subsistence strategies and obtained meat resources by hunting. Some of this preferential behavior is likely explained by the survival pressure in the highlands of the HMR during the Bronze Age.

Subsistence strategies in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age in Nenjiang River Basin: A zooarchaeological and stable isotope analysis of faunal remains at Honghe site, Northeast China

AbstractThe Nenjiang River Basin, located in the northern part of Northeast China, is an important cultural region that has attracted much attention from academic communities. Previous studies demonstrated that hunting and gathering always dominate the subsistence for prehistoric populations in this region. Herein, we further investigate the evolution of dietary and economic strategies in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age occupations at the recently excavated Honghe site of the Nenjiang River Basin by means of a multidisciplinary approach incorporating zooarchaeological and stable isotope analysis. The results of zooarchaeological approaches indicate that the Honghe populations rely extensively on hunting and fishing during the Late Neolithic (4500–4000 cal BP), consistent with the results of previous studies. Interestingly, by the Bronze Age (3100–2400 cal BP), animal husbandry develops as one main economic strategy, corresponding to the probable decline of hunting and fishing, which is different from the previous reports. In addition, based on the results of stable isotopic approaches, C3 plants are always prominent diets for animals and humans from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age, which signifies that crop agriculture does not appear to have been of primary importance during either of these eras, in contrast to the C4 agricultural tradition formed in the Neolithic Age of the southern part of Northeast China. The findings of this paper shed some more light on the evolution of human subsistence strategies in the Nenjiang River Basin.

Living on the Climate Edge Suitable for Early Farming: The Complex Subsistence Strategies of the Late Neolithic People at the Abora Site in Latvia

Abstract The Late Neolithic Abora settlement site occupies a prominent place in Lake Lubāns micro-region archaeology. The Lake Lubāns wetland, including the Abora site, has been systematically researched by the archaeologist Ilze Biruta Loze in 1962–1990 and episodically in 1999–2012. Besides the settlement culture layers, the Abora site includes human burials as well, providing both osteological and archaeological material. Altogether, 61 burials have been excavated within the settlement territory. The Abora settlement is a tempting site for further investigations of complexities of the transition to farming in the Late Neolithic in Latvia. This paper represents an attempt to apply palaeodemographic methodology, 14C dating, FRUITS analysis and estimates of the freshwater reservoir effect to preserved osteological and archaeological material of Abora site and discusses the results in context with the previous data and archaeological interpretations. The new radiocarbon dates of the human bones generally correspond with the previous absolute dating of the site, spanning from 3484–3102 calBC to 2137–1925 calBC. The adult and adolescent isotopic data (29 individuals) generally corresponds very well with the local Lake Lubāns wetland isotope ecology. However, it contradicts the previous interpretations that overemphasised the role of domesticated animals and cultivated crops in the Abora human subsistence strategies. The new data show that the majority of individuals had a freshwater diet and others — a mixed freshwater/terrestrial diet.

Quantitative climatic reconstruction and prehistoric human subsistence strategy evolution since the mid-Holocene in Nenjiang river Basin, Northeastern China

Quantitative paleoclimate reconstructions can provide crucial climate context to test the hypothesis of climatic impact on prehistoric human activities. However, the climate change in Nenjiang River Basin is poorly understood due to the lack of reliable paleoclimate records. In this study, we report paired quantitative temperature (MAAT0) and soil pH records based on the branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (brGDGTs) since the mid-Holocene in an alluvial sedimentary sequence near the Honghe Neolithic site in the middle reaches of Nenjiang River Basin. The result of MAAT0 shows an obvious cooling interval at 6.5–4.0 kyr BP, which is consistent with paleotemperature reconstruction results in EASM margin. The strengthened westerlies may play a crucial role in shaping the cooling mid-Holocene in EASM margin. The soil pH variations yield a peak at 6.0–3.5 kyr BP, which is roughly consistent with other precipitation reconstruction from northeastern China. From the middle Neolithic to Bronze period, the prehistoric humans gradually settled in Nenjiang River Basin. Cool-wet climate during 6.0–4.0 kyr BP provide enough water & wildlife resources and broader space for human survival and thus prompted the settlement and cultivation development. With the deterioration of the climate since 4.0 kyr BP, the ancient inhabitants have to move southward along the Nenjiang River to lower reaches to find more suitable places for settlement.

