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Compound‐specific δ 15 N amino acid signals in palaeosols as indicators of early land use: a preliminary study
Author(s) -
Simpson I. A.,
Bol R.,
Dockrill S. J.,
Petzke K.J.,
Evershed R. P.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
archaeological prospection
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.785
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1099-0763
pISSN - 1075-2196
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-0763(199709)4:3<147::aid-arp74>3.0.co;2-5
Subject(s) - grassland , soil water , archaeology , amino acid , geology , chemistry , soil science , ecology , geography , biology , biochemistry
Compound‐specific δ 15 N amino acid signals in soils demonstrate differences between manured grassland, unmanured grassland and continuous cereal cultivation under long‐term experimental land‐use control conditions, with δ 15 N values of hydrophobic amino acids providing the most distinctive signals. Analysis of anthropogenic palaeosols from Orkney demonstrates that such signals are retained in archaeological contexts. Relict medieval to early modern soils retain signals that suggest cereal cultivation, with a later phase of manured grassland; fossil Bronze Age soils retain signals that suggest continuous cereal cultivation only. These analyses are the first identification of compound‐specific δ 15 N amino acid signals in archaeological soils. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.