Journal
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 1-12Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/20548923.2020.1868132
Keywords
Stable isotope analysis; parchment; skin
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Funding
- NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility [EK259-14/15]
- ERC [295729-CodeX]
- AHRC White Rose College of Arts & Humanities Doctoral Training Partnership [1489527]
- Danish National Research Foundation [DNRF128]
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This study examines the impact of structural and chemical modifications during parchment production on the delta C-13 and delta N-15 values in skin, providing insights for isotopic analysis of parchment in paleodietary and paleoenvironmental studies for the historic period. Additionally, it establishes the acceptable C:N ratios in deamidated collagenous tissues.
Parchment is one of the most abundant resources in archives across the world and is a unique time-sensitive material through which centuries of livestock economies, trade and craft can be explored. We examine the impact of structural and chemical modifications during production to delta C-13 and delta N-15 values in the skin, particularly the removal of cutaneous keratins and lipids and the conversion of amide functional groups into carboxyl groups via alkaline hydrolysis. Through the manufacture of 51 parchment skins (sheep, goat, calf and pig) using both historic and modern manufacturing techniques, we found production resulted in a small enrichment in C-13 (average +0.12 parts per thousand) and N-15 (+0.26 parts per thousand). Our results pave the way for the isotopic analysis of parchment in paleodietary and paleoenvironmental studies for the historic period and establish the acceptable C:N ratios in deamidated collagenous tissues.
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