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Mesolithic and early Neolithic in the Iron Gates: a palaeodietary perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2017

Clive Bonsall ,
Rosemary Lennon ,
Kathleen McSweeney ,
Catriona Stewart ,
Douglas Harkness ,
Vasile Boroneanţ ,
László Bartosiewicz ,
Robert Payton  and
John Chapman
Clive Bonsall
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Old High School, Infrmary Street, Edinburgh EHI ILT, Great Britain
Rosemary Lennon
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Old High School, Infrmary Street, Edinburgh EHI ILT, Great Britain
Kathleen McSweeney
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Catriona Stewart
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Douglas Harkness
Affiliation:
NERC Radiocarbon Laboratory, National Engineering Laboratory, East Kilbride, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Vasile Boroneanţ
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Bucharest, Romania
László Bartosiewicz
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Loránd Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary
Robert Payton
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
John Chapman
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, United Kingdom
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Abstract

This paper is a study of diet and subsistence among Mesolithic and Early Neolithic populations in the Iron Gates section of the Danube Valley, with emphasis on the sites of Lepenski Vir and Vlasac in Serbia and Schela Cladovei in Romania. The first part of the paper reviews the evidence of animal and plant residues and human skeletal indicators; the second presents new data from stable isotopic analyses of human bone supported by AMS 14C dates. Isotopic and dental evidence suggest that Mesolithic people prior to 7600 BP had high protein diets in which the bulk of the protein was derived from riverine food sources. Significant differences are evident between the isotopic signals of Mesolithic males and females buried at Vlasac and Lepenski Vir, indicating differences in overall diet. These differences are most easily explained in terms of movement of individuals between groups, linked to the practice of local group exogamy. A shift in dietary pattern occurred at Lepenski Vir between ca 7600 and 7300 BP. The bone chemistry of individuals post-dating 7300 BP reflects the intake of significantly higher proportions of terrestrial foods. This change may reflect the introduction of stock-raising and/or cultivation in the Iron Gates. If so, then the transition from Late Mesolithic to Neolithic at Lepenski Vir was not characterised by a wholesale shift in subsistence from foraging to farming; the earliest Neolithic inhabitants of the site continued to obtain a significant proportion of their dietary protein from riverine resources. The wider implications of the AMS dates and stable isotopic data are also considered.

Cet article traite du régime alimentaire et des subsistances des populations habitant la région des Portes de Fer dans la vallée du Danube, et plus particulièrement les sites de Lepenski Vir et Vlasac en Serbie, ainsi que Schela Clavodei en Roumanie, pendant le Mésolithique et le début du Néolitique. La première partie de l'article examine en détail des résidus animaux et végétaux ainsi que les indicateurs de squelette humain, tandis que la deuxième partie présente de nouvelles données provenant d'analyses isotopiques stables d'ossements humains datés au moyen de C14 MGS. D'aprés des résidus dentaires et des traces isotopiques, il semble que le régime alimentaire des hommes du Mésolithique, avant 7600 av. J.-C., était riche en protéines, et que la majeure partie de ces protéines provenait d'une source d'alimentation d'origine fluviale. Il existe manifestement d'importantes différences entre les signaux isotopiques des hommes et des femmes du Mésolithique enterrés à Vlasac et Lepenski Vir, ce qui indique qu'll existe des différences quant à leur régime alimentaire global. Ces différences peuvent facilement s'expliquer par les mouvements d'individus entre les groupes, mouvements liés à la pratique de l'exogamie au sein de groupes appartenant à une mme région. Un changement d'habitubes alimentaires s'est produit à Lepenski Vir approximativement entre 7600 et 7300 av. J.-C. La composition chimique des ossements humains d'aprés 7300 av. J.-C. reflète une augmentation considérable de la consommation d'aliments d'origine terrestre. Il se peut que ce changement reflète l'introduction de l'élevage et/ou de la culture dans les Portes de Fer. Si tel est le cas, la période de transition qui va de la fin du Mésolithique jusqu'au Néolithique ne fut alors pas caractérisée, à Lepenski Vir, par un changement généralisé du mode de subsistance, passant de la cueillette à l'agriculture: en effet, les habitants de ce site, au tout début du Néolithique, continuaient de tirer une part considérable de leurs protéines de ressources fluviales. On examine aussi en détail les dates MGS et les données isotopiques stables, ainsi que les conséquences qui en découlent.

