ArticlePDF Available

Jechtingen. Anthropologie eines mittelneolithischen Gräberfeldes

Authors:
A preview of the PDF is not available
... Jechtingen, Lauda-Königshofen, different Baalberge cemeteries, Wiederstedt or Niedertiefenbach) from various Neolithic periods draw a different, and rather patchy, picture of incidence rates (e.g. Alt et al., 2014;Funke, 2006;Menninger, 2008;Meyer et al., 2004;Rinne et al., 2016;Rinne et al., in press). For a comprehensive interpretation of these heterogeneous results, the respective socio-economic backgrounds, their influence on the population lifestyle and the varying qualities of the primary data have to be considered. ...
Article
Full-text available
It is a common assumption that – compared with the Mesolithic – the adoption of Neolithic lifeways was accompanied by a higher risk of infection and the development of epidemic diseases. Such a hypothesis seems plausible when considering singular archaeological parameters like increasing population density and palaeopathological indicators of poor health. However, evidence for the far-reaching consequences of epidemics has not yet been examined. Thus, the relevance of infectious diseases as triggers for transformation processes in the Neolithic remains to be identified. By reviewing specific archaeological, genetic and palaeopathological proxies gained from groups of individuals that inhabited the German loess zone from the early to the final Neolithic, we provide a diachronic view of the periods between 5500 and 2500 BCE with regard to postulated indicators of epidemic events. Our analyses of the archaeological proxies suggest major transformations in domestic strategies and mortuary practices, especially in the middle and late Neolithic. Interestingly, mass burials indicative of epidemic events are lacking. Ancient DNA results on pathogens confirm single infections throughout the Neolithic, but there is no clear evidence for diseases of epidemic proportions. The osteological records are not conclusive since the majority of osseous changes are unspecific with regard to the cause and course of infections. We conclude that currently neither biological nor archaeological proxies suggest substantial contributions of epidemics to Neolithic transformations in the German loess zone. This finding contrasts with the general assumption of a higher risk of infection and the development of epidemic diseases during the Neolithic.
Article
Full-text available
The Wartberg culture (WBC, 3500-2800 BCE) dates to the Late Neolithic period, a time of important demographic and cultural transformations in western Europe. We performed genome-wide analyses of 42 individuals who were interred in a WBC collective burial in Niedertiefenbach, Germany (3300-3200 cal. BCE). The results showed that the farming population of Niedertiefenbach carried a surprisingly large hunter-gatherer ancestry component (34–58%). This component was most likely introduced during the cultural transformation that led to the WBC. In addition, the Niedertiefenbach individuals exhibited a distinct human leukocyte antigen gene pool, possibly reflecting an immune response that was geared towards detecting viral infections.
Article
Full-text available
This study provides diachronic insight into the epidemiology of carious defects in teeth of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age populations in Central Germany over a period of 4000 years. The data were retrieved from skeletal remains uncovered at 21 sites throughout the Middle Elbe-Saale region (MES), comprising a total of 494 individuals with preserved teeth. The data generated were examined for age- and sex-related differences in order to gain information about the dietary habits and socio-economic structures of the period with the goal of identifying potential diachronic changes. The results indicated that dietary habits changed over the course of the Neolithic period: the prevalence of caries significantly decreased between the Early and Late Neolithic. The adults from the Early Neolithic sample, particularly those from the LBK bore the highest rate of caries. This highlights the essential importance of cereals in the diet of the early farmers in the Middle Elbe-Saale region. As time went on, meat and dairy products became more and more important, which had a positive impact on dental health. The data also show sex-specific differences: women were more often affected by caries than men and female jaws also generally exhibited greater numbers of carious teeth than their male counterparts. Dental health is a reflection of both biological factors and of economic and sociocultural structures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Article
Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. CS50) plants were grown at two levels of relative humidity (RH) and sprayed daily with abscisic acid (ABA) at four concentrations. Plants grown at lower humidity had higher transpiration rates, lower leaf temperatures and lower stomatal conductance. Plant biomass was also reduced at low humidity. Within each humidity environment, increasing ABA concentration generally reduced stomatal conductance, evaporation rates, superficial leaf density and plant biomass, and increased leaf temperature and specific leaf area. As expected, decreased stomatal conductance resulted in decreased carbon isotope discrimination in leaf material (Δ13Cl). Plants grown at low humidity were more enriched in 18O than those grown at high RH, as theory predicts. Within each humidity environment, increasing ABA concentration increased oxygen isotope enrichment of leaf cellulose (Δ18Oc) and whole-leaf tissue (Δ18Ol). Values of Δ13Cl and Δ18Ol predicted by theoretical models were close to those observed, accounting for 79% of the measured variation in Δ13Cl and 95% of the measured variation in Δ18Ol. Supporting theory, Δ13Cl and Δ18Ol in whole-leaf tissue were negatively related.