| 1. |
- Boethius, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Advances and prerequisites for strontium isotope analyses through laser ablation in an aquatic context – Targeting Mid-Neolithic Baltic Sea harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) mobility and breeding grounds
- 2024
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - 0277-3791. ; 331
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Harp seals (Phoca groenlandicus), once present in the Baltic Sea, now stand extinct. During the Middle Neolithic period, they held significant dietary importance for the Pitted Ware Culture hunter-fisher-gatherers in Scandinavia. Because they are no longer available for ecological studies, little is known about their specific behavioural intricacies, such as diet, mobility, and reproductive strategies. Because of the seal's pivotal role in these human societies and because they provide an interesting ecological case study on post-isolation ecological adaptation to new environmental conditions, a comprehensive investigation into Baltic Sea harp seal behaviour is warranted. In this pursuit, we employ sequential analysis of strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) in harp seal teeth sourced from archaeological contexts across three study regions. This data is harmonized with osteometric analyses from fifteen archaeological sites from the Baltic Sea area, establishing a methodological framework for comprehending the Sr isotopic pathway in a brackish water inland sea. By adopting this approach, we unveil breeding and mobility patterns of the long-extinct Baltic Sea harp seals, approximate specific breeding areas connected to each group of seals and delve into the ontogenic temporal frame governing these observed patterns. This endeavour culminates in an enriched understanding of the adaptive behaviours exhibited by Baltic Sea harp seals and equips us with the insights necessary to decipher the lifestyle of the human societies intricately intertwined with them.
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| 2. |
- Boethius, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Assessing laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry as a tool to study archaeological and modern human mobility through strontium isotope analyses of tooth enamel
- 2022
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In: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1866-9557 .- 1866-9565. ; 14:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To evaluate the possibility of obtaining detailed individual mobility data from archaeological teeth, the strontium isotope ratios on 28 human teeth from three separate Early-Mid Holocene, Swedish, foraging contexts (Norje Sunnansund, Skateholm and Västerbjers) were analysed through laser ablation. The teeth/individuals have previously been analysed using traditional bulk sampled thermal ionisation mass spectrometry. To validate the conclusions regarding the archaeological teeth, a tooth from a modern man with a known background was also analysed. The result shows that all of the teeth display less than 0.4% discrepancy between the mean values of the laser ablation profiles and the previously published bulk data and 25 (89%) of the teeth display less than a 0.2% discrepancy. By calculating linear and polynomial trendlines for each ablated tooth, it was possible to illustrate a strong correlation for the transition pattern between the measurements when following a chronological sequence from the tip to the cervix. Such correlations were not reproduced when the data sequence was randomized. The analyses show that the chronologically sequenced ablation data fit with a transition between local bioavailable strontium regions, that the measurements do not fluctuate between extremes and that their values are not caused by end-member mixing. This indicates an increasing data resolution when reducing strontium isotope ratio averaging time by minimizing the sampling area. The results suggest strontium incorporation in human teeth can be measured on an ordinal scale, with a traceable chronological order to enamel mineralization when sampled from tip to cervix at an equal distance from the surface. Micro-sampling enamel is considered a valid method to assess prehistoric, but not modern, human mobility; laser ablation technology increases the amount of information obtained from a single tooth while rendering minimal damage to the studied specimen.
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| 5. |
- Boethius, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Diachronic forager mobility : untangling the Stone Age movement patterns at the sites Norje Sunnansund, Skateholm and Västerbjers through strontium isotope ratio analysis by laser ablation
- 2022
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In: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1866-9557 .- 1866-9565. ; 14:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Strontium isotope ratios in human teeth from the three Swedish prehistoric Stone Age hunter-fisher-gathering societies Norje Sunnansund (Maglemose), Skateholm (Ertebølle) and Västerbjers (Pitted Ware Culture) were analysed with laser ablation to produce data on both individual movement patterns and societal mobility trends. The analyses of teeth from both Skateholm and Västerbjers displayed homogeneous ratios and corresponding mobility patterns, while the data from Norje Sunnansund showed larger variances with heterogenous strontium ratios and varied inter-individual mobility patterns. Correlation with the bioavailable baseline suggests that the size of the geographical areas, where human strontium ratios could have originated, was roughly comparable for all three sites. The teeth measurements were reflected within a 50-km radius of the surrounding landscape and the 25–75% data quartile matched with distances between 3 and 30 km from the sites, suggesting limited mobility ranges among aquatically dependent foragers from southernmost Sweden. By applying ethnographic analogies and site-specific contextual inferences, the results suggest that mobility ranges at Norje Sunnansund were likely not delimited by neighbouring group territories. This changed over time and an increasing territorialisation of the landscape may have influenced movement patterns and caused restrictions to the foraging activities at both Skateholm and Västerbjers.
