| 1. |
- Glykou, Aikaterini, et al.
(författare)
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Reconstructing the ecological history of the extinct harp seal population of the Baltic Sea
- 2021
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Ingår i: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 251
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), today a subarctic species with breeding populations in the White Sea, around the Jan Mayen Islands and Newfoundland, was a common pinniped species in the Baltic Sea during the mid- and late Holocene. It is puzzling how an ice dependent species could breed in the Baltic Sea during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM), and it remains unclear for how long harp seals bred in the Baltic Sea and when the population became extirpated. We combined radiocarbon dating of harp seal bones with zooarchaeological, palaeoenvironmental and stable isotope data to reconstruct the harp seal occurrence in the Baltic Sea. Our study revealed two phases of harp seal presence and verifies that the first colonization and establishment of a local breeding population occurred within the HTM. We suggest that periods with very warm summers but cold winters allowed harp seals to breed on the ice. Human pressure, salinity fluctuations with consequent changes in prey availability and competition for food resources, mainly cod, resulted in physiological stress that ultimately led to a population decline and local extirpation during the first phase. The population reappeared after a long hiatus. Final extinction of the Baltic Sea harp seal coincided with the Medieval Warm Period. Our data provide insights for the first time on the combined effects of past climatic and environmental change and human pressure on seal populations and can contribute with new knowledge on ongoing discussions concerning the impacts of such effects on current arctic seal populations.
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| 2. |
- Piličiauskas, Gytis, et al.
(författare)
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Strontium isotope analysis reveals prehistoric mobility patterns in the southeastern Baltic area
- 2022
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Ingår i: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1866-9557 .- 1866-9565. ; 14:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We measured 87Sr/86Sr for all available human remains (n = 40) dating from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age (ca. 6400–800 cal BC) in Lithuania. In addition, local baselines of archaeological fauna from the same area were constructed. We identified significant and systematic offsets between 87Sr/86Sr values of modern soils and animals and archaeological animals due to currently unknown reasons. By comparing 87Sr/86Sr human intra-tooth variation with the local baselines, we identified 13 non-local individuals, accounting for 25–50% of the analysed population. We found no differences in the frequency of local vs. nonlocals between male and female hunter-gatherers. Six Mesolithic-Subneolithic individuals with 87Sr/86Sr values > 0.7200 may have come from southern Finland and/or Karelia. Two Mesolithic-Subneolithic individuals from the Donkalnis cemetery with 87Sr/86Sr values < 0.7120 likely came from the Lithuanian Baltic coast. These data demonstrate coastal-inland mobility of up to 85 km, which is also supported by archaeological evidence. The standard deviation in the intra-tooth 87Sr/86Sr indicates that mobility did not decrease with the adoption of pottery technology at ca. 5000 cal BC but rather slowly decreased during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. We interpret this as a result of the introduction and subsequent intensification of farming. The least mobile way of life was practised by Subneolithic coastal communities during the 4th millennium cal BC, although 87Sr/86Sr do not exclude that they migrated along the coastline.
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| 3. |
- Piličiauskienė, Giedrė, et al.
(författare)
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The Origin of Late Roman Period-Post-Migration Period Lithuanian Horses
- 2022
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Ingår i: Heritage. - : MDPI AG. - 2571-9408. ; 5:1, s. 332-352
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we present the 87Sr/86Sr data of 13 samples from horses from six Lithuanian burial sites dating from the 3rd to the 7th C AD. Alongside these data, we also publish the bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr data of 15 Lithuanian archaeological sites, based on 41 animals which enabled the construction of a reliable baseline for the Southeast Baltic area. The 87Sr/86Sr values partially confirmed the hypothesis that the unusually large horses found in Late Roman Period to Post-Migration Period burials are of non-local origin. Of the three non-local horses identified, two were among the largest specimens. However, the overlap of bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr data across different European regions does not permit us to establish whether the non-local horses originated from other areas in Lithuania or from more distant regions. With regards to the 87Sr/86Sr data, the place of origin of the non-local horses could be Southern Sweden. This encourages discussions on the possible directions of migration and compels us to rethink the current models that posit South and Central Europe as the main sources of migration. The results of the 87Sr/86Sr, δ13C, and δ15N analyses demonstrate that horses buried in the same cemetery had different mobility and feeding patterns. Differences could be due to the different function and sex of the horses as well as the lifestyle of their owners. The most sedentary horses were pregnant mares, while the extremely high δ15N of three horses may reflect additional fodder and probably a better diet.
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| 4. |
- Simčenka, Edvardas, et al.
(författare)
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Isotopic dietary patterns of monks : results from stable isotope analyses of a seventeenth-eighteenth century Basilian monastic community in Vilnius, Lithuania
- 2020
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Ingår i: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1866-9557 .- 1866-9565. ; 12:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the research focuses on reconstructing diet of the seventeenth-eighteenth century Basilian monks who were buried in the crypt beneath the Holy Trinity Uniate Church in Vilnius, Lithuania. For this aim, stable carbon (delta C-13) and nitrogen (delta N-15) isotope analyses of human bone collagen samples (n = 74, of which 39 yielded reliable isotopic data) were performed. In order to establish the isotopic dietary baseline for the Basilian monks, we sampled faunal bones (n = 47, of which 34 yielded reliable isotopic data) recovered during archaeological investigations in the area around the Vilnius Lower Castle and the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. Faunal samples were comprised of various domestic and wild terrestrial animals, freshwater and anadromous fish, and migratory and non-migratory birds. In total, 121 human and faunal samples were analysed. The isotopic data collected in our study suggest that C-3 plant and domestic animal products were the main components in the diets of the Basilian monks, while freshwater fish played a noticeable, yet a much smaller dietary role. However, historical sources describe a reverse dietary picture, i.e. a higher dietary contribution from fish and a lower from animal products. The potential reasons for this incongruity between isotopic and historical dietary evidence were also explored. Finally, the isotopic data of the Basilian monks were compared with that of contemporary Lithuanian nobles and commoners. The comparisons indicate that monastic dietary patterns were more similar to those of the nobility than those of the commoners.
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| 5. |
- Skipitytė, Raminta, et al.
(författare)
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Diet patterns in medieval to early modern (14th-early 20th c.) coastal communities in Lithuania 299-312
- 2020
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Ingår i: Anthropologischer Anzeiger. - : Schweizerbart. - 0003-5548 .- 2363-7099. ; 77:4, s. 299-312
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coastal residents are quite often expected to consume a significant amount of aquatic resources, though historical evidence often reveals a rather complex diet. To better understand the actual consumption and the distribution of various foods, stable isotope (delta C-13 and delta N-15) analyses were employed to skeletal remains from three coastal communities, Palanga, Kretinga and Smelte, ranging in date from the medieval period to the early modern ages (14th-early 20th c.) near the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea in Lithuania Animal bones from the region, covering the same time periods, were also analysed. Stable isotope results were compared with historical records. According to historical sources different types of diet were prevalent during that period of time: Medieval Prussian-Lithuanian peasant, Lithuanian fisherman, German urban, and religious-based. Elevated delta N-15 values for Smelte samples suggest a diet consisting of considerable amounts of freshwater fish protein, which is in contrast to historical sources. There were no significant differences in stable isotope values between males and females, while subadult delta N-15 values were significantly higher than adult ones, indicating that those children were breastfed for an extended period. Meanwhile, Palanga and Kretinga samples had isotope values suggesting a high reliance on terrestrial resources and a peasant type of diet.
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