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Dissertation research
Anna Waterman 3/25/2011
 My
dissertation is a bioarchaeological
investigation of health, diet and interlifetime mobility patterns in Late Neolithic
through Early Bronze Age (3600-1800 BC)
burial populations from the Estremadura
region of Portugal.
 Research
Location
• Late Neolithic
through Early
Bronze Age (c
3500-1500 BC)
• Evidence of the
rise of a sociallycomplex, nonstate society.

This societal transformation is reflected
in:
• Population aggregation and political
•
•
•
•
centralization.
The construction of fortified hilltop
settlements.
Monumental funerary architecture.
The establishment of long-distance trade
routes.
Finely-crafted utilitarian and ritual tools and
objects.

During the Early Bronze Age this region
underwent a period of social devolution
which cumulated in settlement
abandonment.

To date, it is unclear how, and
if, sociopolitical organization
influenced this societal
collapse.

While it is agreed that some
form of social differentiation
existed and that it increased
over time, archaeologists have
been unable to agree on the
exact nature of this
differentiation.

One major impediment to studies of social differentiation
during this time is the collective burial practices which
prevent the recognition of elite and non-elite individuals
via grave goods.

Another is the diversity in burial spaces (natural and
artificial caves, rockshelters, megaliths, and tholoi) which
were used over hundreds of years and house similar
types of interments and grave goods.
 One
avenue of investigation is that evidence
of social differentiation may be found through
a study of biological markers
• Evidence of individual life history that remain on and in
the skeletal tissues.

Such an investigation is possible because
skeletal and dental tissues “store” biological
information pertaining to one’s diet, activity
level, health-status, and inter-lifetime mobility
patterns.
 The
aim of this research is to ascertain if
there are significant differences in:
• individual diet and mobility patterns within burials,.
• and/or significant differences in childhood health
status, rate of pathology, age-at-death ratios, diet,
and mobility patterns between burials .
• Can these differences, if found, inform us about
socially distinct or differentiated populations.
Null: no significant
differences
Hypothesis
Burial Type
No significant
differences will
Populations are
be found in
socially
biological
undifferentiated markers of diet,
in terms of diet, inter-life
health status, and mobility,
place of origin
pathology rates,
throughout the
or childhood
Late Neolithic and health between
Copper Age
burials.
Time Period
Alternative 2:
Significant differences between
burials. Increase over time
Alternative
Hypothesis 2
No significant
differences will be
found in biological
markers of diet, interlife mobility, pathology
rates, or childhood
health across time
periods
Alternative 1:
Significant
differences between
burials. Time not
important
Alternative Hypothesis 1
Populations are
Social
biological
differentiation is homogeneous (in
evident in marked terms of the
differences in diet, selected markers)
health status and within burials but
place of origin,
differ across
These differences are
and burial location burials
temporally consistent
Social
differentiation is
evident in marked
differences in diet,
health status and
place of origin,
and burial
location. These
differences
increase overtime
Alternative
Hypothesis 4
Populations are
biological
homogeneous (in
terms of the
selected markers)
within burials but
differ across
burials
The pattern of
differentiation is more
evident in later burials,
less pronounced or nonexistent in earlier
burials
Alternative Hypothesis 3
Social differentiation is
evident in marked
differences in diet, and
place of origin between
individuals. Burials
spaces are
undifferentiated.
Populations
are biological
heterogeneous
(in terms of
the selected These differences are
markers)
temporally
within burials. consistent
Social
differentiation is
evident in marked
differences in diet,
and place of origin Populations are
between
biological
individuals.
heterogeneous (in
Burials spaces are terms of the
undifferentiated, selected markers) Later burials are more
but differences
within some
heterogenous than
increase over time burials.
earlier burials
Alternative 4:
Significant differences
within burials. Increases
over time
Alternative 3:
Significant differences within
burials. Time unimportant


The sites included in this research are
seven burial sites and one settlement
site
• Bolores, Lapa da Rainha, Tholos do
Pai Mogo, Cova da Moura, Feteira
II, Tholos da Borracheira, and
Cabeço da Arruda and Zambujal