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| 6. |
- Boethius, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Early Holocene Scandinavian foragers on a journey to affluence: Mesolithic fish exploitation, seasonal abundance and storage investigated through strontium isotope ratios by laser ablation (LA‐MC-ICP‐MS)
- 2021
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 16:1, s. e0245222-e0245222
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- At Norje Sunnansund, an Early Holocene settlement in southern Sweden, the world’s earliest evidence of fermentation has been interpreted as a method of managing long-term and large-scale food surplus. While an advanced fishery is suggested by the number of recovered fish bones, until now it has not been possible to identify the origin of the fish, or whether and how their seasonal migration was exploited. We analysed strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) in 16 cyprinid and 8 pike teeth, which were recovered at the site, both from within the fermentation pit and from different areas outside of it, by using laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our investigation indicates three different regions of origin for the fish at the site. We find that the most commonly fermented fish, cyprinids (roach), were caught in the autumn during their seasonal migration from the Baltic Sea to the sheltered stream and lake next to the site. This is in contrast to the cyprinids from other areas of the site, which were caught when migrating from nearby estuaries and the Baltic Sea coast during late spring. The pikes from the fermentation pit were caught in the autumn as by-catch to the mainly targeted roach while moving from the nearby Baltic Sea coast. Lastly, the pikes from outside the fermentation pit were likely caught as they migrated from nearby waters in sedimentary bedrock areas to the south of the site, to spawn in early spring. Combined, these data suggest an advanced fishery with the ability to combine optimal use of seasonal fish abundance at different times of the year. Our results offer insights into the practice of delayed-return consumption patterns, provide a more complete view of the storage system used, and increase our understanding of Early Holocene sedentism among northern hunter-fisher-gatherers. By applying advanced strontium isotope analyses to archaeological material integrated into an ecological setting, we present a methodology that can be used elsewhere to enhance our understanding of the otherwise elusive indications of storage practices and fish exploitation patterns among ancient foraging societies.
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| 8. |
- Boethius, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Fish and resilience among Early Holocene foragers of southern Scandinavia : A fusion of stable isotopes and zooarchaeology through Bayesian mixing modelling
- 2018
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In: Journal of Archaeological Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0305-4403. ; 93, s. 196-210
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study highlights the importance of different protein sources in the diet of Early and Middle Mesolithic humans in southern Scandinavia, and illustrates variation and change in protein consumption patterns during the Early Holocene. By combining previously published stable isotope data with new analyses of human and animal bone remains, a Bayesian mixing model was used to reveal that fishing was more important than previously anticipated in the foraging economy. Incorporating the zooarchaeological record as a prior to guide the Bayesian model enabled further study of Early Holocene foraging in the region. Although primarily a study of human diet, because the results indicate that aquatic systems were more important than previously acknowledged, it is possible to discuss the implications for understanding Early Holocene subsistence strategies and mobility. Furthermore, by incorporating both zooarchaeological data and human stable isotope analysis, the methodology can advance palaeodietary studies, by generating dietary protein estimations that can be used to investigate subsistence strategies across a diverse set of human societies.
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| 9. |
- Boethius, Adam
(author)
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Fishing for ways to thrive : Integrating zooarchaeology to understand subsistence strategies and their implications among Early and Middle Mesolithic southern Scandinavian foragers
- 2018
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate and deduce the varied lifeways of Early Holocene foragers in southern Scandinavia. By taking an interdisciplinary approach, zooarchaeological data have been applied to the study of different aspects of Early and Middle Mesolithic subsistence, in order to frame a discussion concerning our current understanding of culture and life in early north European societies. Three different sites/areas are the focus: Norje Sunnansund, Huseby Klev and Gotland/Gisslause. However, all available material from the chosen temporal and spatial frame have been incorporated to enable holistic discussions. The three focus areas combined comprise all available coastal settlements with well-preserved organic material from the Early Mesolithic period, which has led to discussions centred on the use of aquatic resources and the importance of fish.To address the different aspects of Early and Middle Mesolithic subsistence, multiple approaches have been taken, whereby zooarchaeological methods have been combined with statistical, chemical, physical and ethnographical tools for analysis. The focus has varied between fish storage and conservation practice, by presenting evidence for delayed-return subsistence strategies through means of large-scale fish fermentation, and discussions concerning the evidence for a delayed-return lifestyle and sedentism, through the study of zooarchaeological assemblages. Furthermore, taphonomy is highlighted and discussed in order to address the many biases affecting the recovery of freshwater fish bones and the consequences for detecting a freshwater fish-based diet. Pioneer subsistence strategies are studied, and changes through time are highlighted in marine coastal regions. In addition, the reservoir effect in radiocarbon dating (14C) of human bones has been examined to evaluate the consequences of a freshwater reservoir effect stemming from a large dietary input of freshwater fish. Furthermore, stable isotopes values, δ13C and δ15N, in the collagen from all available Early and Middle Mesolithic humans have also been analysed and modelled, in order to evaluate the importance of each individual protein source in the diet.The results from the different approaches taken indicate that humans relied on fish to a higher degree and from an earlier date than previously assumed. This has implications for how Early Holocene societies are interpreted; indicating the use of delayed-return subsistence strategies, diminishing mobility and emerging sedentism already existed during the Early Mesolithic period. Overall, the results of this thesis suggest a growing territoriality, which implies that the emergence of social stratification is conceivable at an early stage of Scandinavian prehistory and offers an insight into the lifestyle of Early Holocene foragers at latitudes around 55–59° N.
