Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T01:06:26.007Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Muck ‘n’ molecules: organic geochemical methods for detecting ancient manuring

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

I. D. Bull
Affiliation:
Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, England [email protected]
I. A. Simpson
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Science, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland
P. F. van Bergen
Affiliation:
Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, England [email protected] Organic Geochemistry Group, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, PO Box 80021, 3508 TA Utrecht, Netherlands
R. P. Evershed
Affiliation:
Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, England [email protected]

Abstract

Image of the first page of this content. For PDF version, please use the ‘Save PDF’ preceeding this image.'
Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bakels, C.C. 1997. The beginnings of manuring in western Europe, Antiquity 71: 4425.Google Scholar
Barker, G.M., Radley, S. Davis, A. Setchell, K.D.R. O’Connell, N. Donovan, I.A. Keighley, M.R.B. & Neoptolemos, J.P.. 1993. Analysis of faecal neutral sterols in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, International Journal of Colorectal Disease 8: 18892.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Betancourt, P.P. & Simpson, R.H.. 1992. The agricultural system of Bronze Age Pseira, in Bakker, W.F. Davaras, C. Willets, R.F. & Hakkert, A.M. (ed.), Cretan Studies 3: 4754. Amsterdam: Adolf M. Hakkert.Google Scholar
Bethell, P.H., Goad, L.J. Evershed, R.P. & Ottaway, J.. 1994. The study of molecular markers of human activity: The use of coprostanol in the soil as an indicator of human faecal material, Journal of Archaeological Science 21: 61932.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bintliff, J.L. & Snodgrass, A.M.. 1988. Off-site pottery distributions: a regional and interregional perspective, Current Anthropology 29: 50613.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bull, I.D. 1997. New molecular methods for detecting natural and anthropogenic inputs to soils and sediments. Ph.D dissertation, University of Bristol.Google Scholar
Bull, I.D., Betancourt, P.P. & Evershed, R.P.. In press. Chemical evidence supporting the existence of a structured agricultural manuring regime on Pseira Island, Crete during the Minoan Age, in Malcolm Wiener Festschrift.Google Scholar
Bull, I.D., Van Bergen, P.F. Betancourt, P.P., Simpson, L.A. & Evershed, R.P.. 1995. Organic geochemistry of archaeological soils and the detection of human occupation and agricultural practices, in Grimalt, J.O. & Dorronsoro, C. (ed.), Organic geochemistry: Developments and applications to energy, climate, environment and human history. Selected papers from the 17th International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry. 71416. Donostia-San Sebastian: A.I.G.O.A.Google Scholar
Bull, I.D., Van Bergen, P.F. Poulton, P.R. & Evershed, R.P.. 1998. Organic geochemical studies of soils from the Rothamsted Classical Experiments-II, Soils from the Hoosfield Spring Barley experiment treated with different quantities of manure, Organic Geochemistry 28(1/2): 1126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chalaux, N.,Takada, H. & Bayona, J.M.. 1995. Molecular markers in Tokyo Bay sediments: Sources and distribution, Marine Environmental Research 40(1): 7792.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
David, A. 1995. Geophysical survey in archaeological field evaluation, The English Heritage Research and Professional Guideline No. 1: 289. London: English Heritage.Google Scholar
Davidson, D.A., Harkness, D.D. & Simpson, L.A.. 1986. The formation of farm mounds on the island of Sanday, Orkney, Geoarchaeology 1(1): 4560.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elhmmali, M.M. (1998) Complementary Use of Bile Acids and Sterols as Sewage Pollution Indicators. Ph.D Dissertation, University of Bristol, 205 pp.Google Scholar
Elhmmali, M.M., Roberts, D.J. & Evershed, R.P.. 1997. Bile acids as a new class of sewage pollution indicator, Environmental Science and Technology 31(12): 36638.Google Scholar
Eidt, R.C. 1984 Advances in abandoned settlement analysis: Application to prehistoric anthrosols in Columbia, South America. Ph.D dissertation, University of Winsconsin, Milwaukee.Google Scholar
Evershed, R.P. & Bethell, P.H.. 1996. Application of multi-molecular biomarker techniques to the identification of faecal material in archaeological soils and sediments, ACS Symposium Series 625: 15772.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evershed, R.P., Bethell, P.H. Reynolds, P. & Walsh, N.J.. 1997. 5β-Stigmastanol and related 5β-stanols as biomarkers of manuring: Analysis of modern experimental material and assessment of the archaeological potential, Journal of Archaeological Science 24: 48595.Google Scholar
Freeman, K. Hayes, H.J.M.. Trendel, J.-M & Albrecht, P.. 1990. Evidence from carbon isotope measurements for diverse origins of sedimentary hydrocarbons, Nature 343: 2546.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gendre, R Beck, C. Ruch, P. & Kubler, B.. 1994. Human impacts on coral ecosystems at Mauritius island: Coprostanol in surface sediments, Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae 87(2): 35767.Google Scholar
