TRACE ELEMENTS AND DENTAL MICROWEAR AS THE INDICATORS OF DIET STRATEGIES IN INDIVIDUALS FROM THE CEMETERY OF BOROVCE (8th–12th C. AD, PIEŠŤANY DISTRICT, SLOVAKIA)

• Published in: Anthropologie (Brno) 2019-01, Vol.57 (3), p.329-348
• Main Authors: BODORIKOVÁ, SILVIA, ROČKÁROVÁ, VERONIKA, KATINA, STANISLAV, PAVLÍKOVÁ, ŠTEFÁNIA, DÖRNHÖFEROVÁ, MICHAELA, ŠVÁBOVÁ, PETRA
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ORIGINAL PAPERS • TRAVAUX ORIGINAUX • ORIGINALARBEITEN
• ISSN: 0323-1119; 2570-9127
• DOI: 10.26720/anthro.19.09.06.1

The aim of the study was to determine the diet of the historical human population using trace elements in dental tissues and dental buccal microwear. Although 466 individuals had been buried in the cemetery, preservation of the remains did not allow analysis of all of them. 34 permanent premolars and one permanent molar from 35 individuals were analysed for trace elements. Dental microwear was studied in 26 permanent molars of the same individuals. Both trace-element and microwear analyses were performed on 26 individuals, of the remaining nine individuals’ only trace elements were analysed. All analysed teeth were intact, with fully developed roots, without dental calculus and macro-abrasion. Concentrations of Sr, Zn, and Ca, and their ratios, were used to determine the relative proportions of plant and animal protein in the diet. Samples were analysed using optical emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma. The values of the Sr and Zn concentrations indicate that a diet of the examined population was of a mixed character. A higher intake of animal protein was detected in individuals of higher social status. Apparently, within the population there were individuals whose content of trace elements in dental tissue did not reflect the way of feeding, resp. social status, but was instead related to their health. Buccal microwear was studied in molds of buccal surfaces and observed at 100× magnification with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Length and orientation of striations were determined with the SigmaScan Pro 5.0 image analysis program. The results obtained from microwear analysis correspond with those from trace-element analysis and showed that the population consumed a mixed diet, which contained higher proportion of abrasive components. The way of feeding of this historical population could be similar to recent populations of hunters and gatherers, and the greater density and length of scratches may have been caused by other technology of food preparing.