11:45 AM - 12:00 PM
[HTT16-11] Dietary evaluation through zinc isotope ratios of human skeletal remains from Yoshigo shell mound of Jomon period
Keywords:Jomon period, Human skeletal remains
This study investigates zinc isotope ratios in tooth enamels of human skeletal remains of the Jomon period in Japan. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis on bone collagen was traditionary used to reconstruct diet and trophic levels on prehistoric human populations. The progress of isotope measurements using MC-ICP-MS enables us to analyze isotope ratios of zinc and other metals. Some researchers report that the zinc isotope ratios of animals reflect dietary sources and vary according to trophic levels. This study newly develops zinc isotope analysis on human tooth enamels. The zinc isotope analysis has great potential to reconstruct dietary information from inorganic materials of archaeological bones or fossils which do not contain organic components.
The material used in this study is 37 samples of human tooth enamels from the Yoshigo shell mound of Aichi prefecture, and faunal remains (six deer enamels, three boar enamels, six marine fish bones, 12 modern marine shellfish, and six modern plant leaves). Zinc was purified from these samples using anion exchange resin. Zinc isotope ratios were measured by MC-ICP-MS with the zinc standard solution of AA-ETH. The mass bias was corrected with Cu standard solution added to all standards and samples. The deer, marine fish and shellfish samples showed the value expected from their dietary ecology. The zinc isotope ratios of Jomon skeletal remains were higher than those of plants, but lower than deer and marine fish. The combination of the zinc isotope ratios and carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios previously reported showed wide distribution between the endmembers of C3 plants, marine fish, and shellfish. This result indicates that the isotopic variation of zinc for humans were largely influenced by these dietary sources. The results indicate that the sources of zinc for humans were evaluated through zinc isotopes in tooth enamels of human skeletal remains.
The material used in this study is 37 samples of human tooth enamels from the Yoshigo shell mound of Aichi prefecture, and faunal remains (six deer enamels, three boar enamels, six marine fish bones, 12 modern marine shellfish, and six modern plant leaves). Zinc was purified from these samples using anion exchange resin. Zinc isotope ratios were measured by MC-ICP-MS with the zinc standard solution of AA-ETH. The mass bias was corrected with Cu standard solution added to all standards and samples. The deer, marine fish and shellfish samples showed the value expected from their dietary ecology. The zinc isotope ratios of Jomon skeletal remains were higher than those of plants, but lower than deer and marine fish. The combination of the zinc isotope ratios and carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios previously reported showed wide distribution between the endmembers of C3 plants, marine fish, and shellfish. This result indicates that the isotopic variation of zinc for humans were largely influenced by these dietary sources. The results indicate that the sources of zinc for humans were evaluated through zinc isotopes in tooth enamels of human skeletal remains.