Human Origins Leiden

Authors: Kate Britton, Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser, Wil Roebroeks, Lutz Kindler, Michael P. Richards,

Title: Stable isotope analysis of well-preserved 120,000-year-old herbivore bone collagen from the Middle Palaeolithic site of Neumark-Nord 2, Germany reveals niche separation between bovids and equids

Journal: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

Abstract: Herbivores from the Neumark-Nord 2 archaeological site, Germany, were analysed for bone collagen stable carbon (δ¹³ C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵ N) isotope ratios in order to investigate feeding ecology at this early Last Interglacial (Eemian) shallow-lake site. Of 38 faunal samples selected, 23 yielded collagen, demonstrating remarkable preservation for material of this age. The results indicate clear inter-specific differences in δ¹⁵ N and δ¹³ C values, notably between equids (Equus) and bovids (Bos/Bison), with mean difference Δ¹⁵ N of + 2‰ measured in the bovids compared to the equids. The potential reasons for these differences are explored, including physiology, herbivore feeding ecology, biogeography and resource partitioning within the local environment. The data are compared to previously published archaeological data, and modern experimental and ecological data, suggesting that these inter-specific differences are not consistent and therefore unlikely to be solely the product of physiology or habitual forage preference. Data from this study are compared to the local vegetation (as reconstructed from pollen profiles), and it is suggested that these trends are likely the result of niche partitioning at the shallow lake site, reflecting the local diversity in vegetational zones. The evidence for resource partitioning amongst Pleistocene herbivore communities at Neumark-Nord 2 and elsewhere is discussed. This study represents one of the largest data sets for collagen of this age, and the implications for our understanding of Late Pleistocene herbivore ecology, local herbivore community behaviour and hominin palaeodietary studies are explored.

Link to article

The Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, in cooperation with the Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University and Das Landesmuseum Sachsen-Anhalt, are looking for excavators of the Breitenbach site. The excavations run from the 12th of august till the 28th of september and they offer free accomodation, a pleasant environment and a very interesting site. See attachment for more information!

A PNAS paper by members of our group and colleagues from other institutes on red ochre finds from Maastricht-Belvédère (The Netherlands) has just gone on-line in PNAS Early Edition. It is an Open Access article (courtesy of NWO, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research). Below is some additional information on the study, assembled in Q&A form.

What was the ochre used for, in your opinion? In the paper you do not come up with an interpretation. Why is that?

From the archaeological site itself we could not derive any evidence regarding the specific use of the ochre. That is often the case at prehistoric sites. We know from the ethnographic record that iron oxides/red ochres can be used for a wide range of purposes, including food preservation, preparation of hides, decoration of bodies and artifacts, as insect repellent, as an ingredient in hafting cements/glues, and even as medicine (refs 3-10 in our paper). Some archaeologists interpret the presence of red ochre at a site as an indication of “symbolic” behaviour, or “abstract” forms of reasoning. Red ochre is indeed also well-known from Ice Age cave paintings and from burials of Palaeolithic modern humans. However, given the wide range of more “mundane” purposes and the lack of clear clues to its use at Maastricht-Belvédère, we have refrained from speculating on the specific application of the red ochre in this case. The earliest unambiguous case of ochre use in a “ritual” context comes from a burial at Lake Mungo, New South Wales, Australia. There the body of a man was sprinkled with red ochre, 42,000 years ago.

Where did the hematite come from? In the paper you suggest that these early Neandertals may have picked it up in the Maas river bed, but that import from larger distances is also possible.