Green, G., Skerratt, J.H. Leeming, R. & Nichols, P.D.. 1992. Hydrocarbon and coprostanol levels in seawater, sea-ice algae and sediments near Davis Station in eastern Antartica: A regional survey and preliminary results for a field fuel spill experiment, Marine Pollution Bulletin 25(912): 293302.Google Scholar
Grimalt, J.O., Fernández, P. Bayona, J.M. & Albaigés, J.. 1990. Assessment of faecal sterols and ketones as indicators of urban sewage inputs to coastal waters, Environmental Science and Technology 24: 35763.Google Scholar
Hatcher, P.G. & McGillivary, P.A.. 1979. Sewage contamination in the New York Bight. Coprostanol as an indicator, Environmental Science and Technology 13: 12259.Google Scholar
Hayes, J.M., Freeman, K.H. & Popp, B.N. 1990. Compound-specific isotopic analyses: A novel tool for reconstruction of ancient biogéochemical processes, Organic Geochemistry 16: 111528.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jeng, W.L. & Han, B.C.. 1994. Sedimentary coprostanol in Kaohsiung Harbour and the Tan-Shui estuary, Taiwan, Marine Pollution Bulletin 28(8): 4949.Google Scholar
Knights, B.A., Dickson, C.A. Dickson, B.H. & Breeze, D.J.. 1983. Evidence concerning the Roman military diet at Bearsden, Scotland, in the 2nd century AD, Journal of Archaeological Science 10: 13952.Google Scholar
Leeming, R., Ball, A. Ashbolt, N. Jones, G. & Nichols, P.. 1994. Distinguishing between human and animal sources of faecal pollution, Chemistry in Australia 61: 4345.Google Scholar
Lin, D.S., Connor, W.E. Napton, L.K. & Heizer, R.F.. 1978. The steroids of 2000-year-old human coprolites, Journal of Lipid Research 19: 21521.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matschiner, J.T. 1971. Naturally occuring bile acids and alcohols, in Nair, P.P. & Kritchevesky, D. (ed.), The bile acids 1: 1141. New York (NY): Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Merrit, D.A. & Hayes, J.M.. 1994. Nitrogen isotopic analyses by isotope-ratio-monitoring gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry, Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry 5(5): 38797.Google Scholar
Midtvedt, A.C. & Midtvedt, T.. 1993. Conversion of cholesterol to coprostanol by the intestinal microflora during the first two years of human life, Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 17: 1619.Google Scholar
Murtaugh, J.J. & Bunch, R.L.. 1967. Sterols as a measure of fecal pollution, Journal of Water Pollution Control 39: 4049.Google Scholar
Nichols, P.D., Leeming, R. Rayner, M.S. & Latham, V.. 1993. Comparison of the abundance of the fecal sterol coprostanol and fecal bacterial groups in inner-shelf waters and sediments near Sydney, Australia, Journal of Chromatography 643: 18995.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pepe, C. & Dizabo, P.. 1990. Etude d’une fosse du 13eme siecle par les marqueurs biogéochimiques: chantier archéologique du Louvre (Paris), Revue d’Archeometrie 14: 238.Google Scholar
Pepe, C Dizabo, P. Scibe, P. Dagaux, J. Fillaux, J. & Saliot, A.. 1989. Les marqueurs biogeochimiques: application a l’archeologie, Revue d’Archéometrié 13: 111.Google Scholar
Prosch-Danielsen, L. & Simonsen, A.. 1988. Principal components analysis of pollen, charcoal and soil phosphate data as a tool in prehistoric land-use investigation at Forsandmoen, SW Norway, Norwegian Archaeological Review 21: 85102 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sherwin, M.R., Van Vleet, E.S. Fossato, V.U. & Dolci, F.. 1993. Coprostanol (5β-cholestan-3β-ol) in lagoonal sediments and mussels of Venice, Italy, Marine Pollution Bulletin 26(9): 5017.Google Scholar
Simpson, L.A. 1985. Stable carbon isotope analysis of anthropogenic soils and sediments in Orkney, in Fieller, N.R.J. Gilbertson, D.D. & Ralph, N.G.A. (ed.), Palaeoenvironmental Investigations. 5565. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. International series 258.Google Scholar
Simpson, L.A., Bol, R. Dockrill, S.J. Petzke, K.-J. & Evershed, R.P.. 1997. Compound-specific 51SN amino acid signals in palaeosols as indicators of early land use: A preliminary study, Archaeological Prospection 4: 14752.3.0.CO;2-5>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simpson, L.A., Dockrill, S.J. Bull, I.D. & Evershed, R.P.. 1998. Early anthropogenic soil formation at Tofts Ness, Sanday, Orkney, Journal of Archaeological Science 25(8): 72746.Google Scholar
Simpson, L.A., Van Bergen, P.F. Perret, V. Elhmmali, M.M. Roberts, D.J. & Evershed, R.P.. In press. Lipid biomarkers of manuring practice in relict anthropogenic soils, The Holocene.Google Scholar
Takada, H., Farrington, J.W. Bothner, M.H. Johnson, C.G. & Tripp, B.W.. 1994. Transport of sludge-derived pollutants to deep-sea sediments at deep water dump site 106, Environmental Science and Technology 28: 106272.Google Scholar
Van Bergen, P.F., Bull, I.D. Poulton, P.R. & Evershed, R.P.. 1997. Organic geochemical studies of soils from the Rothamsted Classical Experiments-I. Total lipid extracts, solvent insoluble residues and humic acids from Broadbalk Wilderness, Organic Geochemistry 26: 11735.Google Scholar
Venkatesan, M.I. & Mirsadeghi, F.H.. 1992. Coprostanol as a sewage tracer in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, Marine Pollution Bulletin 25: 912.CrossRefGoogle Scholar