Isotopic composition and identification of the origins of individuals buried in a Neolithic collective grave at Bronocice (southern Poland)

Publication date: April 2014 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology, Volume 65, Issue 2 Author(s): K. Szostek , E. Haduch , B. Stepańczak , J. Kruk , A. Szczepanek , J. Pawlyta , H. Głąb , S. Milisauskas The oxygen present in a human organism comes from numerous sources, but the major factor that causes variation in the isotopic composition of this element in a tissue is available drinking water. The isotopic ratio of oxygen in an organism's tissue, including that found in bones and teeth, reflects the isotopic oxygen composition typical for the area where a given individual developed and lived. Of particular interest with regard to this issue were a series of skeletons from the multiple grave discovered at the Funnel Beaker-Baden settlement at Bronocice (southern Poland). The question therefore arose whether the specimens buried in this grave were part of the local community. The oxygen isotope level was established using apatite isolated from bones or teeth. A femur and root dentine samples taken from permanent teeth were subjected to oxygen isotope analysis. The oxygen isotope level of the site was established on the basis of local water precipitation and measurements taken from the oxygen isotope concentration in apatite samples isolated from the bones of animals co-occurring with the studied human group. It has been found that the oxygen isotope levels in the bones and dentine of almost all the analysed specimens from the excavated site at Bron...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: research