Biomolecular and zooarchaeological approaches to the detection of aquatic resource processing in prehistoric Central Europe

The Neolithic period marks a significant shift in human subsistence. Farming spread from the northern Levant, through the Balkan region and into mainland Europe, characterised by the introduction of domestic crops and animals, ceramic technology, and more sedentary settlements. However, the transition to agriculture varied throughout Europe in a number of ways, including the timing of the transition, the crops and animals that were introduced, and the continued importance of hunting an fishing.

In some regions of Europe, aspects of the Neolithic trajectory remain unclear, and for the first farming population in central Europe this includes the role of aquatic resources alongside domestic livestock. Previous research focused on the south-east Europe and the Atlantic archipelagos has highlighted the variable importance of aquatic resources to early farming populations

The project aims to assess the importance of aquatic resources to the first farming populations central Europe (Linearbandkeramik culture, LBK; ca. 5,500-4,500 BCE). The research will combine three complementary approaches. Firstly, zooarchaeological analysis of animal bone assemblages from LBK sites.

Faunal data from published and unpublished literature will be collated in a database to assess the presence of aquatic remains. Since fish bones are very small and often poorly preserved and not systematically recovered from archaeological sites, this will be combined with organic residue analysis. Lipids deriving from foodstuffs are well preserved in the ceramic matrix of archaeological pottery, and specific biomarkers exist that indicate that processing of aquatic resources.

A selection of lipid extracts from LBK pottery will be analysed using gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry techniques. Lipid will be screened using GC-q-TOF to detect a range of aquatic biomarkers. Finally, lipids will be dated using a novel method for 14C dating lipids trapped within pottery vessels using AMS.

Using these methods, will be possibly to qualitatively and quantitatively assess aquatic resource processing at early farming sites to define the chronological and geographical fluctuations in diet in relation to ecological, nutritional and cultural drivers. Furthermore, it will how the relationships between humans and aquatic ecosystems have changed over time, and the potential drivers of these changes.