Tracing the mobility of a Late Epigravettian (~ 13 ka) male infant from Grotte di Pradis (Northeastern Italian Prealps) at high-temporal resolution

We present the results of a multi-disciplinary investigation on a deciduous human tooth (Pradis 1), recently recovered from the Epigravettian layers of the Grotte di Pradis archaeological site (Northeastern Italian Prealps). Pradis 1 is an exfoliated deciduous molar (Rdm2), lost during life by an 11—12-year-old child. A direct radiocarbon date provided an age of 13,088—12,897 cal BP (95% probability, IntCal20). Amelogenin peptides extracted from tooth enamel and analysed through LC¿MS/MS indicate that Pradis 1 likely belonged to a male. Time-resolved 87Sr/86Sr analyses by laser ablation mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS), combined with dental histology, were able to resolve his movements during the first year of life (i.e. the enamel mineralization interval). Specifically, the Sr isotope ratio of the tooth enamel differs from the local baseline value, suggesting that the child likely spent his first year of life far from Grotte di Pradis. Sr isotopes are also suggestive of a cyclical/seasonal mobility pattern exploited by the Epigravettian human group. The exploitation of Grotte di Pradis on a seasonal, i.e. summer, basis is also indicated by the faunal spectra. Indeed, the nearly 100% occurrence of marmot remains in the entire archaeozoological collection indicates the use of Pradis as a specialized marmot hunting or butchering site. This work represents the first direct assessment of sub-annual movements observed in an Epigravettian hunter-gatherer group from Northern Italy.
The authors are grateful to Municipal Administration of Clauzetto, Pradis Cave Museum and the Superintendence for Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Friuli Venezia Giulia for granting permission to study the tooth. This project was funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Grant Agreement no. 724046–SUCCESS awarded to S.B.; www.erc-success.eu and Grant Agreement no. 803147–RESOLUTION awarded to S.T.; https://site.unibo.it/resolution-erc/en) and by the MIUR FARE programme 2018 (FARE Ricerca in Italia: Framework per l'attrazione e il rafforzamento delle eccellenze—SAPIENS project to S.B.). A.N. is supported by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship (grant number H2020-MSCA-IF-2018-842812-WEAN IT). E.Ba. is supported by EQUIPEX ASTER-CEREGE and ANR MARCARA and thanks Y. Fagault and T. Tuna for technical support. The Frankfurt Isotope & Element Research Center (FIERCE) is financially supported by the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; INST 161/921-1 Forschungsgroßgeräte and INST 161/923-1 Forschungsgroßgeräte), which is gratefully acknowledged. This is FIERCE contribution No. 91. We acknowledge Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste for providing access to its laboratory facilities and the TomoLab staff for technical support. The authors deeply thank prof. Anna Cipriani for the use of geochemical facilities at UNIMORE (https://www.geochem.unimore.it/). Dr. Filippo Genovese is thanked for the help during LC-MS analyses. The ‘Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Modena’ is acknowledged for funding the UHPLC-ESI-Q Exactive system at the Centro Interdipartimentale Grandi Strumenti (CIGS), UNIMORE. Two anonymous reviewers are acknowledged for their constructive comments on our manuscript.