Integrated stable isotopic and radiocarbon analyses of Neolithic and bronze age hunter-gatherers from the Little Sea and Upper Lena micro- regions, Cis-Baikal, Siberia. (July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: White, J. Alyssa; Schulting, Rick J.; Lythe, Andrew; Hommel, Peter; Bronk Ramsey, Christopher; Moiseyev, Vyacheslav; Khartanovich, Valeri; Weber, Andrzej W.
• Is Part Of: Journal of archaeological science. Volume 119(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-07
• Subjects: Lake Baikal -- Hunter–gatherers -- Middle Holocene -- Diet -- Stable isotopes -- Radiocarbon dating; Archaeology -- Periodicals; Archéologie -- Périodiques; 930.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2020.105161
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-4403

Abstract

Abstract: The Lake Baikal region of southern Siberia has a rich mortuary record that has provided the most comprehensive isotopic database for palaeodietary studies of north-temperate hunter-gatherers in the world, permitting more detailed reconstructions and finer-grained research questions than are usually possible. Building on previous work, this study contributes new δ 13 C, δ 15 N, and AMS radiocarbon dating results from the cemeteries of Verkholensk (n = 44) in the Upper Lena River micro-region and Ulan-Khada (n = 19) in the Little Sea micro-region. Our results reveal that the Late Neolithic (LN, 5570–4600 cal BP) individuals at Verkholensk exhibit higher δ 15 N values than in the Early Bronze Age (EBA, 4600–3700 cal BP), suggesting a shift to a more terrestrial diet, possibly in response to climate-induced environmental changes. In addition, EBA individuals at Verkholensk differ in both δ 13 C and δ 15 N from those at the nearby site of Obkhoi, suggesting territorial divisions at a surprisingly small scale, although there is a diachronic component that needs to be considered, highlighting the need for additional work on freshwater reservoir corrections for the Upper Lena micro-region. The Ulan-Khada EBA results are consistent with the 'Game-Fish' and 'Game-Fish-Seal' dietary patterns previously identified in the Little Sea micro-region. The now substantial Little Sea micro-region EBA dataset—— allows for more subtle differences in diet to be identified, namely that EBA females with Game-Fish-Seal diets for the whole of the Little Sea sample display significantly lower mean δ 13 C values than their male counterparts, providing some of the first evidence for sex-based dietary distinctions in Lake Baikal. A small number of δ 13 C and/or δ 15 N outliers were identified at both Verkholensk and Ulan-Khada that may support previous suggestions of individual mobility between the Upper Lena and Little Sea micro-regions. Exploratory use of δ 18 O isotopes in bone collagen offers a novel line of support for this scenario, confirming a number of independently identified outliers. Highlights: Isotopic and 14 C analysis of a large sample of northern Eurasian hunter-gatherers. Inferred shift to more terrestrial diets from the LN to EBA at Verkholensk. Isotopic evidence for different foraging ranges along the Upper Lena. Isotopic evidence for individual mobility between the Cis-Baikal micro-regions. Novel use of δ 18 O on collagen to assess mobility.