School of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium.
PLoS One. 2024 Jun 26;19(6):e0305089. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305089. eCollection 2024.
The volume of human carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope data produced in archaeological research has increased markedly in recent years. However, knowledge of bone remodelling, its impact on isotope variation, and the temporal resolution of isotope data remains poorly understood. Varied remodelling rates mean different elements (e.g., femur and rib) produce different temporal signals but little research has examined intra-element variability. This study investigates human bone remodelling using osteon population density and the relationship with carbon and nitrogen isotope data at a high resolution, focusing on variation through femoral cross-sections, from periosteal to endosteal surfaces. Results demonstrate considerable differences in isotope values between cross-sectional segments of a single fragment, by up to 1.3‰ for carbon and 1.8‰ for nitrogen, illustrating the need for standardised sampling strategies. Remodelling also varies between bone sections, occurring predominantly within the endosteal portion, followed by the midcortical and periosteal. Therefore, the endosteal portion likely reflects a shorter period of life closer to the time of death, consistent with expectations. By contrast, the periosteal surface provides a longer average, though there were exceptions to this. Results revealed a weak negative correlation between osteon population density and δ15N or δ13C, confirming that remodelling has an effect on isotope values but is not the principal driver. However, a consistent elevation of δ15N and δ13C (0.5‰ average) was found between the endosteal and periosteal regions, which requires further investigation. These findings suggest that, with further research, there is potential for single bone fragments to reconstruct in-life dietary change and mobility, thus reducing destructive sampling.
近年来，考古学研究中产生的人类碳（δ13C）和氮（δ15N）同位素数据的数量显著增加。然而，对于骨重建及其对同位素变化的影响，以及同位素数据的时间分辨率，人们的了解仍然很差。不同的重建率意味着不同的元素（例如股骨和肋骨）产生不同的时间信号，但很少有研究检查元素内的变异性。本研究使用骨单位密度研究人类骨重建，并以高分辨率研究其与碳和氮同位素数据的关系，重点关注从骨外膜到骨内膜的股骨横截面上的变化。结果表明，单个骨段的不同横截面之间的同位素值存在相当大的差异，碳的差异高达 1.3‰，氮的差异高达 1.8‰，这说明了需要标准化的采样策略。重建也在骨段之间变化，主要发生在内骨部分，其次是中皮质和骨外膜。因此，内骨部分可能反映了更接近死亡时间的较短生命期，这与预期一致。相比之下，骨外膜表面提供了更长的平均值，但也有例外。骨单位密度与 δ15N 或 δ13C 之间呈弱负相关，这证实了重建对同位素值有影响，但不是主要驱动因素。然而，在骨内膜和骨外膜区域之间发现 δ15N 和 δ13C 持续升高（平均升高 0.5‰），这需要进一步研究。这些发现表明，随着进一步研究，单个骨段有可能重建生命中的饮食变化和迁移，从而减少破坏性采样。