These sites are within 25km (15 miles)
of each other and span the Late
Neolithic through Early Bronze Age
(3500-1800 BC) and represent a
diversity of burial contexts
Fauna remains from Zambujal, Cova da Moura, and Bolores were
analyzed as part of this project as well
 Gathering
demographic data from
previously unstudied skeletal collections
and comparing this with the published data
for other collections.
• Pathology rates
• Age-at-death
• MNI (minimum numbers of individuals)
 Taking
bone and tooth samples from the
selected collections to examine individual
dietary and mobility patterns
• Stable isotope analysis on bone collagen and
apatite (for C, N, O)
• Stable isotope analysis on dental enamel (for Sr)

Identifying individuals in collective
burials can be difficult

For this project I have chosen to use
mandibles as my unit of study



Each mandible (fragment) represents
one individual and can provide
information about age-at-death,
dental pathology and sometimes
biological sex
Each mandible also provides tooth
enamel and bone from the same
individual for use in stable isotope
analysis
For the isotope research I am working
with a combined sample size of over
80 individuals from the selected sites

A major part of my research project
involves stable isotope analysis

Isotopes are atoms of the same
element which have different numbers
of neutrons and therefore have different
masses (weights)

Stable isotopes do not decay and so
their values remain consistent in
sampled elements

This makes them different than
radiogenic isotopes which decay over
time


The nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotopic composition of tissues
and bone are a direct result of diet and therefore can be used to quantify
dietary intake in individuals

Strontium 87Sr/86Sr and oxygen isotopes (δ18O) reflect the local
environment and their values can be used to identity migration patterns
Anna. J. Waterman,1 Ana Maria Silva,2 and David W. Peate1
1University
of Iowa, 2University of Coimbra
76th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology
Sacramento, California
March 30—April 3, 2011
87Sr

Strontium has 4 stable isotopes.
through the decay of 87Rb.
is radiogenic, being produced

The ratio of 87Sr/86Sr (the rarest ones) is the standard way to measure
strontium variation across the landscape.

The ratios of 87Sr/86 vary between 0.700 and 0.750 with older geologic
areas (100+mya) a having higher ratios and younger areas (< 10mya)
lower ranges

In general the survey region is composed of Cretaceous (145-65 mya)
and Jurassic (145-199 mya) sediments with pockets of (250-200 mya)
Triassic sediments in the north.

Seawater has the same ratio everywhere Sr 0.7092 (though not the
same through time)

These variations may seem small, but they are exceptionally large
from an instrumental standpoint and far in excess of analytical error.

Sr closely mimics the behavior of calcium isotopes and can
substitute for Ca2+ in the lattices of minerals and replace
Ca in the cell walls of plants and animals.

Because of this, Sr isotope ratios in plants and animals
can allow us to link plants and animals to particular
landscapes

Bone remodels throughout life but dental enamel does not

By sampling enamel from teeth that formed during childhood and
comparing it against the local Sr values we can distinguish between local
individuals and migrants.
Site Individual
CM Adult 1
CM Adult 2
CM Adult 3
CM Adult 4
CM Adult 5
CM Adult 6
CM Adult 7
CM Adult 8
CM Adult 9
CM Adult 10
CM Adolescent 1
CM Subadult 2
Fet II Adult 1
Fet II Adult 2
Fet II Adult 3
Fet II Adult 4
Fet II Adult 7
Fet II Adult 8
Fet II Adult 10
Fet II Adult 11
Catalog
Number
CM 15
CM 12
CM 2
CM 84
CM 159
CM 9
CM 95
CM 30
CM 22
CM 81
CM 39
CM 45
Fet1222
fet1219
fet1547
fet342
fet92
fet1245
fet799
fet1229
Enamel
Sampled
LRM3
LLM3
LLM3
LRM3
LRM3
LLM3
LRM3
LLM3
LRM3
LRM3
LLM2
LLM2
LLM3
LLM2
LLM3
LLM2
LRM2
LRM2
LRM3
LRM3
Site
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
Individual
Adult 1
Adult 2
Adult 3
Adult 4
Adult 5
Adult 6
Adult 7
Adol 1
Child 1
Child 2
Adult 1
Adult 2
Adult 3
Adult 4
Adult 5
Adult 6
Adult 7
Adult 8
Adult 9
Adolescent 2
Fet II Adult 12
Fet II Adult 13
fet313
fet1006
LLM3
LRM2
PM
PM
Adolescent 3 PM 12267 LRM3
Subadult 3
PM 12507 RM1
Bol Adult 1
Bol Adult 2
B1.11.4.B114 LLM2
B1.11N.4.B663 LLM3
LdR Adult 2
LdR Adult 1
LdR102
LdR27
Bol Adult 3
Bol Adult 4
B1.9/10.0.BL5 LLM3
B1.2.1.B15
LRM3
Zam Adult 1
Zam Adult 2
Z831/Z970 ULM1
Z776
LRM2
Bol Adolescent 1 B1.11S.4.B720 URM2
Zam Adult 3
Z971
Bol Adolescent 2 B1.11S.4.B676 LRM3
Catalog
Number
CAI 13
CAI 11
CAI 17
CAI 1
CAI 25
CAI 3
CAI 7
CAI 19
CAI 2
CAI 23
PM 12268
PM 12263
PM 12261
PM 12338
PM 12951
PM 12282
PM 12852
PM 12600
PM 12821
PM 12726
Enamel
Sampled
LLM3
LRM3
LLM3
LLM3
LLM3
LLM3
LLM3
LRM3
LLM1
LRM1
LLM3
LRM3
LLM3
LRM3
LRM3
LLM3
LLM3
LRM3
LLM3
LRM2
LRM3
LRM2
LRM2

Dental remains from 55
humans and 22 animals
were selected.

For each mandible enamel is removed from (preferably) the third molar
(~5mg) is extracted using a Dremel tool

The enamel samples were prepped in the University of Iowa
Department of Geoscience clean lab where the strontium was separated
out from each sample using Sr spec resin.

Next 87Sr/86Sr ratios were determined by running each sample on the
Nu Plasma HR multicollector inductively-coupled-plasma massspectrometer (MC-ICP-MS) housed at University of Illinois Department
of Geology Multicollector ICP Mass Spectrometer Laboratory under the
direction of Dr. Craig Lundstom.
Thanks
JT!

All ratios were calibrated to the NBS987 international standard of .710268
which had a reproducibility of ± 0.000034 (2 s.d., n= 46).

The local range is defined by 2 standard deviations from the mean of the
small fauna’s (rabbit) 87Sr/86Sr ratio.
•
This method for defining local range has become
standard practice in Sr studies of prehistoric migration
(see Price et al. 2002)
•
Rabbits are selected because they have a limited range
of movement, feed on the local plants, and are commonly
found in archaeological assemblages
Site
CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
Fet II
Fet II
Fet II
Fet II
Fet II
Fet II
Fet II
Fet II
Fet II
Fet II
Bol
Bol
Bol
Bol
Bol
Bol
Catalog #
CM 15
CM 12
CM 2
CM 84
CM 159
CM 9
CM 95
CM 30
CM 22
CM 81
CM 39
CM 45
fet1222
fet1219
fet1547
fet342
fet92
fet1245
fet799
fet1229
fet313
fet1006
B1.11.4.B114
B1.11N.4.B663
B1.9/10.0.BL5
B1.2.1.B15
B1.11S.4.B720
B1.11S.4.B676
Individual
87/86 ratio
Adult 1
0.709081
Adult 2
0.709443
Adult 3
0.707590
Adult 4
0.709313
Adult 5
0.710083
Adult 6
0.710438
Adult 7
0.720730
Adult 8
0.714383
Adult 9
0.709282
Adult 10
0.706697
Adolescent 1
0.710765
Subadult 2
0.709720
Adult 1
0.709463
Adult 2
0.709411
Adult 3
0.710004
Adult 4
0.710712
Adult 7
0.709233
Adult 8
0.710281
Adult 10
0.709681
Adult 11
0.709338
Adult 12
0.710074
Adult 13
0.709838
Adult 1
0.710401
Adult 2
0.710131
Adult 3
0.710987
Adult 4
0.711067
Adolescent 1
0.709850
Adolescent 2
0.709946
Site
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
CAI
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
PM
LdR
LdR
Zam
Zam
Zam
Catalog #
CAI 13
CAI 11
CAI 17
CAI 1
CAI 25
CAI 3
CAI 7
CAI 19
CAI 2
CAI 23
PM 12268
PM 12263
PM 12261
PM 12338
PM 12951
PM 12282
PM 12852
PM 12600
PM 12821
PM 12726
PM 12267
PM 12507
LdR102
LdR27
Z831/Z970
Z776
Z971
Individual
87/86 ratio
Adult 1
0.710592
Adult 2
0.707792
Adult 3
0.710130
Adult 4
0.709495
Adult 5
0.709890
Adult 6
0.711508
Adult 7
0.709003
Adol 1
0.709686
Child 1
0.709647
Child 2
0.710009
Adult 1
0.710905
Adult 2
0.711243
Adult 3
0.711205
Adult 4
0.709291
Adult 5
0.711009
Adult 6
0.711135
Adult 7
0.710521
Adult 8
0.710988
Adult 9
0.710353
Adolescent 2
0.711520
Adolescent 3
0.711269
Subadult 3
0.710639
Adult 2
0.710014
Adult 1
0.709989
Adult 1
0.709783
Adult 2
0.710522
Adult 3
0.709399
Site
catalog #
Genus
Zam
Z829
Bos
0.707795
Zam
Z812
Bos
0.711497
Zam
Z10000
Bos
0.709925
Zam
Z469
Ovis/Capra
0.710296
Zam
Z492
Ovis/Capra
0.709796
Zam
Z1136
Ovis/Capra
0.711643
Zam
Z1143
Ovis/Capra
0.709284
Zam
Z87-101-40-21
Ovis/Capra
0.709599
Zam
Z87-101-40-8
Ovis/Capra
0.708368
Zam
Z87-82-40-24
Sus
0.708054
Zam
Z87190-40-1
Oryctolagus
0.709750
Zam
Z1129
Ovis/Capra
0.705502
CM
CMF2
Sus
0.710593
Bol
B1.G5.X.B143
Canis
0.712586
Bol
B1.X.1.BL1
Oryctolagus
0.711635
Bol
B1.OD.0.BL2
Oryctolagus
0.712847
Bol
B1.11S.5.B868
Oryctolagus
0.713280
Bol
B1.OD.0.BL4
Oryctolagus
0.710758
Bol
B1.11.0.BL54
Oryctolagus
0.712342
Bol
B1.SS.1
Helix
0.711881
Bol
B1.SS.2
Helix
0.711448
Bol
B1.SS.3
Helix
0.711221
87/86 ratio

Based on the calculated “local” range there are six migrants in the
sampled population
Site
Paimogo
Feteira II
Lapa da Rainha
Zambujal
Bolores
Cabeço da Arruda I
Cova da Moura
Sample Mean
SD
12 0.710840 0.000593
10 0.709804 0.000471
2 0.710001 0.000017
3 0.709901 0.000571
6 0.710397 0.000523
10 0.709775 0.000972
12 0.710627 0.003685
Genus
Helix
Oryctolagus
Sus
Ovis/Capra
Bos
Homo
Sample Mean
SD
3 0.711517 0.000335
6 0.711768 0.001333
2 0.709323 0.001795
7 0.709212 0.001917
3 0.709739 0.001858
55 0.710282 0.001807
Local Range
Oryctolagus
2 SD
low
high
0.0027 0.709102 0.714434
Non-local Individuals
Raw
Cova da Moura
Cova da Moura
Cova da Moura
Cova da Moura
Cabeca da Arruda
Cabeca da Arruda
ID
87/86 Sr
CM 15 0.709081
CM 2
0.707590
CM 81 0.706697
CM 95 0.720730
CAI 11 0.707792
CAI 7
0.709003
Non-local Individuals
Corrected
Cova da Moura
Cova da Moura
Cova da Moura
Cova da Moura
Cabeca da Arruda
ID
87/86 Sr
CM 2
0.707590
CM 81 0.706697
CM 30 0.714383
CM 95 0.720730
CAI 11 0.707792

In reviewing the data it was necessary to revise the “non-local” count to
take into account the lower Sr ratio trends exhibited by the humans.

In the corrected count four non-locals are from Cova da Moura and one is
from Cabeço da Arruda.

Recent work by Hillier et
al. found the local range
for the large settlement
site of Perdigões in the
Alentejo region of
Portugal range from .714.718.

We know that raw
materials from the
Alentejo commonly made
their way into the
Estremadura and it may
be that the non-local
individuals with the
higher Sr ratios from the
burial site of Cova da
Moura came from this
region as well
Data from
the sites was
compared
using either
a Student’s
T-test
(independent
two-sample )
or the MannWhitney U
test ( nonparametric
test used
when
normality
cannot be
assumed)
Site
P value
CAI/PM
0.009199
CAI/Fet II
0.850107
CAI/Bor
0.173529
CAI/CM
0.869066
PM/Fet II
0.001736
PM/Bol
0.075156
PM/CM
0.030383
Fet/Bol
0.034366
Fet/CM
0.869066
Bol/CM
0.189783
Site
P value
CAI/PM
0.009199
CAI/Fet II
0.850107
CAI/Bor
0.173529
CAI/CM
0.869066
PM/Fet II
0.001736
PM/Bol
0.075156
PM/CM
0.030383
Fet/Bol
0.034366
Fet/CM
0.869066
Bol/CM
0.189783

