Vittrup Man | Team USA

Vittrup Man Apr 4, 2024 20:51:41 GMT

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Post by Admin on Apr 4, 2024 20:51:41 GMT

Strontium and oxygen isotopes indicate a childhood far away from Vittrup
Strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and oxygen isotope (δ18O) analysis was performed on enamel samples from the upper left first premolar (UP1; +4) and the lower left third molar (M3, ‘wisdom tooth’; -8). The crown of the former was formed during Vittrup Man’s years 2–7, whereas the latter was formed during years c. 9 to 13–14 [29] (see SI.2 in S1 File). The strontium values are 0.7134 and 0.7159, respectively (Table SI.8.1 in S1 File). These values are out of range compared to the other genetically profiled humans from the Funnel Beaker Culture epoch in Denmark (Fig 10 and [1]). Values below 0.709 and above 0.712 are suspected to represent non-locals to the south Scandinavian landscapes [14, 30, 31], to which the find spot of Vittrup Man belongs. Strontium isotope analysis of three bones of local terrestrial mammals, chronologically closely connected to Vittrup Man, confirms his non-local provenience (Table SI.8.1, cf. SI.1 and SI.5 in S1 File).

Fig 10. Strontium isotope values of Danish human skeletal remains of the Funnel Beaker Culture epoch for which a genomic DNA profile is available.

Vittrup Man plots clearly outside the Danish baseline range, indicated as grey zones. The highly dissimilar values for the two of his teeth analysed indicate a geographical change of residence. Data from [1] and SI.8 in S1 File this study.

doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297032.g010

Determining the place of origin with strontium isotopes is difficult because a number of places may have similar baseline values. Since the DNA results suggest a geographic origin for Vittrup Man on the Scandinavian Peninsula or neighbouring islands, we focus on that region. The ratios found in his dentition in fact occur in several places, including coastal parts of NW Norway and SW Sweden [13, 32–34]. The higher value from his third molar as compared with the premolar suggests a change of residence before the age of 9–12 years (SI.8 in S1 File).

The carbonate δ18O value from Vittrup Man’s premolar (-5.9‰ VPDB) is more negative than most observed in early prehistoric humans from Denmark, while the value from his third molar (-4.6‰ VPDB) is close to the mean of 150 Neolithic and Bronze age individuals from Denmark (-4.4‰ VPDB) (SI.8 in S1 File). This is consistent with a residential change from a colder, i.e. more northern part of Scandinavia, to a warmer region.

Vittrup Man Apr 6, 2024 23:55:39 GMT

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Post by Admin on Apr 6, 2024 23:55:39 GMT

Dietary isotopes reveal a chequered life-history
From several bones and teeth of Vittrup Man, stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) were measured, aiming at elucidating his food composition during various periods of his lifetime (SI.8–SI.10 in S1 File). The measurements were conducted on two different materials: collagen (from bone and dentine), and enamel (δ13C only). The former primarily reflects the composition of the protein part of the food, whereas the latter represents the whole diet [35–37]. The dentine of the lower left wisdom tooth was sampled incrementally, in order to follow dietary changes during the years of its formation.

Each sample represents a span of time. In the case of dentine, almost no remodelling takes place after its formation. Bones, on the other hand, are continuously remodelled at a pace depending on physical activity level, health, nutritional stress, biological age and sex [38, 39]. The longest intervals of time represented in our samples from Vittrup Man can be expected for the cortical bones (Tibia and Talus), which may represent as much as two decades prior to death. For the tooth increments, we estimate the intervals to represent time slices in the order of one year or less. In all cases, samples may, however, include re-modelled body tissue reflecting the composition of diet earlier in life [40, 41].

We measured δ13C in two enamel samples and obtained values of -10.5‰ from the premolar and -14.4‰ from the third molar (Table SI.8.2 in S1 File). The value for the former is unusual for Neolithic individuals from Denmark, whereas the value for the latter is common for humans of this period and geographic zone [37] (see SI.8 in S1 File). Either way, these δ13C values suggest a considerable consumption of marine foods in early childhood (2–7 years after birth) and a shift to a diet more dominated by resources from terrestrial and/or freshwater environments before the age of 13–14 years. In combination, they imply he lived a fisher-hunter-gatherer way of life in a coastal region during his earliest years.

Vittrup Man’s bone collagen δ13C and δ15N values plot centrally amongst the measurements for Danish skeletons from the Funnel Beaker epoch (Fig 11; [42–44]). Consequently, in his adulthood when the collagen in these bones was formed, his food composition did not differ from what was normal among his contemporaries in the region where he died. His diet was most likely based on a combination of cereals, milk and/or herbivore meat, possibly with a minor supplement of high trophic level marine ingredients (SI.9 in S1 File).

Fig 11. Dietary and genetic characteristics of humans from the Funnel Beaker epoch in Denmark for which there is a genomic profile.

Individuals with a foreign genetic signature are marked in colour. All others (grey) have a predominantly European Farmer-derived genetic signature. For the individuals to the right of the dashed line at δ13C = -20‰, sea food was probably a regular part of their diet. Individuals to the left of the line, such as Vittrup Man, consumed dominantly terrestrial sources. Data from [1].