Multi‐isotope fingerprints (O, Sr and Pb) in archaeological animal bone bioapatite
Similarity search and the suitability for provenance analysis in a geologically complex Alpine region
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8352887 |
|---|---|
| Authors | L Tschetsch (Ludwig‐Maximilians‐Universität München, Biozentrum Martinsried Grosshaderner Str. 2 D‐82152 Martinsried Germany), Alexandra Mussauer (0009-0002-4618-5752, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), Markus Mauder (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), Johannes Lohrer (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), Peer Kröger (0000-0001-5646-3299, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), Christoph Mayr (0000-0001-9634-9589, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg), Frank Söllner (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), Gisela Grupe (0000-0002-2731-2296, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue | S1 |
| Pages | 35-52 |
| Publication date | 2020-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archaeometry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-813X • E-ISSN: 1475-4754 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/arcm.12550 |
| OpenAlex | W3010586353 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 35 |
Multi‐isotope fingerprints in the bioapatite of archaeological skeletons are mostly superior over single isotope analyses for provenance studies. Gaussian mixture model (GMM) clustering is a novel tool for a similarity search among multidimensional data sets and at the same time permits the evaluation of the structural importance of particular isotopic ratios in the data set. We applied three GMM clustering experiments on multi‐isotope fingerprints—stable strontium (Sr), lead (Pb) and oxygen (O) isotopic ratios—established in 217 archaeological animal bones excavated along a specific transect across the European Alps. This reference region had been in use since prehistoric times by humans who crossed the Alps from north to south, and vice versa . The resulting clusters permit a spatial assignment of the specimens with a very high probability, in particular with regard to the geological complexity of the region. A combination of Sr with Pb stable isotopes led to an optimal differentiation between the southern and northern Alpine forelands that cannot be distinguished from each other by 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios alone, while the contribution of δ 18 O is not particularly high. The isotopic mapping and subsequent cluster analysis is suitable for the analysis of archaeological human finds and the reconstruction of the direction of transalpine mobility and trade
Archaeology · Cluster analysis · Geochemistry · Geography · Isotope · Isotope analysis · Isotopes of oxygen · Isotopes of strontium · Provenance · Similarity (geometry) · Strontium · Transect · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Chemistry · Computer Science · Geology · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
Comparing partitions
On the Use of Biomineral Oxygen Isotope Data to Identify Human Migrants in the Archaeological Record
Calcined bone provides a reliable substrate for strontium isotope ratios as shown by an enrichment experiment
Origin and Migration of the Alpine Iceman
Applications of Sr Isotopes in Archaeology
Maximum Likelihood from Incomplete Data Via the EM Algorithm
The genesis and spread of the early Fritzens-Sanzeno culture (5th/4th cent. BCE) – Stable isotope analysis of cremated and uncremated skeletal finds
Iron Age migration on the island of Öland
Dietary reconstruction, mobility, and the analysis of ancient skeletal tissues
A lead-isotope database of copper ores from the Southeastern Alps
Insights into immigration and social class at Machu Picchu, Peru based on oxygen, strontium, and lead isotopic analysis
Origins of inhabitants from the 16th century Sala (Sweden) silver mine cemetery – A lead isotope perspective
Trace elements in modern and archaeological human teeth
Eneolithic copper smelting slags in the Eastern Alps
Bronze Age Copper Produced at Mitterberg, Austria, and its Distribution
Significance and Limitations of Stable Oxygen Isotope Ratios in the Apatite Phosphate of Archaeological Vertebrate Finds for Provenance Analysis in an Alpine Reference Region
Prehistoric Copper Production in the Inn Valley (Austria), and the Earliest Copper in Central Europe
Technical note
| Citations per year | 1.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |