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The Whole Tooth and Nothing but the Tooth

Or why Temporal Resolution of Bone Collagen May Be Unreliable

Bibliographic Data

ID8352586
AuthorsJulia Beaumont (0000-0002-7166-5857, School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences University of Bradford UK, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume62
Issue3
Pages626-645
Publication date2020-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeometry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-813X • E-ISSN: 1475-4754
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/arcm.12544
OpenAlexW3005283463
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited76

The carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope ratios of human bone collagen have been used extensively over the last 40 years to investigate the diet of past populations. It has become apparent that bone collagen can give an unreliable temporal dietary signature especially in juveniles. With higher temporal resolution sampling of collagen from tooth dentine, it is possible to identify short‐term changes in diet previously invisible in bone. This paper discusses the inherent problems of using bone collagen for dietary studies and suggests better sample choices, which can make our interpretations more robust, using breastfeeding and weaning as an example

Biology · Breastfeeding · Collagen fibril · Cortical bone · Pathology · Weaning · Anatomy · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Chemistry · Dentistry · Endocrinology · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Medicine

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Unique citing works16
Citations per year2,67
Citation span2020 - 2026 (7)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 14
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