In the search for the origin of the barley at Norse farms in Greenland

IF 1.5 2区 历史学 0 ARCHAEOLOGY
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Abstract

Strontium (Sr) isotope analyses were performed on a number of individual charred grains of barley recovered from two selected Norse middens (Ø35; Ø49) in southwestern Greenland. The two middens were chosen because remnants of barley had been found in them in a previous project. Here we investigate whether barley was grown locally by the Norse or whether it was imported from Europe. While the Sr isotope signatures in each of the middens are in themselves homogenous through their depth profiles, they are distinctly different in each of their location (site Ø35 with an average 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70728 +/- 0.00058 (n = 5; 2σ).; site Ø49 with an average 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70978 +/- 0.00018 (n = 5; 2σ)). These compositions likely represent the homogenized signatures impacted by foodstuffs, mainly bones of domestic animals, fish, whales and seals as major dietary constituents. There is an additional contribution of local bioavailable strontium from the immediate surroundings, as emphasized by the strontium isotope signatures of soil extracts, plants and surface waters that are different from seawater strontium. Strong hydrochloric acid leaching of the barley grains, despite removal of > 90 % of the labile strontium, only led to insignificant isotopic changes in the first residuals attacked by aqua regia. A second aqua regia attack however was successful in recovering systematically more radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr signatures in both sites (87Sr/86Sr = 0.711 to 0.718) than those characterizing the respective midden signatures. At Ø49 these are compatible with the environmental soil extracts and plants, while at Ø35 the barley signatures resemble those recovered from site Ø49 and most likely imply local cultivation of barley in the nearby elevated terrains around the sites which are dominated by granitoid basement rocks of the Paleoproterozoic Ketilidian Province. Import of barley from Norway can however not be excluded as bioavailable strontium from some areas along the western coast and inner fjords has the same signature. Our results imply an effective adsorption of strontium from the midden onto the charred grains, making it difficult to fully extract the original strontium isotope biosignature of the barley.

The 14C dating of the middens show that they had been extensively disturbed and reworked during their period of use, making it impossible to establish a reliable chronological stratigraphy. However, overall, the dates indicate that Ø35 was established in the early 1000 s and operated for at least a couple of centuries. The midden at Ø49 was likely established in the mid-1000 s and operated at least until the mid-1200 s.

在格陵兰北欧农场寻找大麦的起源
我们对从格陵兰西南部两个选定的北欧沼泽地(Ø35;Ø49)中发现的一些大麦炭化颗粒进行了锶(Sr)同位素分析。之所以选择这两个殉葬坑,是因为在之前的一个项目中发现了大麦的残留物。在此,我们研究了大麦是北欧人在当地种植的,还是从欧洲进口的。虽然每个殉葬地的锶同位素特征在其深度剖面上本身是同质的,但它们在每个地点都有明显的不同(地点 Ø35 平均 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70728 +/- 0.00058 (n = 5; 2σ);地点 Ø49 平均 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70978 +/- 0.00018 (n = 5; 2σ))。这些成分可能代表了受食物影响的均质特征,主要是家畜、鱼类、鲸鱼和海豹的骨骼作为主要食物成分。土壤提取物、植物和地表水中的锶同位素特征与海水中的锶不同,这说明当地生物可利用的锶还来自周围环境。尽管大麦粒中 90% 的可溶性锶已被强盐酸浸出,但被王水浸出的第一次残留物中的同位素变化并不显著。然而,第二次王水侵蚀却成功地在两个地点恢复了比各自淤泥特征更系统的放射性 87Sr/86Sr 特征(87Sr/86Sr = 0.711 至 0.718)。在 Ø49 遗址,这些特征与环境土壤提取物和植物相符;而在 Ø35 遗址,大麦特征与 Ø49 遗址的特征相似,很可能意味着在遗址附近的高地种植了大麦,这些高地主要是古新生代凯蒂利迪亚省的花岗岩基底岩石。不过,也不能排除从挪威进口大麦的可能性,因为西海岸和内峡湾一些地区的生物可利用锶具有相同的特征。我们的研究结果表明,淤泥中的锶被烧焦的谷物有效吸附,因此很难完全提取大麦的原始锶同位素生物特征。然而,总体而言,这些日期表明 Ø35 建于 1000 年代早期,并至少使用了几个世纪。位于Ø49的淤泥坑很可能是在公元1000年中期建立的,至少在公元1200年中期之前一直在使用。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
3.10
自引率
12.50%
发文量
405
期刊介绍: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports is aimed at archaeologists and scientists engaged with the application of scientific techniques and methodologies to all areas of archaeology. The journal focuses on the results of the application of scientific methods to archaeological problems and debates. It will provide a forum for reviews and scientific debate of issues in scientific archaeology and their impact in the wider subject. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports will publish papers of excellent archaeological science, with regional or wider interest. This will include case studies, reviews and short papers where an established scientific technique sheds light on archaeological questions and debates.
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