A 350 14 C yr discrepancy between bone and tooth dates from the same grave at the Early Neolithic cemetery of Shamanka II, Lake Baikal, southern Siberia: reservoir effects or a misplaced mandible?

Conference item

A 350 14C yr discrepancy was found between dates on postcranial remains and mandibular teeth on what was thought to be the same individual from the Early Neolithic cemetery of Shamanka II, Lake Baikal. Stable nitrogen isotope results suggested a major shift in diet between childhood (when the teeth formed) and adulthood (represented by the postcrania), which could have resulted in different 14C ages through a freshwater reservoir effect. Subsequent additional dating on the mandible and postcranial elements, however, indicated that the mandible actually belonged to a different individual. More subtle reservoir effects can be seen on the sequentially forming teeth and mandible. The practice by prehistoric hunter-gatherers of Lake Baikal of re-opening graves and removing cranial elements has long been known, but this is the first evidence for the inclusion of a mandible from a separate individual, though whether it was intentional or incidental is uncertain. As well as providing new insights into mid-Holocene mortuary practices in the region, our findings raise a cautionary note for the examination of disturbed graves.

Authors: Schulting, RJ; Scharlotta, I; Lieverse, A; Jessup, E; Bronk Ramsey, C

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Journal: Radiocarbon: An International Journal of Cosmogenic Isotope Research
• Publication date: 2025-01-20
• Acceptance date: 2024-08-20
• DOI: 10.1017/rdc.2024.125
• EISSN: 1945-5755
• ISSN: 0033-8222
• Language: English
• Keywords: dental/oral and craniofacial disease; freshwater reservoir effects; hunter-gatherers; mid-Holocene; stable isotopes