THE NEANDERTHALS OF OKLADNIKOV CAVE, ALTAI: ENVIRONMENT AND DIET BASED ON ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS
Abstract
The discovery of a Mousteroid industry in the northwestern Altai represents a major finding in Eurasian Paleolithic studies. Isotopic analyses of bone collagen of late Western European Neanderthals have repeatedly indicated that they were extremely carnivorous. However, no corresponding information was previously available for the Neanderthals of the Altai. With this in mind, an isotopic study was conducted to assess the diet of the Middle Paleolithic inhabitants of Okladnikov Cave. Collagen was extracted from seven well preserved bone samples of adults and children and 13С/12С and 15N/14N ratios were calculated. The δ13С content suggests that all individuals were members of a local trophic chain based on plants of the moderate climatic zone. However, the δ15N content demonstrates that their trophic level was high. These findings suggest that the lifestyle of Neanderthals in the northwestern Altai was similar to that of the late European Neanderthals. Both evidently subsisted by hunting large herbivores.
About the Authors
M. V. Dobrovolskaya
Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Dm. Ulyanova 19, Moscow, 117036, Russia
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
A. V. Tiunov
A.N. Severtsov Institute for Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Leninsky Pr. 33, Moscow, 119071, Russia
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
References
1. Алексеева Т.И. Географическая среда и биология человека. – М.: Мысль, 1977. – 302 с.
2. Гланц М., Виола Б., Чикишева Т.А. Новые останки гоминидов из грота Оби-Рахмат // Грот Оби-Рахмат. – Новосибирск: Изд-во ИАЭТ СО РАН, 2004. – С. 77–99.
3. Деревянко А.П. К проблеме обитания неандертальцев в Центральной Азии и Сибири. – Новосибирск: Изд-во ИАЭТ СО РАН, 2007. – 76 с.
4. Деревянко А.П. Верхний палеолит в Африке и Евразии и формирование человека современного анатомического типа. – Новосибирск: Изд-во ИАЭТ СО РАН, 2011. – 559 с.
5. Деревянко А.П., Маркин С.В. Мустье горного Алтая (по материалам пещеры им. Окладникова). – Новосибирск: Наука, 1992. – 224 с.
6. Деревянко А.П., Маркин С.В., Зыкин В.С. Пещера Чагырская – новая стоянка среднего палеолита на Алтае // Проблемы археологии, этнографии, антропологии Сибири и сопредельных территорий: мат-лы Итоговой сессии Ин-та археологии и этнографии СО РАН 2008 г. – Новосибирск: Изд-во ИАЭТ СО РАН, 2008. – Т. XIV. – С. 52–55.
7. Козловская М.В. Образ жизни древнеэскимосского населения по данным антропологии // Археология, этнография и антропология Евразии. – 2001. – № 1. – С. 147–154.
8. Медникова М.Б. Посткраниальная морфология и таксономия представителей рода Homo из пещеры Окладникова на Алтае. – Новосибирск: Изд-во ИАЭТ СО РАН, 2011. – 127 с.
9. Природная среда и человек в палеолите Горного Алтая // А.П. Деревянко, М.В. Шуньков, Ф.К. Агаджанян, Г.Ф. Барышников, Е.М. Малаева, В.А. Ульянов, Н.А. Кулик, А.В. Постнов, А.А. Анойкин. – Новосибирск: Изд-во ИАЭТ СО РАН, 2003. – 447 с.
10. Якумин П., Николаев В.И., Раминьи М. Реконструкция палеосреды по изотопным исследованиям позднеплейстоценовой мегафауны Северной Евразии // J. of Geocryology. – 2000. – Vol. 1. – P. 1–23.
11. Ambrose S.H., DeNiro M.J. Reconstruction of African human diet using bone collage carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios // Nature. – 1986. – Vol. 319. – P. 321–324.
12. Bocherens H., Drucker D. Trophic level isotopic enrichment of carbon and nitrogen in bone collagen: case studies from recent and ancient terrestrial ecosystems // Intern. J. of Osteoarchaeology. – 2003. – Vol. 13. – P. 46–53.
