Assessing natural variation and the effects of charring, burial and pre-treatment on the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of archaeobotanical cereals and pulses

被引:113
作者
Fraser, R. A. [1 ]
Bogaard, A. [1 ]
Charles, M. [1 ]
Styring, A. K. [2 ]
Wallace, M. [3 ]
Jones, G. [3 ]
Ditchfield, P. [1 ]
Heaton, T. H. E. [4 ]
机构
[1] Univ Oxford, Sch Archaeol, Oxford OX1 2PG, England
[2] Univ Bristol, Sch Chem, Organ Geochem Unit, Biogeochem Res Ctr, Bristol BS8 1TS, Avon, England
[3] Univ Sheffield, Dept Archaeol, Sheffield, S Yorkshire, England
[4] British Geol Survey, NERC Isotope Geosci Lab, Keyworth NG12 5GG, Notts, England
基金
英国自然环境研究理事会;
关键词
Archaeobotany; Carbon isotopes; Nitrogen isotopes; Preservation; Pre-treatment; LABORATORY SIMULATIONS; ACID TREATMENT; PLANT REMAINS; RATIOS; CARBONIZATION; CHARCOAL; CLIMATE; TRANSFORMATION; FRACTIONATION; C-13;
D O I
10.1016/j.jas.2013.01.032
中图分类号
Q98 [人类学];
学科分类号
030303 ;
摘要
The aim of this study is to assess the potential of charred archaeobotanical cereal grain and pulse seed delta C-13 and delta N-15 values to provide evidence of crop growing conditions and as a potential component of palaeodietary studies. In order to reliably interpret archaeobotanical delta C-13 and delta N-15 values it is necessary to take into account the impact of charring, burial and laboratory pre-treatment procedures. We examine the effects of charring and burial on bulk delta C-13, delta N-15, %C, %N and C:N ratios in modern cereal and pulse material, and of cleaning by acid base acid (ABA) pre-treatment on modern and archaeobotanical charred material. Our study utilised bulk grain and seed samples to help account for within-ear/pod and between-plant variability in delta C-13 and delta N-15 values. Heating at relatively low temperatures and for prolonged times (230 degrees C for up to 24 h) is conducive to the formation of well preserved, undistorted charred cereal grain and pulse seed. Heating for 24 h has a systematic and predictable effect on delta N-15 values, with increases of around 1 parts per thousand on average in cereal grains and pulse seeds, and no consistent impact on delta C-13 values. Increases in delta N-15 are likely due to the loss of lighter N-14 via N-containing volatiles. Burial (for up to 2 years) and ABA pre-treatment have no significant effects on delta C-13 or delta N-15 values. After pre-treatment, however, the %C and %N contents of the archaeobotanical material more closely resembles that of the modern charred grains and seeds, suggesting that archaeobotanical remains accumulate non-structural material during burial but retain their original carbon and nitrogen content. Therefore %C, %N contents and C:N ratios can provide useful criteria for assessing archaeobotanical preservation. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:4754 / 4766
页数:13
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