Impact of charring on cereal grain characteristics: Linking prehistoric manuring practice to δ15N signatures in archaeobotanical material

Journal of Archaeological Science

Volumn 39, Issue 7, 2012, Pages 2533-2540

  Kanstrup, Marie ^a   Thomsen, Ingrid K ^a   Mikkelsen, Peter H ^b   Christensen, Bent T ^a  

^a AARHUS UNIVERSITY   (Denmark)

^b Moesgard Museum   (Denmark)

Author keywords

Charring experiments; Early agriculture cereal types; Isotope analysis; Manuring

Indexed keywords

ARCHAEOLOGY; BIOGENIC MATERIAL; CEREAL; CONCENTRATION (COMPOSITION); ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS; ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION; MANURE; NITROGEN ISOTOPE; PREHISTORIC;

ANIMALIA; HORDEUM; TRITICUM AESTIVUM SUBSP. SPELTA; TRITICUM DICOCCON;

EID: 84860887803     PISSN: 03054403     EISSN: 10959238     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2012.03.007     Document Type: Article

References (27)

1. Aguilera M., Araus J.L., Voltas J., Rodríguez-Ariza M.O., Molina F., Rovira N., et al. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes and quality traits of fossil cereal grains provide clues on sustainability at the beginnings of Mediterranean agriculture. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 2008, 22:1653-1663.
2. Araus J.L., Slafer G.A., Buxó R., Romagosa I. Productivity in prehistoric agriculture: physiological models for the quantification of cereal yields as an alternative to traditional approaches. Journal of Archaeological Science 2003, 30:681-693.
3. Boardman S., Jones G. Experiments on the effects of charring on cereal plant components. Journal of Archaeological Science 1990, 17:1-11.
4. Bogaard A., Heaton T.H.E., Poulton P., Merbach I. The impact of manuring on nitrogen isotope ratios in cereals: archaeological implications for reconstruction of diet and crop management practices. Journal of Archaeological Science 2007, 34:335-343.
5. Bogaard A. Neolithic Farming in Central Europe: An Archaeobotanical Study of Crop Husbandry Practices 2004, Routledge, London.
6. 14C in archived (1923-2000) plant and soil samples from the Askov long-term experiments on animal manure and mineral fertilizer. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 2005, 19:3216-3226.
7. Chepstow-Lusty A. Agro-pastoralism and social change in the Cuzco heartland of Peru: a brief history using environmental proxies. Antiquity 2011, 85:570-582.
8. Christensen B.T., Petersen J., Trentemøller U.M. The Askov Long-Term Experiments on Animal Manure and Mineral Fertilizers: The Lermarken Site 1894-2004 2006, DIAS Report Plant Production no. 121. Tjele.
9. Commisso R.G., Nelson D.E. Stable nitrogen isotopic examination of Norse sites in the Western settlement of Greenland. Journal of Archaeological Science 2010, 37:1233-1240.
10. 12C ratios of plant matter during the initial stages of diagenesis: studies utilizing archaeological specimens from Peru. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 1985, 49:97-115.
11. Engelmark R. A review of the farming economy in South Scania based on botanical evidence. The Archaeology of the Cultural Landscape: Field Work and Research in a South Swedish Rural Region 1992, 369-375. CWK Gleerup, Lund. L. Larsson, J. Callmer, B. Stjernquist (Eds.).
12. Ferrio J.P., Alonso N., Voltas J., Araus J.L. Estimating grain weight in archaeological cereal crops: a quantitative approach for comparison with current conditions. Journal of Archaeological Science 2004, 31:1635-1642.
13. Fraser R.A., Bogaard A., Heaton T., Charles M., Jones G., Christensen B.T., et al. Manuring and stable nitrogen isotope ratios in cereals and pulses: towards a new archaeobotanical approach to the inference of land use and dietary practices. Journal of Archaeological Science 2011, 38:2790-2804.
14. Fry B. Stable Isotope Ecology 2006, Springer, USA.
15. Grabowski R. Changes in cereal cultivation during the Iron Age in southern Sweden: a compilation and interpretation of the archaeobotanical material. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 2011, 20:479-494.
16. Hillman G.C. Interpretation of archaeological plant remains: the application of ethnographic models from Turkey. Plants and Ancient Man, Rotterdam 1984, 1-42. W. van Zeist, W.A. Casparie (Eds.).
17. Hillman G.C., Robins G.V., Oduwole D., Sales K.D., McNeil D.A.C. Determination of thermal histories of archeological cereal grains with Electron Spin Resonance spectroscopy. Science 1983, 222:1235-1236.
18. Hillman G.C., Robins G.V., Oduwole D., Sales K.D., McNeil D.A.C. The use of electron spin resonance spectroscopy to determine the thermal histories of cereal grains. Journal of Archaeological Science 1985, 12:49-58.
19. 15N natural abundance in soil-plant systems. New Phytologist 1997, 137:179-203.
20. Hopf M. Formveränderungen von Getreidekörnern beim Verkohlen. Berichte der Deutschen Botanishen Gesellschaft 1955, 68:191-193.
21. Hubbard R.N.L.B., al Azm A. Quantifying preservation and distortion in carbonized seeds; and investigating the history of friké production. Journal of Archaeological Science 1990, 17:103-106.
22. 15N in emmer, spelt and naked barley grown on differently manured soils: towards a method for identifying past manuring practice. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 2011, 25:2879-2887.
23. Poole I., Braadbaart F., Boon J.J., van Bergen P.F. Stable carbon isotope changes during artificial charring of propagules. Organic Geochemistry 2002, 33:1675-1681.
24. Robins G.V. The study of heated and charred archaeological materials with electron spin résonance spectroscopy. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis 1984, 6:31-43.
25. Robinson D.E., Mikkelsen P.H., Malmros C. Agerbrug, driftsformer og planteressourcer i jernalder og vikingetid (500 f.Kr.-1100 e.Kr.). Danske landbrugslandskaber gennem 2000 år. Fra digevoldinger til støtteordninger 2009, 117-142. Aarhus Universitetsforlag, Denmark. B. Odgaard, J.R. Rømer (Eds.).
26. Shahack-Gross R., Simons A., Ambrose S.H. Identification of pastoral sites using stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes from bulk sediment samples: a case study in modern and archaeological pastoral settlements in Kenya. Journal of Archaeological Science 2008, 35:983-990.
27. Viklund K. Cereals, Weeds, and Crop Processing in Iron Age Sweden: Methodological and Interpretive Aspects of Archaeobotanical Evidence 1998, University of Umeå, Dept. of Archaeology, Environmental Archaeology Laboratory, Umeå, Sweden.