13. Bocherens H., Drucker D.G., Billiou D., Patou-Mathis M., Vandermeersch B. Isotopic evidence and subsistence pattern of the Saint-CesareI Neanderthal: review and use of multi-source mixing model // J. of Human Evolution. – 2005. – Vol. 49. – P. 71–87.
14. Britton K., Grimes V., Niven L., Stelle T.E., McPherron Sh., Soressi M., Kelly T.E., Jaubert J., Hublin J.-J., Richards M.P. Strontium isotope evidence for migration in Late Pleistocene Rangifer: Implications for Neanderthal hunting strategies at the Middle Palaeolithic site of Jonzac, France // J. of Human Evolution. – 2011. – Vol. 61. – P. 176–185.
15. Buzhilova A.P. Odontometry of Homo deciduous teeth from Late Pleistocene layers of Altai caves, Siberia // Characteristic features of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in Eurasia / eds. A.P. Derevianko, M.V. Shunkov. – Novosibirsk: Publ. Depart. of the Inst. of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS. – 2011. – P. 24–39
16. Chavan S., Micullagh J., Hedges R., Higham T. Compaund specifi c radiocarbon dating of essential and non-essential amino acids: towards determination of dietary reservoir effects in humans // XX Intern. Radiocarbon Conf.: Abstracts book. – P.: Unesco, 2012. – P. 50.
17. Dalen L., Orlando L., Shapiro B., Durling M.B., Quam R., Gilbert M.T.P., Diez Fernandez-Lomana J.C., Willerslev E., Arsuaga J.L., Gotherstrom A. Partial genetic turnover in neandertals: continuity in the east and population replacement in the west // Molecular Biology and Evolution. – 2012. – URL: http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/ 2012/04/03/molbev.mss074.
18. DeNiro M.J., Epstein S. Infl uence of diet on distribution of nitrogen isotopes in animals // Geochimica and Cosmochimica Acta. – 1981. – Vol. 45. – P. 341–351.
19. Dobrovolskaya M.V., Tiunov A.B. Stable isotope (13С/12С and 15N/14N) evidence for Late Pleistocene hominines’ paleodiets in Gorny Altai // Characteristic features of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in Eurasia / eds. A.P. Derevianko, M.V. Shunkov. – Novosibirsk: Publ. Depart. of the Inst. of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, 2011. – P. 81–89.
20. Fabre V., Condemi S., Degioanni A. Genetic evidence of geographical groups among Neanderthals // PlosOne. – 2009. – 4 (4): e5151. Apr. 15. – URL: http: //www.plosone.org/article/ info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0005151
21. Fiorenza L., Benazzi S., Tausch J., Kullmer O., Bromage T.G., Schrenk. F. Molar macrowear reveals Neanderthal eco-geographic dietary variation // PlosOne. – 2011. – 6 (3): e14769. March. 18. – URL: http: //www.plosone.doi/10.1371/journal. pone.00014769
22. Glantz M. The history of Hominin occupation of Central Asia in review // Asian Paleoanthropology: from Africa to China and Beyong, Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology Series / eds. C.J. Norton, D.R. Braun. – Dordrecht; Heidelberg: Springer, 2010. – P. 101–112.
23. Grun R., Aubert M., Moncel M.-H., Armstrong R., Moffat I., Kelly T., Thönnessen M., Radtke U. High resolution Sr concentration and isotope distributions in a Neanderthal tooth from Payre (Ardèche, France) using laser ablation ICP-MS // The Australian National University, Canberra, Research School of Earth Sciences. – 2011. – URL:http://rses. anu.edu.au/research/research-highlights/high-resolution-sr-concentration-and-isotope-distributions-neanderthal
24. Higham T.F.G., Jacoby R.M., Bronk Ramsey C. AMS radiocarbon dating of ancient bone using ultrafiltration // Radiocarbon. – 2006. – Vol. 48. – P. 179–195.
25. Jørkov M.L., Heinemeier J., Lynnerup N. Evaluating bone collagen extraction methods for stable isotope analysis in dietary studies // J. of Archaeological Sciences. – 2007. – Vol. 34. – P. 1824–1829.
