Applying sterols and bile acids as biomarkers for identifying human versus wild animals' faecal traces in cave sediments at archaeological sites
Abstract Faecal biomarkers are used to trace and identify the source of faecal matter at various types of archaeological sites. Until now, the focus has been centred on humans and domesticated animals. However, in caves, it's wild animals that play a role in the deposition of organic matter. To assess the participation of animals and humans at such sites through molecular markers it is crucial to recognize their biomolecular signature. We developed a database of faecal profiles of 14 species of modern wildlife animals and assessed common ratios for recognizing the source of faecal matter. We proposed an improved framework and applied it to a set of test samples from cave sites. Our research shows that faecal biomarker analysis in caves is indeed feasible.
Authors
- Piotr Chibowski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0962-6600)
- Karol Szymczak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2735-3247)
- Natalia Gryczewska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2299-8943)
- Marcin Sulwiński (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9248-4513)
- Małgorzata Suska‐Malawska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5400-9508)
- Andrea Pereswiet‐Soltan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2083-0648)
- Maciej T. Krajcarz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1240-0664)
- Małgorzata Kot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5277-0283)
- Marcin Zegarek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3590-2146)
Institutions
- Mammal Research Institute (PL)
- Instytut Nauk Geologicznych (PL)
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals (PL)
- University of Warsaw (PL)
- Polish Academy of Sciences (PL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Archaeometry
- Published
- 2025-03-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.13067
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 12.99
Funders
- Narodowe Centrum Nauki