Abstract
The emergence of agriculture in Greece denotes the start of the Neolithic in Europe, however, little is known about diet and subsistence practices and human/animal mobility in the region. Reconstruction of diet using archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological remains implies a reliance on cereal grains and pulse crops and meat-based subsistence practices, including sheep/goat and pig. Previous palaeodietary reconstructions using bulk stable isotope analyses have shown consumption of a predominately C3 terrestrial diet despite the close proximity of some sites to the coast. Early indications of dietary practices obtained through lipid residue analysis of a small number of sites in the region have confirmed an abundance of carcass products were processed within pottery vessels but dairying was little practised. Aside from movements identified through material culture little is known about human mobility in northern Greece.This thesis aims to investigate diet and mobility throughout the Neolithic of northern Greece, using a multi-proxy approach. A range of sites were selected: Mikri Volvi, Nea Nikomedeia, Revenia, Varemenoi Goulon, Litit III, Ritini, Apsalos, Paliambela, Kleitos, Makriyalos, Stavroupoli, Thermi, Toumba and Kremastis Koiladas, to chronologically span the Neolithic period and cover a range of geographical environments and terrains, allowing the temporal and spatial study of differences in coastal and inland settlement subsistence patterns to be investigated. This multi-proxy approach includes bulk δ13C and δ15N stable isotope analyses performed on 52 human and 98 faunal skeletal remains from 7 sites and lipid residue analysis of over 900 potsherds from 11 sites. Strontium isotope analysis of 36 human and 26 faunal tooth enamel samples from 7 sites is used to reconstruct mobility. This combined approach provides new insights into the relationship between human mobility, livestock management, diet and subsistence practices in Neolithic Greece.
Bulk δ13C and δ15N analyses of bone collagen indicates that humans consumed a terrestrial C3 diet throughout the Neolithic in northern Greece with a greater reliance on plants during the EN. Human bulk collagen δ13C values reflect the isotopic signatures of sheep/goat inferring they are the predominant species consumed. A C4 dietary component was observed in collagen δ13C values of cattle, which is not present in other animals, implying different animal management strategies were practised.
Lipid residue analysis of pottery vessels revealed ruminant and non-ruminant carcass fats comprise the majority of animal fat types identified, reflecting the high abundance of sheep/goat and pig in faunal assemblages. The emergence of dairying in northern Greece can now be dated to the site of EN/MN Ritini (5900/5700 - 5500 cal. B.C.E.), however, the occurrence of dairy fat lipids was low, overall, indicating that dairying was not intensively practised during the Neolithic in northern Greece. The δ13C values of the fatty acids extracted from potsherds reflect a predominately C3 diet, however, in the EN and MN there is greater variation with some lipids exhibiting enriched δ13C values indicating a contribution from C4 plants. Significantly, plant derived n-alkanes (C22 to C34) and LCFA (C20-C26) detected in pottery vessels provide the first evidence for plant processing in Neolithic northern Greece, supporting the abundant archaeobotanical evidence for the processing and consumption of plants. Terpenoid compounds in lipid residues reveal birch bark tar and resin from Pinus spp. were exploited.
Integration of the zooarchaeological and lipid analyses has refined interpretations regarding the species being processed and consumed using pottery vessels, revealing that cattle carcass fats do not comprise a large part of the human diet, despite dominating skeletal assemblages. Interestingly, the enrichment of δ13C16:0 fatty acids observed in pottery dairy lipids correlate with the less depleted bulk δ13C values of cattle skeletal collagen, suggesting they were kept for milking purposes.
Strontium isotope analyses demonstrate both human and animal mobility was limited, although movement may have occurred within geologically homogeneous areas. Similarly, faunal tooth enamel correlates well with predicted strontium isotope ratios of the surrounding bedrock, suggesting that animal management occurred on a local level, however, more varied isotope values at LN sites indicates changing subsistence practices involving practices such as transhumance.
| Date of Award | 24 Jan 2017 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Supervisor | Richard P Evershed (Supervisor) |