A calf for all seasons? The potential of stable isotope analysis to investigate prehistoric husbandry practices
A calf for all seasons? The potential of stable isotope analysis to investigate prehistoric husbandry practices
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.jas.2011.03.030
复制
发表时间：
2011-08
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
Jacqueline Towers;M. Jay;I. Mainland;Olaf Nehlich;J. Montgomery
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Jacqueline Towers;M. Jay;I. Mainland;Olaf Nehlich;J. Montgomery
在英格兰中部的Irthlingborough和Gayhurst的早期青铜时代的古墓中，有大量的牛（Bos taurus）遗骸与他们的人类烧杯墓葬有关。以前使用锶同位素分析的工作表明，大多数被分析的牛和一只欧洲野牛（Bos aurochs）都是当地起源的[Towers，J.，蒙哥马利，J.，埃文斯，J.，杰伊，M.，帕克皮尔森，M.，2010.在盖赫斯特和厄思灵伯勒的青铜时代早期的古墓中沉积的牛和欧洲野牛的起源的调查。考古学杂志37，508-515。本研究通过对成年牛的釉质和骨骼进行稳定同位素分析，探讨成年牛是否经历了相似的饲养方式、气候和环境。胶原蛋白的大量碳、氮和硫同位素分析表明，大多数人可能从当地环境中摄取类似的植物蛋白来源，这得到了高分辨率釉质内碳同位素分布的支持。氧同位素分布表明，欧洲野牛和大多数牛都经历了类似的气候状况：唯一的例外是一种具有非本地锶同位素比率的动物。然而，使用估计的牙齿形成时间对当地动物的季节性特征进行比较表明，出生季节没有一致性：动物似乎全年都在出生。牛可以全年繁殖，但它需要相当大的人力和干预，以成功地越冬年轻的股票;因此，它不太可能已经进行了没有很好的理由和利益，如果冬天是严酷的。原因之一是确保牛奶的持续供应。因此，测量氧同位素分布，以确定全年产犊可能是一个潜在的指标，乳品经济。
The Early Bronze Age barrows at Irthlingborough and Gayhurst in central England are notable for the large number of cattle (Bos taurus) remains associated with their human Beaker burials. Previous work using strontium isotope analysis has indicated that most of the cattle analysed, and one aurochs (Bos primigenius), were of local origin [Towers, J., Montgomery, J., Evans, J., Jay, M., Parker Pearson, M., 2010. An investigation of the origins of cattle and aurochs deposited in the Early Bronze Age barrows at Gayhurst and Irthlingborough. Journal of Archaeological Science 37, 508–515.]. In this study, stable isotope analysis of enamel and bone was carried out to investigate whether the mature cattle had experienced similar husbandry practices, climate and environment. Bulk carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotope analysis of collagen suggested most were consuming similar sources of plant protein from environments probably local to the sites and this was supported by high resolution intra-enamel carbon isotope profiles. Oxygen isotope profiles indicated the aurochs and most of the cattle experienced similar climatic regimes: the only exception being an animal with a non-local strontium isotope ratio. However, a comparison of seasonality profiles of the local animals using estimated tooth formation times showed that there was no consistency in season of birth: the animals appeared to have been born throughout the year. Cattle can breed throughout the year but it requires considerable human effort and intervention to successfully overwinter young stock; it is therefore unlikely to have been carried out without good reason and benefit if winters were harsh. One reason is to ensure a continuous supply of milk. Measuring oxygen isotope profiles to identify year-round calving may thus be a potential indicator of dairying economies.