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Bronze Age Human and Animal Nutrition at the Stepnoe Archaeological Micro-Region (Based on Stable Isotope Data)

  • METHODS OF NATURAL SCIENCES IN THE STUDY OF CULTURAL HERITAGE OBJECTS
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We present the results of analyzing the ratio of stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon in the collagen of human bones (n = 16) and the bones of domestic herbivores (n = 17), obtained during excavations of burial grounds in the Stepnoe microdistrict (Southern Trans-Urals). The sample includes three cultural traditions of the Bronze Age (Sintashta, Petrovka and Alakul), dating back to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. The basis of human nutrition was animal products, which is confirmed by data from paleozoology, palynology, and other disciplines. Descriptive statistics illustrate the reliable separation of human and animal indicators, as well as differences in the isotopic composition when grouped by archaeological culture. Based on the hypothesis about the synchronicity of the Sintashta and Petrovka cultures in this microdistrict, it can be assumed that the members of these traditions conducted separate economic activities. Comparison with series from other Bronze Age sites in the region shows a fundamental similarity of conclusions regarding reconstruction of the main diet in the presence of local specifics of different ecological niches.

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Notes

  1. IGAN index.

  2. Indices OxA and AA.

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Funding

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant no. 20-18-00402-P).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. South Ural State University (National Research University), Chelyabinsk, Russia

    A. V. Epimakhov & E. O. Vasyuchkov

  2. Chelyabinsk State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia

    E. V. Kupriyanova

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  1. A. V. Epimakhov
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Correspondence to A. V. Epimakhov or E. O. Vasyuchkov.

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Epimakhov, A.V., Vasyuchkov, E.O. & Kupriyanova, E.V. Bronze Age Human and Animal Nutrition at the Stepnoe Archaeological Micro-Region (Based on Stable Isotope Data). Nanotechnol Russia 18, 775–783 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S263516762360027X

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