%0 Journal Article
%T Paleodietary Analysis of Human Remains from a Hellenistic-Roman Cemetery at Camih£¿y¨¹k, Turkey
%A Yusuf £¿zci
%A Serdar Kaya
%A Onur Erdem
%A Cemal Akay
%A Cahit Kural
%A Bu£¿ra Soykut
%A Ok£¿an Ba£¿o£¿lu
%A Y¨¹cel £¿enyurt
%A Selim K£¿l£¿£¿
%A £¿aglar Temiz
%J Journal of Anthropology
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/534186
%X The presence of copper, zinc, magnesium, iron, lead, molybdenum, manganese and nickel was discovered on 22 human ribs in a Hellenistic-Roman cemetery located in the ancient city of Camih£¿y¨¹k, Turkey. The levels of each element found in the males were higher than those in females, except iron. Copper, magnesium, iron, molybdenum, and nickel levels were measured to be higher in the soil than in the skeletons, whereas the other elements were higher in the human skeletons. Lead was not traced in the soil, but on the skeletons. These individuals had probably been exposed to this element during their lives due to higher consumption of vegetables than meat. 1. Introduction Chemical studies on ancient skeletons have a complementary role in learning more about life and human interactions with the environment in a specific archaeological community along with their morphological and genetic-oriented counterparts [1]. The concentrations of the bone zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) have been considered indicators of high-protein diets, and high concentrations of bone manganese (Mn), barium (Ba), and magnesium (Mg) contents would point to a mainly vegetarian consumption [2¨C4]. Although the bone Cu and Zn levels are associated with paleodiet, the accumulation of some metals such as Fe, molybdenum (Mo), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni) in the bone tissues may also reflect environmental conditions and pollution [5, 6]. 95% of the total Pb found in the whole body was in bones and teeth which was in the form of chelates. Pb is known to have toxic effects on many organs, systems, and physiological processes, above all on the development of the central nervous system [7]. The long-term contact with soil, metal belongings in the grave, and the postexcavation exposure Pb to special challenges and controversies [8]. Diagenesis is defined as a cumulative, physical, biological and chemical process occurring in soil, changing the postmortem chemical and physical structures of bones [1]. Contamination and diagenetic alteration of ancient bones are of great concerns, which, if not properly addressed, may result in serious misinterpretation of data from bone archives [8]. Correction strategies based on burial soil trace element relationship are a promising option for the proper interpretation of the data obtained from bone analysis. Strontium (Sr) and Zn appear to be the least sensitive elements to diagenesis, while Fe, Mn, and Cu are particularly sensitive to diagenetic effects [9]. A major difficulty in understanding the significance of trace element levels in human skeletal
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/janthro/2013/534186/