Journal article
Deciphering late Quaternary land snail shell δ18O and δ13C from Franchthi Cave (Argolid, Greece)
AC Colonese, G Zanchetta, C Perlès, RN Drysdale, G Manganelli, I Baneschi, E Dotsika, H Valladas
Quaternary Research United States | CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS | Published : 2013
Abstract
This paper investigates the stable isotopic composition from late Pleistocene-Holocene (~13 to ~10.5calka BP) shells of the land snail Helix figulina, from Franchthi Cave (Greece). It explores the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental implications of the isotope palaeoecology of archaeological shells at the time of human occupation of the cave. Modern shells from around the cave were also analysed and their isotopic signatures compared with those of the archaeological shells. The carbon isotope composition of modern shells depicts the consumption of C3 vegetation. Shell oxygen isotopic values are consistent with other Mediterranean snail shells from coastal areas. Combining empirical linear..
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Funding Acknowledgements
We gladly acknowledge a grant from the INSTAP who allowed A.C. Colonese and C. Perles to work on the Franchthi shell ornaments and led to the present project, as well as a grant from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-06-Blan-0273). The authors are grateful to George Karavokiros (Hydrological Observatory of Athens, Greece) for kindly providing meteorological data. We thank Kimberlee Sparks (Cornell Stable Isotope Laboratory, USA) for the analytical support for the stable isotope measurements; Angel Alvarez Larena, Javier Martinez (Servei de Difraccio de Raigs X, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain) and Ester Verdun (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain) for the X-ray analyses and laboratory assistance. The authors would like to thank Gianluca Marino (Institut de Ciencia i Tecnologia Ambientals, Spain), Hugh A. L Henry (University of Western Ontario, Canada), Ioannis Matiatos (National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece) and Panayiota Kotsakiozi (National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece) for exchanges of information and productive discussions. Thanks also to the editors Derek Booth and David Fink, and to Yurena Yanes and one anonymous referee for their comments and suggestions that have contributed to improve this research paper.