Files and links (2)
Published (Version of Record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Tracing the dynamic life story of a bronze age female
Scientific Reports, Vol.5
2015
Abstract
Ancient human mobility at the individual level is conventionally studied by the diverse application of suitable techniques (e.g. aDNA, radiogenic strontium isotopes, as well as oxygen and lead isotopes) to either hard and/or soft tissues. However, the limited preservation of coexisting hard and soft human tissues hampers the possibilities of investigating high-resolution diachronic mobility periods in the life of a single individual. Here, we present the results of a multidisciplinary study of an exceptionally well preserved circa 3.400-year old Danish Bronze Age female find, known as the Egtved Girl. We applied biomolecular, biochemical and geochemical analyses to reconstruct her mobility and diet. We demonstrate that she originated from a place outside present day Denmark (the island of Bornholm excluded), and that she travelled back and forth over large distances during the final months of her life, while consuming a terrestrial diet with intervals of reduced protein intake. We also provide evidence that all her garments were made of non-locally produced wool. Our study advocates the huge potential of combining biomolecular and biogeochemical provenance tracer analyses to hard and soft tissues of a single ancient individual for the reconstruction of high-resolution human mobility.
Details
- Title
- Tracing the dynamic life story of a bronze age female
- Authors/Creators
- K. Margarita Frei (Author/Creator)U. Mannering (Author/Creator) - Danish National Research FoundationK. Kristiansen (Author/Creator) - University of GothenburgM.E. Allentoft (Author/Creator) - Centre for GeoGenetics; Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen DenmarkA.S. Wilson (Author/Creator) - University of BradfordI. Skals (Author/Creator) - National Museum of DenmarkS. Tridico (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityM. Louise Nosch (Author/Creator)E. Willerslev (Author/Creator) - Centre for GeoGenetics; Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; Copenhagen DenmarkL. Clarke (Author/Creator) - FacultyR. Frei (Author/Creator) - University of Copenhagen
- Publication Details
- Scientific Reports, Vol.5
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Identifiers
- 991005542708807891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
Metrics
209 File views/ downloads
195 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 8 Earth Sciences
- 8.93 Archaeology
- 8.93.1193 Stable Isotopes
- Web Of Science research areas
- Anthropology
- ESI research areas
- Social Sciences, general