Archaeo-Zn: Expanding the prospects of zinc isotopes as palaeodietary and palaeoenvironmental proxies

最近的研究表明，考古骨骼和釉质中的锌同位素可以提供古代饮食信息。这对于没有保存胶原蛋白的样品特别有用，防止了通过碳和氮同位素分析重建古饮食。我们的项目旨在扩大锌同位素作为古饮食和古生态指标的前景。首先，我们将探索锌同位素分析是否可以为火化后不再含有胶原蛋白的人类遗骸提供古代饮食信息。火葬是世界许多地区选择的埋葬方式，从这些火化中获取古代饮食信息目前是不可能的，因此很大一部分过去人口的饮食习惯完全不清楚。锌同位素有可能从火化的遗骸中解开饮食信息，并揭示这一未被研究的群体隐藏的饮食习惯。第二，我们将探索考古植物、动物和人类的锌同位素是否可以提供有关农业生产发生时的水文条件的信息。这一点很重要，因为自从农业出现以来，水一直是农业生产的中心，但在史前农业中利用自然/人工水资源的情况却鲜为人知。在气候不可预测性威胁农业复原力的世界中，加强对早期农民用来使农业取得成功的水管理做法的理解，对于制定未来可持续粮食生产系统战略具有重要意义。

Recent studies have demonstrated that zinc isotopes in archaeological bone and enamel can provide palaeodietary information. This is particularly useful for samples where no collagen is preserved, preventing palaeodietary reconstruction via carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. Our project aims to expand the prospects of zinc isotopes as palaeodietary and palaeoecological proxies. First we will explore whether zinc isotope analysis can provide palaeodietary information for human remains that have been cremated and no longer contain collagen. Cremation was the chosen burial practice in many areas of the world and accessing palaeodietary information from these cremations is currently not possible, thus the dietary habits of a significant proportion of past populations are entirely unknown. Zinc isotopes have the potential to unlock dietary information from cremated remains and illuminate the hidden dietary habits of this understudied group. Second we will explore whether zinc isotopes of archaeological plants, animals and humans can provide information about hydrological conditions under which agricultural production was taking place. This is important as since the advent of farming, water has been central to agricultural production, yet the use of natural/manipulated water resources in prehistoric agriculture is poorly understood. Improved understanding of the water management practices early farmers used to make agriculture a success has implications for developing future strategies for sustainable food production systems in a world where climate unpredictability threatens agricultural resilience.