Tooth oxygen isotopes reveal Late Bronze Age origin of Mediterranean fish aquaculture and trade
Abstract Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen isotope compositions (δ18OPO4) of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) tooth enameloid from archaeological sites across the southern Levant, spanning the entire Holocene. We report the earliest evi...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Nature Publishing Group
2018-09-01
|
Series: | Scientific Reports |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32468-1 |
id |
doaj-188dfe09b52c45f6b9dcf6e106fadcad |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-188dfe09b52c45f6b9dcf6e106fadcad2020-12-08T04:59:59ZengNature Publishing GroupScientific Reports2045-23222018-09-018111010.1038/s41598-018-32468-1Tooth oxygen isotopes reveal Late Bronze Age origin of Mediterranean fish aquaculture and tradeSisma-Ventura Guy0Tütken Thomas1Zohar Irit2Pack Andreas3Sivan Dorit4Lernau Omri5Gilboa Ayelet6Bar-Oz Guy7Israel Oceanographic & Limnological ResearchInstitute for Geosciences, Johannes-Gutenberg University of MainzOranim Academic CollegeDepartment of Isotope Geology, Georg-August-University of GöttingenDepartment of Maritime Civilizations, Charney School of Marine SciencesZinman Institute of Archaeology, University of HaifaZinman Institute of Archaeology, University of HaifaZinman Institute of Archaeology, University of HaifaAbstract Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen isotope compositions (δ18OPO4) of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) tooth enameloid from archaeological sites across the southern Levant, spanning the entire Holocene. We report the earliest evidence for extensive fish exploitation from the hypersaline Bardawil lagoon on Egypt’s northern Sinai coast, as indicated by distinctively high δ18OPO4 values, which became abundant in the southern Levant, both along the coast and further inland, at least from the Late Bronze Age (3,550–3,200 BP). A period of global, postglacial sea-level stabilization triggered the formation of the Bardawil lagoon, which was intensively exploited and supported a widespread fish trade. This represents the earliest roots of marine proto-aquaculture in Late Holocene coastal domains of the Mediterranean. We demonstrate the potential of large-scale δ18OPO4 analysis of fish teeth to reveal cultural phenomena in antiquity, providing unprecedented insights into past trade patterns.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32468-1Bardawil LagoonPhosphate Oxygen IsotopeTooth EnameloidFish TeethNorthern Sinai |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Sisma-Ventura Guy Tütken Thomas Zohar Irit Pack Andreas Sivan Dorit Lernau Omri Gilboa Ayelet Bar-Oz Guy |
spellingShingle |
Sisma-Ventura Guy Tütken Thomas Zohar Irit Pack Andreas Sivan Dorit Lernau Omri Gilboa Ayelet Bar-Oz Guy Tooth oxygen isotopes reveal Late Bronze Age origin of Mediterranean fish aquaculture and trade Scientific Reports Bardawil Lagoon Phosphate Oxygen Isotope Tooth Enameloid Fish Teeth Northern Sinai |
author_facet |
Sisma-Ventura Guy Tütken Thomas Zohar Irit Pack Andreas Sivan Dorit Lernau Omri Gilboa Ayelet Bar-Oz Guy |
author_sort |
Sisma-Ventura Guy |
title |
Tooth oxygen isotopes reveal Late Bronze Age origin of Mediterranean fish aquaculture and trade |
title_short |
Tooth oxygen isotopes reveal Late Bronze Age origin of Mediterranean fish aquaculture and trade |
title_full |
Tooth oxygen isotopes reveal Late Bronze Age origin of Mediterranean fish aquaculture and trade |
title_fullStr |
Tooth oxygen isotopes reveal Late Bronze Age origin of Mediterranean fish aquaculture and trade |
title_full_unstemmed |
Tooth oxygen isotopes reveal Late Bronze Age origin of Mediterranean fish aquaculture and trade |
title_sort |
tooth oxygen isotopes reveal late bronze age origin of mediterranean fish aquaculture and trade |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group |
series |
Scientific Reports |
issn |
2045-2322 |
publishDate |
2018-09-01 |
description |
Abstract Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen isotope compositions (δ18OPO4) of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) tooth enameloid from archaeological sites across the southern Levant, spanning the entire Holocene. We report the earliest evidence for extensive fish exploitation from the hypersaline Bardawil lagoon on Egypt’s northern Sinai coast, as indicated by distinctively high δ18OPO4 values, which became abundant in the southern Levant, both along the coast and further inland, at least from the Late Bronze Age (3,550–3,200 BP). A period of global, postglacial sea-level stabilization triggered the formation of the Bardawil lagoon, which was intensively exploited and supported a widespread fish trade. This represents the earliest roots of marine proto-aquaculture in Late Holocene coastal domains of the Mediterranean. We demonstrate the potential of large-scale δ18OPO4 analysis of fish teeth to reveal cultural phenomena in antiquity, providing unprecedented insights into past trade patterns. |
topic |
Bardawil Lagoon Phosphate Oxygen Isotope Tooth Enameloid Fish Teeth Northern Sinai |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32468-1 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT sismaventuraguy toothoxygenisotopesreveallatebronzeageoriginofmediterraneanfishaquacultureandtrade AT tutkenthomas toothoxygenisotopesreveallatebronzeageoriginofmediterraneanfishaquacultureandtrade AT zoharirit toothoxygenisotopesreveallatebronzeageoriginofmediterraneanfishaquacultureandtrade AT packandreas toothoxygenisotopesreveallatebronzeageoriginofmediterraneanfishaquacultureandtrade AT sivandorit toothoxygenisotopesreveallatebronzeageoriginofmediterraneanfishaquacultureandtrade AT lernauomri toothoxygenisotopesreveallatebronzeageoriginofmediterraneanfishaquacultureandtrade AT gilboaayelet toothoxygenisotopesreveallatebronzeageoriginofmediterraneanfishaquacultureandtrade AT barozguy toothoxygenisotopesreveallatebronzeageoriginofmediterraneanfishaquacultureandtrade |
_version_ |
1724391842078785536 |