Investigating the potential of magnesium isotopes in bioarchaeology: evidence from the Zaoshugounao Site

IF 2 2区地球科学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences Pub Date : 2025-06-05 DOI:10.1007/s12520-025-02250-2

Keyu Liu, Xue Ling, Haifeng Dou, Yaopeng Qian, Zhen Wang, Yue Li, Kangjun Huang, Chunlei Zong

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Abstract

Magnesium, an essential biological element, exhibits stable isotope compositions that reflect organisms' dietary structure and trophic position. Accordingly, magnesium isotope analysis offers valuable potential for reconstructing the ecological niches of modern and ancient mammals within food webs. This study analyzes the magnesium isotope compositions of human and animal enamel samples recovered from the Zaoshugounao site to evaluate the applicability of magnesium isotopes in archaeological research, particularly in differentiating dietary sources, and identify trophic levels. The results demonstrate that the employed purification protocol effectively isolates and quantifies magnesium isotopes in archaeological enamel, preserving a reliable premortem isotopic signal. The analysis reveals significant isotopic differences between herbivores and omnivores, with the latter showing notable enrichment in heavier δ²⁶Mg isotopes. These findings underscore the sensitivity of magnesium isotopes to dietary variation and highlight their potential for reconstructing individual ecological niches. This study provides the first empirical evidence supporting the use of magnesium isotopes for tracing dietary sources and reconstructing trophic levels in archaeological contexts. It introduces a novel isotopic approach to archaeological research and advances our understanding of ancient populations' dietary habits and ecological adaptations.

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探讨镁同位素在生物考古中的潜力：枣树沟岙遗址的证据

镁是一种重要的生物元素，其同位素组成稳定，反映了生物的膳食结构和营养地位。因此，镁同位素分析为重建现代和古代哺乳动物在食物网中的生态位提供了有价值的潜力。本研究分析了枣树郭岙遗址人类和动物牙釉质样品的镁同位素组成，以评估镁同位素在考古研究中的适用性，特别是在区分食物来源和确定营养水平方面。结果表明，所采用的纯化方案有效地分离和量化了考古珐琅质中的镁同位素，保留了可靠的死前同位素信号。草食动物与杂食动物同位素差异显著，杂食动物δ26Mg同位素富集。这些发现强调了镁同位素对饮食变化的敏感性，并强调了它们重建个体生态位的潜力。这项研究提供了第一个经验证据，支持使用镁同位素在考古背景下追踪饮食来源和重建营养水平。它为考古研究引入了一种新的同位素方法，并促进了我们对古代人群饮食习惯和生态适应的理解。

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来源期刊

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

18.20%

发文量

199

期刊介绍： Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences covers the full spectrum of natural scientific methods with an emphasis on the archaeological contexts and the questions being studied. It bridges the gap between archaeologists and natural scientists providing a forum to encourage the continued integration of scientific methodologies in archaeological research. Coverage in the journal includes: archaeology, geology/geophysical prospection, geoarchaeology, geochronology, palaeoanthropology, archaeozoology and archaeobotany, genetics and other biomolecules, material analysis and conservation science. The journal is endorsed by the German Society of Natural Scientific Archaeology and Archaeometry (GNAA), the Hellenic Society for Archaeometry (HSC), the Association of Italian Archaeometrists (AIAr) and the Society of Archaeological Sciences (SAS).