New methods on the block: Taxonomic identification of archaeological bones in resin-embedded sediments through paleoproteomics

Abstract

The integration of biomolecular studies of past organisms with geoarchaeological studies can significantly improve our understanding of the relative chronology and context of archaeologically (in)visible behaviors. However, the complexity and sedimentological heterogeneity of archaeological deposits at a microscopic scale is often not taken into consideration in biomolecular studies. Here, we investigate the preservation and retrieval of paleoproteomic data from bone fragments embedded in Pleistocene resin-impregnated sediment blocks. We show that resin impregnation has minimal effect on skeletal protein taxonomic identifications in modern skeletal material but observe an increase in oxidation of methionines. We then successfully retrieve proteins from resin-impregnated blocks from the Paleolithic sites of Bacho Kiro Cave, La Ferrassie, and Quinçay. The taxonomic identifications of minute bones encased in resin are in line with previous analyses of the faunal communities of these sites, with a diversity of taxa (<i>Bos</i> sp./<i>Bison</i> sp., <i>Equus</i> sp., <i>Ursus</i> sp., and Caprinae) observed at a microscale in Bacho Kiro. This differs from results from La Ferrassie where most of the samples are identified as a single taxon (<i>Bos</i> sp./<i>Bison</i> sp.) across different areas of the site. The block from Quinçay only provided taxonomic identification of two out of eleven bone-derived samples, likely due to diagenesis. Our work indicates that paleoproteomes can be retrieved from bone fragments at a microstratigraphic resolution, enabling the detailed study of faunal community composition at a scale that more closely matches that of past human occupations.