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| 11. |
- Boethius, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Human encroachment, climate change and the loss of our archaeological organic cultural heritage : Accelerated bone deterioration at Ageröd, a revisited Scandinavian Mesolithic key-site in despair
- 2020
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 15:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ancient organic remains are essential for the reconstruction of past human lifeways and environments but are only preserved under particular conditions. Recent findings indicate that such conditions are becoming rarer and that archaeological sites with previously good preservation, are deteriorating. To investigate this, we returned to the well-known Swedish Mesolithic site Agerod I. Here we present the result of the re-excavation and the osteological analyses of the bone remains from the 1940s, 1970s and 2019 excavation campaigns of the site, to document and quantify changes in bone preservation and relate them to variations in soil conditions and on-site topography. The results indicate that the bone material has suffered from accelerated deterioration during the last 75 years. This has led to heavily degraded remains in some areas and complete destruction in others. We conclude that while Agerod can still be considered an important site, it has lost much of the properties that made it unique. If no actions are taken to secure its future preservation, the site will soon lose the organic remains that before modern encroachment and climate change had been preserved for 9000 years. Finally, because Agerod has not been subjected to more or heavier encroachment than most other archaeological sites, our results also raise questions of the state of organic preservation in other areas and call for a broad examination of our most vulnerable hidden archaeological remains.
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| 12. |
- Boethius, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Huseby Klev and the Quest for Pioneer Subsistence Strategies : Diversification of a Maritime Lifestyle
- 2018
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In: The Ecology of Early Settlement in Northern Europe : Conditions for Subsistence and Survival - Conditions for Subsistence and Survival. - 9781781795156 - 9781781796030 ; 1, s. 99-128
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The bone material from three archaeological occupation phases at Huseby Klev provides the best source of evidence currently available about the subsistence strategies of pioneer settlers in Northern Europe. The results from Huseby Klev indicate that the pioneer settlers initially relied heavily on marine mammals for their sustenance. This subsistence strategy changed during the second and third occupation phases of the site, during which fishing became the most important part of the diet. These changes in subsistence strategy are interpreted as arising from different factors. A highly nutritious ocean on the west coast of Scandinavia at the end of the last ice age resulted in large numbers of available marine mammals in the ocean, which supported a large human population able to base its economy on them. As the ocean became less nutritious withthe cessation of freshwater mixing, the marine mammals suffered a natural population decline, while humans still relied upon them heavily, resulting in a marine-mammal collapse. This forced the human populations to change their subsistence strategy, and fish became dominant in the diet. The bone material from Huseby Klev implies a good knowledge of fishing methods and seafaring, in addition to which it highlights the ocean as the main source of sustenance during the time from the Preboreal–Boreal transition to the mid Atlantic chronozone. The hunting of terrestrial mammals, also found on the site, is interpreted as mainly being undertaken to supply raw material. Finds of reindeer imply the presence of reindeer in Mesolithic western Scandinavia, but they were not prioritized in the diet, possibly only being exploited during yearly migrations. Birds are common in the bone material, and a large number of bird species with a low number of identified fragments from each species implies opportunistic hunting of all but auks, which were hunted in large numbers. The bone material from Huseby Klev is the oldest and best-preserved Atlantic coastal material in Europe, and the results indicate an advanced knowledge of utilizing aquatic resources and suggest a boom in aquatic reliance that is earlier and more widespread than previously known.