5/55 or 9 % of the individuals sampled from the selected burials
can be classified as non-local.
• Four of these are from the Cova da Moura burial which accounts for 30% of
the sampled individuals from this burial.
• While it appear that migrants account for a minor portion of the population
as a whole their high numbers at Cova da Moura suggest that this burial is
socially distinct.
 For the burials used in this research Cova da Moura has one of the earliest
inception dates (3636 – 2205 BC), although its use life overlaps with the other
burials.
 It is possible that the high level of non-locals in this burial signify a founding
population
 Alternatively, the Cova da Moura burial may represent a segment of the larger
population who had more prominent ties with other regions of Iberia for political or
economic reasons (i.e. high status individuals) which fostered the movement of
people as well as goods.
 Wealth objects found at the site support this conclusion.

One of the most intriguing findings of this study
was the level of intra-burial homogeneity
• And the fact that some burials within this small geographic
range have statistically significant differences in their
87Sr/86Sr ratios

While the archaeological record suggest that the
people at these sites are culturally integrated these
findings suggest that either
• Physical interactions, movements and intermarriage within
the region is limited
• Or that particular burial spaces are strongly tied to place of
birth(childhood) and perhaps family lineages
T
H
S
6
2 33.33
Paimogo 1
Bolores
Lapa da Rainha
Zambujal
T
AC
NC
S
H
L
L
H
L
S
S
S
419
21
123 29.35
11 52.38
2 33.33
2 50.00
Status (low or high)
Date cal BC
3077 - 2475
2840 - 1750
2827-2470
c.2800-1600
6
4
5 -20.0
14
13
3
5
-20.2
-20.2
-19.6
-19.9
nd
nd
nd
87Sr/86Sr SD
Tholos da Borracheira 3089-1944
10 nd
87Sr/86Sr mean
5 26.31
Number of individuals
sampled for Sr
19
d18Oap SD
S
d18Oap mean
H
0.9
0.5
d13Cap SD
AC
9.4
8.2
d13Cap mean
3310 - 2680
0.6
0.3
d15Nco SD
Cabeço da Arruda 1
14 -20.0
17 -20.2
d15Nco mean
15 16.66
26 38.23
d13Cco SD
90
68
d13Cco mean
L
L
sub%
H
L
Number of individuals
sampled for CNO
sub
NC
NC
Burial size
3636 - 2205
3619 - 2924
Type of site
MNI
Site
Cova da Moura
Feteira II
-11.2
-12.7
1.2
1.2
-2.8
-2.6
0.3
1.0
12
10
0.710627 0.003685
0.709804 0.000471
-13.7
0.4
-2.4
0.5
10
0.709775 0.000972
0.3
8.1
0.8
13.1
1.4
-3.3
0.8
0
N/A
N/A
0.5
0.5
0.2
0.8
8.5
8.8
8.9
9.7
0.8
0.9
0.8
1.5
-13.0
-14.3
-13.6
-10.4
0.7
0.9
0.0
3.7
-2.2
-2.6
-2.8
-1.7
0.4
0.7
0.2
0.3
11
6
2
3
0.710840
0.710397
0.710086
0.709901
0.000593
0.000523
0.000017
0.000571
d15Nco
Site
P value
Bol/CM
0.326008
Bol/Fet II
0.013146
Bol/PM
0.267663
CM/Fet II
0.000278
CM/PM
0.019746
Fet II/PM
0.20453

Parts of this project are being accomplished through collaboration with
Ana Maria Silva of the University of Coimbra, Robert Tykot of the
University of South Florida, David Peate and Katina Lillios of the
University of Iowa.

Additional aid and access to needed skeletal materials have been
provided by Michael Kunst of the German archaeological institute in
Madrid and the Isabel de Luna of Museu Municipal Leonel Trindade in
Torres Vedras.

I would also like to thank Jay Thompson of the University of Iowa
Geoscience department for his help with the chemical processing, and
Dr. Craig Lundstom of the University of Illinois Department of Geology
for his help with the mass spectrometers

Funding for this project is being provided by the Archaeological Institute
of America Archaeology of Portugal Fellowship and the T. Anne Cleary
International Dissertation Fellowship (University of Iowa)