In this paper we present data from multi-isotopic analyses (87Sr/86Sr, δ18O, δ13C) of human individuals buried in the Neolithic communities of the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula. The sites ...researched were Bòbila Madurell, Can Gambús and Puig d'en Roca, all dated to the late 5th and early 4th millennia cal BC. The main objective was to explore chronological movement and the extent to which these communities moved and interacted with their Neolithic counterparts. The results show that the mobility of these communities was limited, as only 8.3% of the individuals exhibited non-local values. In addition, the chronological analysis confirmed their same horizon and temporal distribution. This means that they used resources and raw materials found in the immediate vicinity. It also implies that they had a certain degree of social organization and were already engaged in the trading of raw materials, some of which came from Central Europe and the Mediterranean islands.
•North-eastern Iberia Neolithic necropolises: Bòbila Madurell, Can Gambús and Puig d'en Roca.•Multi-isotopic analyses 87Sr/86Sr, δ18O,δ13C showed low mobility patterns.•Chronological analysis confirmed their same horizon and temporal distribution.•Iberian Neolithic engaged in trading with Central Europe and the Mediterranean.
Objective
This study seeks to contribute to the current understanding of dietary variation in the late Prehistory of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula by examining buccal dental microwear patterns ...alongside archeological data from the same populations.
Materials and Methods
Teeth from 84 adult individuals from eight distinct samples spanning the Middle‐Late Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age (Cova de l'Avi, Cova de Can Sadurní, Cova de la Guineu, Cova Foradada, Cova del Trader, Roc de les Orenetes, Cova del Gegant, Cova dels Galls Carboners) were analyzed using optical microscopy to examine buccal dental microwear patterns.
Results
The analysis did not reveal clear chronological contrasts in the dietary habits of these samples. Nevertheless, significant differences emerged among the samples, leading to their classification into two distinct sets based on the abrasiveness of the diet informed by the microwear patterns. These findings offer similarities and differences among samples in the Iberian Peninsula, shedding light on the diverse lifestyles of these individuals.
Discussion
Integrating our new results with other available proxies points to a multifaceted specialization in dietary patterns among these samples, influenced by factors such as habitat, resource selection, and available technology. By contextualizing the results within the broader context of the Iberian Peninsula, this research discerns shared characteristics and distinctive adaptations in the dietary practices and subsistence strategies of these groups. Ultimately, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between culture and environment in shaping human diets throughout late Prehistory.
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Stratigraphic study of the Cova del Gegant’s sedimentary fill revealed different cycles of accumulation of typical interior cave and delta facies. A precise chronology for these deposits, the faunal ...remains and stone tools contained therein was obtained by radiocarbon, U–Th and OSL. Our results indicate that the Upper Pleistocene archaeological sequence dates between 49.3 ± 1.8 ka BP, the U–Th age of the overlying flowstone, and 60.0 ± 3.9 ka BP, the OSL age of the basal deposits. We have also directly dated the site’s Neandertal mandible to 52.3 ± 2.3 ka by U–Th.
A human mandible from the site of Cova del Gegant is described here for the first time and compared with other Middle and Upper Pleistocene representatives of the genus
Homo from Europe and Southwest ...Asia. The specimen was recovered from sediments which also yielded Mousterian stone tools and Pleistocene fauna. The preserved morphology of the mandible, particularly in the region of the mental foramen, clearly aligns it with the Neandertals, making the Cova del Gegant the only known site in Catalonia documenting diagnostic human skeletal remains in association with Middle Paleolithic stone tools. This represents an important new addition to the human fossil record from the Iberian Peninsula and joins the Bañolas mandible in documenting the course of human evolution in the northern Mediterranean region of Spain.
•The paper presents the most comprehensive study on equid mobility in Iberia so far.•The strontium data suggests that equids were sourced from mainly local areas, but probably included different ...locations.•Equids diet was carefully managed, most notably in winter.
Equids played an important role in the development of communication in past societies, and were part of the exchanges between populations. The multi-isotopic study (strontium, carbon and oxygen isotopes) conducted on equid teeth from Bronze and Early Iron Age Can Roqueta suggests that animals originate from diverse locations and their diet was carefully managed. The enriched oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios in equid teeth compared with other taxa from the same site suggest that equids may have drunk from water troughs, thus creating a 13C and 18O isotopic enrichment and partial covariance, similar to a “lake” effect. This is the most comprehensive study on equid mobility in Iberia so far.
Stable isotope and dental-microwear analysis are methods commonly used to reconstruct dietary habits in modern and ancient human populations. However, it is rare that they are both used together in ...the same study, and here both methods are combined to obtain information on human dietary habits from the site of Tossal de les Basses (Alicante, Spain) through time. Middle Neolithic, Late Roman and Medieval (Islamic) individuals have been analyzed for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of bone collagen, as well as for buccal-dental microwear. Overall, δ13C and δ15N isotopic values show that for all periods the diet was mainly based on C3 terrestrial resources. However, the isotopic signature suggests a small, but clear amount of marine protein consumption during the Neolithic period and possibly also for a few individuals from the Medieval period. When compared to other studies from the region, it is also possible to see that the consumption of C4 resources was much more extensive during Medieval times than in previous periods. Microwear scratch density and length found for teeth from the Neolithic and Medieval periods reflect a diet in which tough foods predominated, requiring substantial pressure to chew in comparison with what was recorded for the Roman individuals. Combined with the δ15N data, the microwear signature suggests a higher input of marine/gritty resources among the Neolithic and Medieval populations compared to the Romans. Our findings also suggest that dietary patterns might be explained by cultural and technological population factors rather than habitat resource availability.
•Stable isotope and dental-microwear analysis are combined to study diet.•Neolithic, Roman and Medieval individuals from Tossal de les Basses are studied.•Diet was based on C3 terrestrial resources during all periods.•Higher input of marine/gritty resources at the Neolithic and Medieval periods.•Cultural and technological factors could explain the dietary patterns observed.
Definite progress has been made in the exploration of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) by flow cytometry (FCM) since the publication of the World Health Organization 2008 classification of myeloid ...neoplasms. An international working party initiated within the European LeukemiaNet and extended to include members from Australia, Canada, Japan, Taiwan and the United States has, through several workshops, developed and subsequently published consensus recommendations. The latter deal with preanalytical precautions, and propose small and large panels, which allow evaluating immunophenotypic anomalies and calculating myelodysplasia scores. The current paper provides guidelines that strongly recommend the integration of FCM data with other diagnostic tools in the diagnostic work-up of MDS.
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