Bachelor Diss / Bachelor Arbeit by Inga Siebke
Papers by Inga Siebke
Nature Communications, 2020
Genetic studies of Neolithic and Bronze Age skeletons from Europe have provided evidence for stro... more Genetic studies of Neolithic and Bronze Age skeletons from Europe have provided evidence for strong population genetic changes at the beginning and the end of the Neolithic period. To further understand the implications of these in Southern Central Europe, we analyze 96 ancient genomes from Switzerland, Southern Germany, and the Alsace region in France, covering the Middle/Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age. Similar to previously described genetic changes in other parts of Europe from the early 3rd millennium BCE, we detect an arrival of ancestry related to Late Neolithic pastoralists from the Pontic-Caspian steppe in Switzerland as early as 2860–2460 calBCE. Our analyses suggest that this genetic turnover was a complex process lasting almost 1000 years and involved highly genetically structured populations in this region.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2019
Objectives: Stable isotope analysis has often been used in neonatal remains from archeological co... more Objectives: Stable isotope analysis has often been used in neonatal remains from archeological contexts to investigate the presence of a signal of breastfeeding and weaning in past populations. Tooth histology on the other hand might be used as an indicator of birth survival. This pilot study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using stable nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotope values from neonatal bone collagen to elucidate if values deviating from the adult female average could indicate breastfeeding and co-occur with the presence of a neonatal line (NNL). The combination of these independent indicators might be useful in clarifying the fate of individuals who died around birth.
Materials and Methods: Bone collagen from 21 archeological human and animal specimens was extracted and analyzed via mass-spectrometry for δ15N and δ13C. A verification of the stable isotope results was undertaken using tooth histology on three individuals who were investigated for the presence of a NNL as an indicator of live birth and short survival.
Results: The biological age of the human samples varied between 8.5 lunar months (Lm) and 2 postnatal months (Pm) of age. All except one individual exhibited elevated δ15N values compared to the female average. The histological analyses revealed no NNL for this and two further individuals (n = 3).
Discussion: The results indicate that elevated nitrogen values of very young infants relative to a female average in archeological contexts are not necessarily associated with a breastfeeding onset signal, and therefore cannot be used exclusively as a proxy of birth survival. The elevation might be possible due to various reasons; one could be nutritional, in particular maternal stress during pregnancy or a metabolic disorder of mother and/or her child. In those cases, the evaluation of a NNL might reveal a false breastfeeding signal as seen for two individuals in our sample who have elevated nitrogen values despite the fact no NNL could be observed. Overall, our data support the growing awareness that bone collagen δ15N values of neonates/infants should not be used as a proxy for breastfeeding or birth survival on its own.
A B S T R A C T The discovery of a Neolithic dolmen in Switzerland with inhumations, dating betwe... more A B S T R A C T The discovery of a Neolithic dolmen in Switzerland with inhumations, dating between 3500 and 3000 BCE, was an exceptional finding. To provide best conditions for subsequent studies on the archaeological remains our interdisciplinary team decided to apply 3D documentation. Depending on different factors, two scanning systems with four scanners and photogrammetry were applied and the obtained data was combined. Detailed excavation plans and simultaneously a reduction of excavation time without loss of information were the result. A virtual animation of the dolmen in its reconstructed ancient appearance combined with the context of the grave goods was created. The 3D documentation provided initial data for anthropological and paleogenetic analyses. The individuals buried in the dolmen might provide novel information to the Neolithic research of central Europe. Additionally, with the help of the 3D data, the dolmen was rebuilt to make this archaeological heritage accessible to the public.
Conference Presentations by Inga Siebke
Session announcement for the EAA 2019 in Bern, Switzerland
Our session aims to bring together sp... more Session announcement for the EAA 2019 in Bern, Switzerland
Our session aims to bring together specialists from different disciplines working on Late
Neolithic and early Bronze Age material to increase our understanding of the
transformative processes that shaped this period. We want to provide a platform for
discussions to obtain a bigger picture and state-of-the-art knowledge about lifestyle and
population dynamics of the Late Neolithic and early Bronze Age in Central Europe.
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Bachelor Diss / Bachelor Arbeit by Inga Siebke
Papers by Inga Siebke
Materials and Methods: Bone collagen from 21 archeological human and animal specimens was extracted and analyzed via mass-spectrometry for δ15N and δ13C. A verification of the stable isotope results was undertaken using tooth histology on three individuals who were investigated for the presence of a NNL as an indicator of live birth and short survival.
Results: The biological age of the human samples varied between 8.5 lunar months (Lm) and 2 postnatal months (Pm) of age. All except one individual exhibited elevated δ15N values compared to the female average. The histological analyses revealed no NNL for this and two further individuals (n = 3).
Discussion: The results indicate that elevated nitrogen values of very young infants relative to a female average in archeological contexts are not necessarily associated with a breastfeeding onset signal, and therefore cannot be used exclusively as a proxy of birth survival. The elevation might be possible due to various reasons; one could be nutritional, in particular maternal stress during pregnancy or a metabolic disorder of mother and/or her child. In those cases, the evaluation of a NNL might reveal a false breastfeeding signal as seen for two individuals in our sample who have elevated nitrogen values despite the fact no NNL could be observed. Overall, our data support the growing awareness that bone collagen δ15N values of neonates/infants should not be used as a proxy for breastfeeding or birth survival on its own.
Conference Presentations by Inga Siebke
Our session aims to bring together specialists from different disciplines working on Late
Neolithic and early Bronze Age material to increase our understanding of the
transformative processes that shaped this period. We want to provide a platform for
discussions to obtain a bigger picture and state-of-the-art knowledge about lifestyle and
population dynamics of the Late Neolithic and early Bronze Age in Central Europe.
Materials and Methods: Bone collagen from 21 archeological human and animal specimens was extracted and analyzed via mass-spectrometry for δ15N and δ13C. A verification of the stable isotope results was undertaken using tooth histology on three individuals who were investigated for the presence of a NNL as an indicator of live birth and short survival.
Results: The biological age of the human samples varied between 8.5 lunar months (Lm) and 2 postnatal months (Pm) of age. All except one individual exhibited elevated δ15N values compared to the female average. The histological analyses revealed no NNL for this and two further individuals (n = 3).
Discussion: The results indicate that elevated nitrogen values of very young infants relative to a female average in archeological contexts are not necessarily associated with a breastfeeding onset signal, and therefore cannot be used exclusively as a proxy of birth survival. The elevation might be possible due to various reasons; one could be nutritional, in particular maternal stress during pregnancy or a metabolic disorder of mother and/or her child. In those cases, the evaluation of a NNL might reveal a false breastfeeding signal as seen for two individuals in our sample who have elevated nitrogen values despite the fact no NNL could be observed. Overall, our data support the growing awareness that bone collagen δ15N values of neonates/infants should not be used as a proxy for breastfeeding or birth survival on its own.
Our session aims to bring together specialists from different disciplines working on Late
Neolithic and early Bronze Age material to increase our understanding of the
transformative processes that shaped this period. We want to provide a platform for
discussions to obtain a bigger picture and state-of-the-art knowledge about lifestyle and
population dynamics of the Late Neolithic and early Bronze Age in Central Europe.