26. Keenleyside A. Skeletal evidence of health and disease in pre-contact Alaskan Eskimos and Aleuts // Am. J. of Physical Anthropology. – 1998. – Vol. 107. – P. 51–70.
27. Krause J., Orlando L., Serre D., Viola B., Pufer K., Richards M. P., Hublin J.-J., Hanni C., Derevianko A.P., Pääbo S. Neanderthals in central Asia and Siberia // Nature. – 2007. – Vol. 449. – P. 902–904.
28. Latkoczy C., Teschler-Nicola M., Schaefer K., Guenther D., Viola B.T., Seidler H., Weber G.W., Derevianko A.P., Prohaska T., Stingeder G., Mitterocker P., Gunz P. Trace elements, strontium isotopic ratio and X-ray fl uorescence (XRF) analysis of Pleistocene human teeth from Altai // Am. J. of Physical Anthropology. – 2004. – Vol. 123, iss. suppl. 38. – P. 132.
29. Nowell G.M., Horstwood M.S.A. Comments on Richards et al., Journal of Archaeological Science 35, 2008 “Strontium isotope evidence of Neanderthal mobility at the site of Lakonis, Greece using laser-ablation PIMMS” // J. of Archaeological Science. – 2009. – Vol. 36. – P. 1334–1341.
30. Ogilvie M., Curran B.K., Trinkaus E. Incidence and patterning of dental enamel hypoplasia among the Neanderthals // Am. J. of Phys. Anthrop. – 1989. – Vol. 79. – P. 25–41.
31. Rae T.C., Koppe T., Stringer C.B. Neanderthal face is not cold adapted // J. of Human Evolution. – 2011. – Vol. 60. – P. 234–239.
32. Richards M.P., Taylor G., Stelle T., McPherron S.P., Soressi M., Jaubert J., Orschiedt J., Mallye J.B., Rendu W., Hublin J.J. Isotopic dietary analysis of Neanderthal and associated fauna from the site of Jonzac (Charente-Maritime), France // J. of Human Evolution. – 2008. – Vol. 55. – P. 179–185.
33. Richards M.P., Trinkaus E. Isotopic evidence for the diets of European Neanderthals and early modern humans // Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). – 2009. – Vol. 106, N 38. – P. 16034–16039.
34. Richards M.P., Yarvati K., Grimes V., Smith C., Smith T., Hublin J.-J., Rarkanas P., Panagohoulou E. Strontium isotope evidence of Neanderthal mobility at the site of Lakonis, Greece using laser-ablation PIMMS // J. of Archaeological Sciences. – 2008. – Vol. 35. – P. 1251–1256.
35. Temple D.H., Nakatsukasa M., McGroarty J.N. Reconstruction patterns of systemic stress in a Jomon period subadult using inceremental microstructures of enamel // J. of Archaeological Science. – 2012. – Vol. 39. – P. 1634–1641.
36. Tiunov A.V., Dobrovoldskaya M.V. Stable isotope (13C/12C and 15N/14N) evidence for Mid-Upper Paleolithic Hominines’ palaeodiets in Gorny Altai // Abstracts of Meeting of European Society of the Study of Human Evolution. 23–24 September. – Leipzig, 2011. – P. 37.
37. Turner C.G. Paleolithic teeth of the Central Siberia Altai Mountains // Chronostratigraphy of the Paleolithic in North, East Asia and America. – Novosibirsk: Inst. of History, Philology and Philosophy, SB USSR Acad. Sci., 1990. – P. 239–243.
38. Weaver T.D. The meaning of Neanderthal skeletal morphology // Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). – 2009. – Vol. 106, N 38. – P. 16028–16033.
Review
For citations:
Dobrovolskaya M.V., Tiunov A.V. THE NEANDERTHALS OF OKLADNIKOV CAVE, ALTAI: ENVIRONMENT AND DIET BASED ON ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS. Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia. 2013;53(1):78-88. (In Russ.)
Views: 274
Email this article 