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| 15. |
- Boethius, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Knowledge from the ancient sea : a long-term perspective of human impact on aquatic life in Mesolithic Scandinavia
- 2020
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In: The Holocene. - : SAGE Publications. - 0959-6836 .- 1477-0911. ; 30:5, s. 632-645
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lately, evidence for early-Holocene emerging sedentism has been suggested among foragers in Northern Europe. The core of this suggested sedentism lies in the increasing dependency on large-scale fishing and mass consumption of fish and a territorial behaviour associated with access to the best fishing locations. This territoriality might also be associated with increasing numbers of people settling and living in Northern Europe at this time. In this article, we review the evidence for forager sedentism and territoriality and relate it to large-scale fishing, during a time of global warming, in early-Holocene Scandinavia. We explore the requisites of using the archaeological record to study the long-term effect of intense fishing on some of the best-preserved Stone Age sites in the area of study. We suggest that the archaeological record can enable a discussion of how aquatic life varies corresponding to human exploitation and climate change. In addition, we discuss how these changes might be traceable through temporal fluctuations in species composition, within species size reduction/increases, temporal fish age changes and within species dietary changes. In the end, we suggest that the archaeological record holds one of the keys to predict future impact on life below the surface, by offering a long-term perspective on aquatic exploitation in a period of climate change. At the same time as we acknowledge the potential hidden in the archaeological record, we also raise the dire warning that this record might be rapidly disappearing, because of an accelerated deterioration of archaeological organic remains in areas previously known for their good preservation.
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| 18. |
- Boethius, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Mesolithic Scandinavian foraging patterns and hunting grounds targeted through laser ablation derived 87Sr/86Sr ratios at the Early-Mid Holocene site of Huseby Klev on the west coast of Sweden
- 2022
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 293
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mobility is one of the most fundamental aspects of a foraging society. Since prehistoric mobility is often difficult to identify in the archaeological record, our understanding is largely based on comparison with ethnographic communities. In recent years the application of 87Sr/86Sr isotope analysis has, however, greatly broadened our knowledge of mobility in the past. Despite this, few studies have been undertaken on faunal remains to explore their mobility patterns and infer human exploitation patterns with more precision. In this contribution we sampled 28 mammal teeth from three different occupation phases at the Early to Mid-Holocene coastal site of Huseby Klev, Sweden. We first established the local baseline for seven geographical areas in the region surrounding Huseby Klev. Then, by applying laser ablation-multi collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to the selected teeth, we identified the likely origins of a range of terrestrial and marine fauna, and the possible human mobility patterns required in their exploitation. Overall, our results demonstrate that the prehistoric communities inhabiting Huseby Klev undertook both short- and long-distance forays for the exploitation of particular species. By relating inferences on hunting grounds, derived from strontium isotope data, to zooarchaeological evidence from the site and ethnographic human mobility patterns, we establish and discuss the prerequisites for landscape utilization. Lastly, we demonstrate that glacial meltwater may have temporally affected the local oceanic Sr ratios – suggesting significantly increased soil and bedrock weathering may influence the Sr values in aquatic ecosystems and, consequently, should be considered in such regions and at times of melting glaciers. By applying the method to additional sites and assemblages in the future, our understanding of prehistoric mobility will be greatly enhanced.
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| 19. |
- Boethius, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Mobility among the stone age island foragers of Jettböle, Åland, investigated through high-resolution strontium isotope ratio analysis
- 2024
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - 0277-3791. ; 328
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The input of strontium from aquatic resources in an omnivorous diet has been researched to a lesser degree than that of terrestrial sources, which, in specific sociocultural settings, complicates the study of provenance and mobility. To address this lack of research and to investigate forager mobility in an archipelago environment, where access to terrestrial resources was limited and earlier studies have indicated a dependence on marine resources, we targeted the mid-Neolithic hunter-fisher-gatherers from the site Jettböle on the Åland Islands. Using laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we analysed the 87Sr/86Sr ratios in the enamel of human and dog teeth and contextualized the data with bioavailable Sr measurements from various water and animal enamel sources. The results show that utilization and consumption of aquatic resources have had a major impact on the Sr ratios of both humans and dogs from Jettböle. The data indicate significant differences from the local terrestrial bioavailable Sr ratios, even if the studied individuals likely grew up in the area. Our results suggest that investigations of Sr isotope ratios may be especially challenging for PWC individuals and other coastal living groups. By comparing both Sr ratios and the sequential measurement pattern from the investigated subjects to other human groups and animals it has, nevertheless, been possible to offer a tentative interpretation of both the origin and mobility patterns of humans and dogs from Jettböle. Most of the individuals may be suggested to have originated, and subsided on a diet, from within the Åland archipelago. It is also possible that some of the studied individuals moved there from different regions.
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| 20. |
- Boethius, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Nya rön om Birkaflickan
- 2020
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In: Fornvännen. - Solna : Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien. - 0015-7813 .- 1404-9430. ; 115:4, s. 279-284
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Genom analys av hennes större mjölkkindtand (dp4-) har hennes härkomst och mobilitet synliggjorts. Totalt genomfördes 20 ablationer på flickans tand. Ablationerna gjordes med ett mellanrum på ca 140 μm och följer tandbildningen, där den första ablationen gjordes närmst kronan (som bildas först) och den sista ablationen närmst roten (som bildas sist), vilket motsvarar en ungefärlig ålder på en dryg månad efter födsel till att flickan var cirka nio månader gammal.
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