Naslov
Filling in the blanks: the application of palaeoproteomics in faunal analysis

Autori
Vidas, Lia ; Silvestrini, Sara ; Romandini, Matteo ; Lugli, Federico ; Real Margalef, Cristina ; Radović, Siniša ; Janković, Ivor ; Benazzi, Stefano

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Book of abstracts / - , 2022, 47-48

Skup
10th Scientific Conference Methodology and Archaeometry

Mjesto i datum
Zagreb, Hrvatska, 01.12.2022. - 02.12.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
palaeoproteomics, faunaly analysis, ZooMS, Istria, Late Pleistocene

Sažetak
Faunal assemblages from archaeological contexts are often abundant in the form of highly fragmented osseous remains which can be a limiting factor for the purposes of standard archaezoological analysis. Therefore, the number of identified specimens (NISP), the minimum number of individuals (MNI), the minimum number of anatomical elements (MNE), age profiles etc. can be misrepresented. Because of this, efforts to further improve our knowledge of human—animal relationships in the past have been intensified in the last few decades. Apart from the already well- established ancient DNA analyses, in the past ten years, the use of palaeoproteomics in archaeology has been increasing. Proteomic studies range from exploring whole proteomes of a tissue or substrate (e.g., bone, enamel, shell) to detecting peptides to identify the taxon of the bone specimen. The latter can be achieved with Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS), a technique of peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF). ZooMS aims at discriminating tissue rich in collagen type I from a taxonomic point of view because the amino acid sequence of COL1 varies across different taxonomic groups. This method analyses collagen, a protein less prone to decay thanks to its high abundance in osseous tissues and its arrangement into a highly stable triple helix. ZooMS is a fast and cost- effective method that has been explored and improved rapidly in the past decade and is especially suitable for improving and complementing faunal analysis. Its effectiveness varies based on the taphonomic processes and the age of the sample itself but, generally, it has a significantly higher success rate than the DNA analysis. Here, we present the possibilities and limitations of proteomic studies in archaeology and preliminary results of the analysis conducted on Palaeolithic sites in Istria, Croatia as a part of the PREHISTRIA project (IP-2019-04-7821) and iNEAL Cost Action (CA-19141).

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Arheologija, Interdisciplinarne humanističke znanosti

POVEZANOST RADA