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Prehistoric Human Bone

Archaeology at the Molecular Level

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  • © 1993
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Overview

Editors:
  1. Joseph B. Lambert

    1. Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Gisela Grupe

    1. Institut für Anthropologie und Humangenetik, Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität, München, Germany

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-IX
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  2. Isotopic analysis

    1. Experimental Evidence for the Relationship of the Carbon Isotope Ratios of Whole Diet and Dietary Protein to Those of Bone Collagen and Carbonate

      • Stanley H. Ambrose, Lynette Norr
      Pages 1-37
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    2. Age Differences and Population Variation in Stable Isotope Values from Ontario, Canada

      • M. Anne Katzenberg
      Pages 39-62
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    3. Light, Stable Isotopes and the Subsistence Base of Formative Cultures at Valdivia, Ecuador

      • Nikolaas J. van der Merwe, Julia A. Lee-Thorp, J. Scott Raymond
      Pages 63-97
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    4. Isotopic Evidence for Diets of Prehistoric Farmers in South Africa

      • Julia A. Lee-Thorp, Judith C. Sealy, Alan G. Morris
      Pages 99-120
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    5. Effect of Diet Quality and Composition on the Isotopic Composition of Respiratory CO2, Bone Collagen, Bioapatite, and Soft Tissues

      • Larry L. Tieszen, Tim Fagre
      Pages 121-155
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  3. Element Analysis

    1. Ba/Ca as a Diagenetic Indicator for Evaluating Buried Bone Tissues: Advances in Tissue Selection, Reducing Contamination, and Data Evaluation

      • Jonathon E. Ericson
      Pages 157-171
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    2. Reproducibility and Reliability of Trace Element Analysis in an Italian Medieval Necropolis

      • P. Francalacci, M. E. Subirá, S. Borgognini Tarli, R. Macchiarelli, A. Malgosa, A. Palmieri
      Pages 173-188
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    3. Baselines and Variabilities of Major and Trace Elements in Bone

      • R. G. V. Hancock, M. D. Grynpas, K. Åkesson, K. B. Obrant, J. Turnquist, M. J. Kessler
      Pages 189-201
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    4. Indicators for Seasonality in Trace Element Patterns

      • Bernd Herrmann
      Pages 203-215
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    5. Dietary Inferences from Element Analyses of Bone

      • Joseph B. Lambert, Jane M. Weydert-Homeyer
      Pages 217-228
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  5. Physical Analysis

    1. Abrasion as an Intrinsic Factor in Palaeodiet

      • Heinrich Newesely
      Pages 293-308
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  6. Back Matter

    Pages 309-313
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Keywords

About this book

Locked up within human bone are tantalizing clues concerning the diets consumed by ancient peoples. On the one hand the amounts of certain elementsin bone (strontium, zinc) serve as measures of protein, fiber, and calcium intake. On the other hand, the ratios of carbon isotopes and of nitrogen isotopes provide information on questions of fish vs. meat, herbivore vs. carnivore, or (for animals) browser (shrubs) vs. grazer (grasses). Such information can provide a window on many aspects of prehistoric cultures and can supplement the nonskeletal archaeological record. In addition to these two approaches, the biochemical record in bone from protein and nucleic acids such as DNA serves as a source of nondietary information such as genetic relationships. This volume treats all three subjects.: elemental, isotopic, and biochemical. The foremost experts in the areas provide fundamental descriptions of the techniques, express their concerns over the limitations of the methods, and describe recent applications to archaeological studies.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA

    Joseph B. Lambert

  • Institut für Anthropologie und Humangenetik, Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität, München, Germany

    Gisela Grupe

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Prehistoric Human Bone

  • Book Subtitle: Archaeology at the Molecular Level

  • Editors: Joseph B. Lambert, Gisela Grupe

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-02894-0

  • Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1993

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-662-02896-4Published: 16 January 2013

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-662-02894-0Published: 09 April 2013

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 313

  • Number of Illustrations: 71 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Anthropology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, general, Mineralogy, Analytical Chemistry

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