Sulphur isotope evidence for freshwater fish consumption: a case study from the Danube Gorges, SE Europe

To explore the use of sulphur isotopes as an indicator of the consumption of freshwater fish, we undertook sulphur isotope analysis on bone collagen extracted from humans and animals from five archaeological sites from the Danube Gorges region dating from the Mesolithic to the middle Neolithic perio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of archaeological science Vol. 37; no. 5; pp. 1131 - 1139
Main Authors Nehlich, Olaf, Borić, Dušan, Stefanović, Sofija, Richards, Michael P.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2010
Elsevier
Subjects
Epipalaeolithic and mesolithic
Europe
Excavation and methods
Freshwater fish
Laboratory methods
Mesolithic
Methodology and general studies
Neolithic
Neolithic and chalcolithic
Palaeolithic and mesolithic
Physical and chemical analysis
Prehistory and protohistory
South East Europe
Sulphur isotopes
The Danube Gorges
Mesolithic
Neolithic
Rumania
Serbia
Europe
Freshwater fish
The Danube Gorges
Mesolithic
Sulphur isotopes
Neolithic
Diet
Collagen
Fish
Bone
Fishing
Isotope Analysis
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Summary:To explore the use of sulphur isotopes as an indicator of the consumption of freshwater fish, we undertook sulphur isotope analysis on bone collagen extracted from humans and animals from five archaeological sites from the Danube Gorges region dating from the Mesolithic to the middle Neolithic periods. The results show a difference in the sulphur isotope values between freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems of 8.7‰. To reconstruct human diets, bone collagen from 24 individuals was analysed for carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotopic values. The nitrogen isotope ratios ranged from 10.3 to 16.5‰ and the carbon isotope ratios ranged from −20.8 to −18.3‰. Low nitrogen isotope values were found for individuals with low sulphur isotope ratios reflecting the low sulphur isotopic values of the terrestrial animals. The highest human nitrogen isotope values coincided with higher sulphur isotope ratios, which are related to the higher sulphur isotope values of the freshwater fish. Intermediate human sulphur isotopic ratios between these two extremes showed mixed diets of both terrestrial and freshwater resources.
ISSN:0305-4403
1095-9238
DOI:10.1016/j.jas.2009.12.013