DYING IN THE NEOLITHIC AN ISOTOPIC AND PALAEOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF A LATE NEOLITHIC MASS GRAVE
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2020-10-03

The recent excavation of the Late Neolithic mass burial of La Sagrera (Barcelona) raised questions regarding the reason for the mass inhumation and the relationship of this group with contemporaneous populations in the area. A combination of ancient mitochondrial DNA and isotope analysis (Sr, O, C and N) of thirteen individuals has shed light on the provenance and diet of those buried there. Mitochondrial DNA diversity allowed to rule out the possibility of a mortuary arrangement based on maternal kinship, and pointed out to a genetically diverse community. Strontium isotope analysis revealed a largely local group, with the majority of individuals falling within expected local biosphere values and some with elevated values probably reflecting migration from regions north and east of the site. The δ18ODW values of this group were significantly lower than expected for coastal Barcelona, almost 3‰ below local modern rainfall estimates. In an attempt to understand the diets of the individuals, bulk and incremental dentine collagen analysis were conducted, revealing two isotopic groups distinguished by age at death. Individuals that died during childhood had elevated δ15N and δ13C compared to those that died in adulthood. The elevated values may be the result of stress prior to death and/or increased marine consumption in response to food shortage such as crop failure, as proposed for the Neolithic population in the Shetland Islands (Montgomery et al. 2013). In contrast, the low and flat δ15N and δ13C profiles observed in the adults point at a diet dominated by agriculture, as expected from a Late Neolithic population. These results in connection with the absence of skeletal evidence indicative of violence and the apparent lack of biological maternal connection between the tested individuals, suggests the burial may have served the largely local population following an epidemiological or famine event.


Author(s): Fernandez, Eva - DiRenno, Frank (Durham University) - Robinson, Catherine (Liverpool John Moores University) - Towers, Jacqueline (University of Bradford) - Nowell, Geoff (Durham University) - Molist, Miquel (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona) - Montgomery, Janet (Durham University)