The LeCHE projectand

Archaeozoology

Roz Gillis

ARCHAEOZOOLOGY, ARCHEOBOTANY

Societies, Practices

and Environments

National Museum

of Natural History

National Agency for Scientific Research

Before….commercial archaeologist

Pottery dumps, Caledonian Pottery, Rutherglen

Now....archaeozoologist at Muséum National D’histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Paris

The LeCHE project,(Lactase persistence and the Cultural History of Europe)

Team LeCHE

UCL-Modern Human DNA

Stockholme-Weaning in humans using N isotopes

UCL- Modelling

Bristol-Pottery residues

Dublin-Modern cattle DNA

Paris-Archaeozoology

Maniz-Ancient Human DNA

0

25

50

75

100

A B C D E-F G HI

Milk

Meat

Wool

Payne 1973Previous milk model

Archaeozoology and LeCHE, detecting dairy practices in Neolithic Europe.

%50

A B C D E-F G H-I Les Lauzières, Late Neol. (N= 43)

B milk: BCEF(G= hair)

%70

A B C D E-F G H-I C. Obscure, Mid-Neol. (N= 39)

A milk: A(EF= curtailed)

New additional ModelVigne & Helmer, 2007, Anthropozoologica, 42, 2: 9-40.

1. Sheep and Goat

BALASSE 2003, Anthropozoologica 7: 3-10.

plantsplants

δ15N (‰)0 5 10 15

milk dietmilk diet

collagen

+ 3 ‰

plant dietplant dietcollagen

+ 3 ‰

-4

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

0 -32 -24 -16 -8 0 8 16 24 32

distance to neck (mm)

d1

5N

-d

15N

max

(‰

)

Neolithic calf 1

-4

Present day calf

ca 9-10 months

Paris-Bercy

Confirmation of post-lactation slaughtering & of herd management for dairy

0 6 2 4 6 1/2 9 11 1/2

0 1 2 4 6.5 9 11.5

Neolithic calves weaned early: - shorter lactation in primitive breeds ? - control of weaning by the herders ?

Balasse & Tresset, 2002, JAS: 29, 853–859)

Balasse et al., 1997, CRAS, 325 : 1005-1010.

MeatMilk

0 6 2 4 6 1/2 9 11 1/2

0 1 2 4 6.5 9 11.5

Le Gournier (Nd= 67; Brehard 2006)

0 6 2 4 6 1/2 9 11 1/2

0 1 2 4 6.5 9 11.5

Bercy (NMI= 61; Tresset 1996, Balasse 1999)

0 6 2 4 6 1/2 9 11 1/2

0 1 2 4 6.5 9 11.5

Les Moulins (Nd= 104; Bréhard 2005)

0 6 2 4 6 1/2 9 11 1/2

0 1 2 4 6.5 9 11.5

La Roberte (Nd= 77; Brehard 2006)

0 6 2 4 6 1/2 9 11 1/2

0 1 2 4 6.5 9 11.5

V. Tolosane R21 (Nd= 25; Fontaine 2002)

Stragari (Nd= 29; Greenfield 2005)

1 3 6 9 12 2 3 4 6 8

Trasano (NMI= 18; Vigne & Carrère, unpub.)

2 6 12 2 3 4 6 8

Blagotin (Nd= 77; Greenfield 2005)

Early Neolithic: 6th millennium cal BC

Vigne & Helmer, 2007, Anthropozoologica, 42, 2: 9-40.

5 m

J. U

gh

ett

o

Photo labo preparation

IRMScarbonates

SEM

IRM

Sco

l lag

en

The MNHN IRMS service : a unique IRMS service devoted to human sciences

The preparation lab

The equipment for bioapatite analysis

Anne Tresset

Marjane MashkourThomas Cucchi

Antoine Zazzo

Jean-Denis Vigne

Sébastien Lepetz

Joséphine LesurPhillipe Béarez

Elise Dufour

Christine LefévreFrançois Poplin

Robin Bendrey

Marie Balasse

Joël Ughetto

Merci pour votre attention