Dieser Artikel befaßt sich mit der Nahrung und Subsistenz bei der mesolithischen und frühneolithischen Bevölkerung in den ‘Eisernen Toren’ des Donautals, mit besonderer Betonung der Ausgrabungsstellen Lepenski Vir und Vlasac in Serbien und Schela Cladovei in Rumänien. Zuerst werden tierische und pflanzliche Überreste untersucht, sowie menschliche Knochenreste; der zweite Teil des Artikels legt neue Daten von stabilen isotopischen Analysen vor von menschlichem Knochenmaterial von 14C Material unterstützt. Isotopisches und dentales Beweismaterial deuten auf eiweißhaltigere Ernährungsweise bei der mesolithischen Bevölkerung vor 7600 BP, wobei der größte Teil des Proteins von Flußtieren stammte. Bedeutende isotopische Unterschiede sind zu vermerken zwischen den Skeletten von Männern und Frauen, die in Vlasac und Lepenski Vir begraben sind, was auf Unterschiede im Eßverhalten gesamten Lebensweise hindeutet. Die einfachste Erklärung für diese Unterschiede ist das Umziehen von Individuen zwischen Gruppen, verursacht durch die Sitte der östlichen Gruppenexogamie. Zwischen 7600 und 7300 BP wird in Lepenski Vir eine änderung in der Ernährungsweise sichtbar. Die individuelle Knochenzusammensetzung nach 7300 zeigt eine wesentlich höhere Aufnahme von landgebundenen Nahrungsmitteln, vielleicht aufgrund von Viehhaltung und/oder Landwirtschaft in dem ‘Eisernen Toren’. Wenn dies der Fall war, wurde der Übergang vom Spätmesolithikum zum Neolithikum bei Lepenski Vir nicht durch eine umfassende Änderung in der Ernährungsweise von Futtersuche zur Landwirtschaft charakterisiert. Die frühesten neolithischen Bewohner gewannen weiterhin einen erheblichen Anteil ihres Proteins aus den Flüssen. Die weiteren Auswirkungen der AMS Daten und dauerhafte isotopische Daten werden ebenfalls in Betracht gezogen.

Este artículo es un estudio acerca de la dieta y la subsistencia entre las poblaciones Mesolíticas y Neolíticas de la zona de las ‘Puertas de Hierro’ del Valle del Danubio, con especial hincapié en los yacimientos de Lepenski Vir y Vlasac en Serbia y Schela Cladovei en Rumanía. La primera parte del trabajo repasa las evidencias de residuos animales y vegetales así como los indicadores en esqueletos humanos; la segunda parte presenta nuevos datos a partir de análisis de isótopos estables de huesos humanos apoyados por datación de 14C AMS. La evidencia isotópica y dental sugiere que las poblaciones mesolíticas anteriores al 7600 BP tenían dietas muy altas en proteínas, en su mayor parte derivadas de fuentes de alimentación procedentes del río. Existen diferencias significativas entre los indicadores isotópicos de los individuos mesolíticos masculinos y femeninos enterrados en Vlasac y Lepenski Vir que indican diferencias en la globalidad de la dieta. Estas diferencias se explican más fácilmente en términos de movimientos de individuos entre gropos, ligadas a la practica de exogamia de gropo local. En Lepenski Vir se observa un cambio en el modelo alimentario entre ca 7600 y 7300 BP. Los análisis quimicos del hueso de los individuos datados con posterioridad a 7300 BP reflejan la toma de proporciones significativamente más altas de alimentos terrestres. Este cambio puede reflejar la introducción de la ganadería y/o la agricultura en la zona de las ‘Puertas de Hierro’. En ese caso, la transición del Mesolítico Final al Neolítico en Lepenski Vir no se caracterizańa por un cambio radical del modo de subsistencia de la depredación a la agricultura y ganadería; los primeros habitantes neolíticos del yacimiento continuaron obteniendo una proporción significativa de la proteína de su dieta a partir de recursos procedentes del ńo. También se consideran las implicaciones de las dataciones AMS, así como los datos de los isótopos estables.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of European Archaeology , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , Spring 1997 , pp. 50 - 92
Copyright
Copyright © European Association of Archaeologists 

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