Examination of Ancient Animal Management Practices in Siberia and the Russian Far East Through Dietary Stable Isotope Analyses
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Examination of Ancient Animal Management Practices in Siberia and the Russian Far East through Dietary Stable Isotope Analyses by Lacey Shannon Fleming A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology University of Alberta © Lacey Shannon Fleming, 2020 Abstract This study examines diverse animal management practices through the application of δ13C and δ15N analyses to collagen extracted from faunal skeletal remains. The faunal remains analyzed were recovered from eight archaeological sites in three distinct ecological settings in Siberia and the Russian Far East. The archaeological record of these sites recorded thousands of years of human-animal interactions, from the hunter-fisher-gatherer societies of the Neolithic along the coast of southern Primorye, to Iron Age dog sledding groups at the Arctic Circle in the Lower Ob, to the agricultural peoples of Transbaiikal and Primorye during the medieval period. Samples were selected to reflect the suite of taxa represented at each site and include both domestic and wild animal species, as well as aquatic and terrestrial fauna. The values reported in this study are among the first faunal stable isotope data for these areas. In addition to the faunal samples, human skeletal samples from two sites were also available, providing an opportunity to explore the utility of animal dietary stable isotope values as proxies for human ones. The results of this study demonstrate local strategies to animal management in each of the three regions and highlight the human use of locally available resources to provision domestic animals. At Ust’-Polui, Iron Age peoples likely relied upon the abundant fishery provided by the Ob River to feed sled dogs, which require massive quantities of dietary resources to perform labour in extreme temperatures. Inferences from the medieval Proezzhaia I hillfort in Transbaikal suggest dogs, pigs, and caprines provisioned themselves, while horses and cattle may have been provided with supplemental fodder or given access to pasture. In southern Primorye, human dietary stable isotope data indicate Late Neolithic and Early Iron Age peoples relied on high trophic level marine resources, at odds with the abundance of shellfish remains at Boisman II and Pospelovo I. Additional data from other coastal shell midden sites and the inland Cherniatino II show no dietary isotopic separation of suids over thousands of years, suggesting the local environment provided adequate accommodation for the management of ii domestic pigs with natural resources. However, the dietary stable isotope data from Cherniatino II show extensive use of cultivated millet among other domestic species, particularly during medieval occupation of the site. The dietary stable isotope data generated by this study provide some support for the use of animal δ13C and δ15N values as proxy information for contemporaneous human diets, particularly those of domestic dogs. Though humans and dogs from Ust’-Polui, Boisman II, and Pospelovo I broadly shared dietary inputs from aquatic resources, consistent δ13C and δ15N value offsets between the two hint at more specific provisioning practices. iii Preface This thesis is an original work by Lacey Fleming. The research project, of which this thesis is a part, received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Ethics Board, Holocene Hunter- Gatherers of Northeast Asia, No. 21280, 30 July 2015. iv For Jessica Aubé v Acknowledgements I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to my supervisors, Dr. Rob Losey and Dr. Sandra Garvie-Lok. I appreciate your patience and honesty beyond what I am able to express with words. This project has challenged me in ways I didn’t think possible, but I am grateful for your belief in my capacity to learn and grow from this experience and for helping me see it through to the end. I’d like to recognize the University of Alberta faculty members who took part in my doctoral candidacy examination committee, Dr. Connie Varnhagen of the Department of Psychology, and Dr. Kisha Supernant, Dr. Lesley Harrington, and Dr. Joe Hill, all of the Department of Anthropology. I also wish to thank the members of my final examination committee, Dr. Robert Park of the University of Waterloo, and Dr. Kisha Supernant, Dr. Jack Ives, and Dr. Lesley Harrington of the Department of Anthropology. I owe major thanks to Dr. Tatiana Nomokonova of the University of Saskatchewan for her assistance with sample selection and identification. She also located and summarized relevant Russian-language literature that was crucial to the completion of this project. I also appreciate the work of her brother, Mr. Sergei Cheremisin, who acquired the modern fish skeletal samples from the Shilka River in Transbaikal. Dr. Alexander Popov and staff of Far Eastern Federal University were our gracious hosts when we visited Vladivostok in March 2015. In addition to granting access to the Primorye samples analyzed in this study, he arranged for his staff to take us on a driving tour of Russkiy Island to visit several of the sites examined in this project. Visiting these locations was an incredibly meaningful experience and very deeply appreciated. From ordering supplies, to helping me with ethics clearance, to knowing precisely which specimens and artifacts to recommend for lab activities, to gentle reminders about overdue paperwork, to many vi excellent afternoon conversations, I sincerely appreciate the support and general good humour of Department of Anthropology staff. My heartfelt appreciation goes to Heather Cook, Gayeung Doan, Harvey Friebe, Shirley Harpham, Andrea Hiob, Pamela Mayne Correia, and Ruby Sutton. I was fortunate to have access to the equipment and expertise of Dr. Mingsha Ma and Alvin Kwan of the University of Alberta Biogeochemical Analytical Services Laboratory. They provided excellent service and support in the processing of my samples. Additionally, Dr. Hugh McKenzie of Grant MacEwan University granted access to fourteen human bone specimens from Boisman II and Pospelovo I. The data obtained from these samples were vital to the study, and I am thankful I had the opportunity to analyze them. What would a rite of passage be without amazing friends with whom to share it? To Stephanie Brown, Dr. Megan Caldwell, Aaron Coons, Dr. Victoria van der Haas, Dr. Emily Hull, Kate Latham, Dr. Ligang Zhou, Dr. Jennifer Miller, Dr. Ben Osipov, Dyan Semple, Dr. Daniel Sims, Dr. Hillary Sparkes, Ruth Urlacher, Dr. Katie Waterhouse, and Christopher White, thank you for all the memories and your years of camaraderie, commiseration, and support. I am excited to see where our paths will cross again. To Jessica Aubé, Ed Hunt, and Amy Zacharias, I can’t tell you how much levity and light the three of you have brought to my life. Thank you. (Jess: I finally have Chapter 5 finished if you’d like to read it.) I was the fortunate recipient of several awards during my time as a doctoral candidate at the University of Alberta. The Department of Anthropology generously provided four years of funding, which covered the cost of international tuition, and I also received a Graduate Students’ Association Academic Travel Award, a Department of Anthropology Doctoral Completion Award, a Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research Bursary, and the University of Alberta Graduate International Bursary. These awards made pursuit of my education possible—thank you! vii Table of Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research questions ....................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Organization of dissertation ......................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Definitions and conventions ......................................................................................................... 4 2 Stable Isotope Ecology, Key Concepts, and Methods ........................................................................ 7 2.1 Applications of stable isotope ecology to archaeological questions ............................................ 7 2.2 Isotopes ......................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2.1 Values and notation .............................................................................................................. 10 2.2.2 Mass spectrometry ................................................................................................................ 11 2.3 Stable carbon isotope fractionation ........................................................................................... 12 2.3.1 Carbon isotopes in plants ....................................................................................................... 12 2.3.2 Carbon isotopes in terrestrial environments ......................................................................... 16 2.3.3 Carbon isotopes in marine and freshwater environments .................................................... 17 2.3.4 Carbon isotopes in skeletal tissues........................................................................................