Ethnological approach to acorn utilization in prehistory: A case study of acorn mook making in South Korea.

Acorn remains are reported from prehistoric sites across the world. Acorn is argued to have been an important food resource for human beings in prehistory. However, relevant research is still limited and it is often difficult to recognize archaeological remains relating to acorn utilization. The Chaîne Opératoire of acorn utilization is yet to be addressed. Such is of great significance to the study of human subsistence strategy in pre-agricultural period and moreover the origin of agriculture. By conducting a case study of 'mook making' using acorns in Yongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea, the current paper explores the Chaîne Opératoire of acorn utilization in prehistory using an ethnological approach. We draw attention to the laborious nature of acorn processing and to different methods of acorn processing due to different species and culinary tradition. Our case study also brings new insights into archaeological interpretations of acorn remains from prehistoric sites.

The lifestyle of Tuyuhun royal descendants: Identification and chemical analysis of buried plants in the Chashancun cemetery, northwest China.

The Tuyuhun Kingdom (AD 313–663) was one of the most famous regimes in northwest China during the early medieval period. However, the lifestyle and spiritual pursuit of their descendants who became allied with the Tang Dynasty remain enigmatic. The excavation of the Chashancun cemetery, a Tuyuhun royal descendant (AD 691) cemetery in the Qilian Mountains in northwest China, reveals a large amount of uncharred plant remains. These remains provided a rare opportunity to explore the geographical origin of the buried crops and their social implications. In total, 253,647 crops and 12,071 weeds were identified. Foxtail millet and broomcorn millet represent 61.99 and 30.83% of the total plant remains, with the rest being barley, buckwheat, beans, and hemp. The oxygen isotope and trace elements of the crop and weed remains suggest that broomcorn millet, foxtail millet, barley, buckwheat, and hemp were sourced from different regions. The assemblage of plant remains in the Chashancun cemetery suggests that millet cultivation played an important role in the livelihoods of Tuyuhun descendants, and the location of the elite Tuyuhun cemetery and multisources of different buried crops may reflect their memory of ancestors and homelands. This case study provides a unique perspective to understand the interactions among human subsistence strategy, geopolitical patterns, and local natural environments in northwest China during the late 7th century.

Direct 14C dating of equine products preserved in archaeological pottery vessels from Botai and Bestamak, Kazakhstan

Direct and accurate radiocarbon dating of lipid residues preserved in ceramics is a recently established method that allows direct dating of specific food products and their inception in human subsistence strategies. The method targets individual fatty acids originating from animal fats such as ruminant dairy, ruminant adipose, non-ruminant adipose and aquatic fats. Horse lipid residues found in Central Asian pottery vessels are also directly dateable using this new method. Here we present the identification of equine lipid residues preserved in two pottery assemblages from the Neolithic and Eneolithic in Kazakhstan and their direct 14C dating. The site of Botai, previously radiocarbon-dated to the 4th millennium BC, was used as a reference to evaluate the dates obtained directly on horse lipids. The direct dating of equine products extracted from Botai potsherds are shown to be compatible with previous 14C dates at the site. The site of Bestamak, lacking previous14C measurements, had been relatively dated to the Neolithic based on pottery typologies. The direct dating of equine residues made it possible to anchor the pottery assemblage of Bestamak in the 6th millennium BC confirming their Neolithic attribution. These findings demonstrate the potential for dating horse products through a compound-specific approach, while highlighting challenges in 14C dating individual fatty acids from lipid extracts in which their abundances differ substantially.

The Battle Rages On

The Battle Rages On