Human mobility on the Brazilian coast: an analysis of strontium isotopes in archaeological human remains from Forte Marechal Luz Sambaqui

Abstract

This study investigated strontium isotopes in the dental enamel of 32 human skeletons from Forte Marechal Luz sambaqui (shellmound), Santa Catarina, Brazil, aiming at identifying local and non-local individuals. The archeological site presents pot sherds in the uppermost archeological layers. Dental enamel was also examined from specimens of terrestrial fauna 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.71046 to 0.71273 and marine fauna 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.70917 . The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotope ratio for individuals classified as locals ranged from 0.70905 to 0.71064 and was closer to the isotope ratio of the seawater than to the ratio of the terrestrial fauna, indicating a strong influence of marine strontium on the inhabitants of this sambaqui. The results indicate the existence of three non-local individuals 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.70761 to 0.70835 , buried in both the level without pottery and the layer with pottery, possibly originated from the Santa Catarina Plateau, close to the municipality of Lages, or from the Curitiba Plateau. The occurrence of a slight difference between the isotope ratios of local individuals buried in the archeological layer without pottery, when compared to those in the layer with pottery, suggests a possible change in dietary patterns between these two moments in the site's occupation.

Long-Term Resilience of Late Holocene Coastal Subsistence System in Southeastern South America

“…Interestingly, some individuals at Jab-II have an unusually high intake of C3 terrestrial proteins, denoting some degree of population variability on the coast. Although the lack of significant isotopic differences between sexes and age is consistent with pervasive food sharing among these populations, the intra-population δ 13 C and δ 15 N variability at Jab-II may point to the presence of non-local individuals, as observed in other preceramic coastal populations [18], perhaps assimilated into the group through post-marital residential practices [83]; however isotopic variability may also be associated to food restrictions among members of the community [84].…”

“…While there is some evidence for consumption of new cultigens like maize by Taquara/Itararé groups [7] and increased consumption of terrestrial resources [18], marine fauna continue to be found at high abundance [19]. Similarly, while pottery is often assumed to be associated with the processing of new produced and foraged foods, with parallels in the southern Brazilian Highlands [16], there is no direct evidence of what it was used for.…”

Pensando sobre mobilidade, dieta e mudança cultural: análises isotópicas no sítio Armação do Sul, Florianópolis/SC

“…assim, a estrutura de Braudel segue aqui como pano de fundo; pano de fundo para a ação, que pode ser encontrada na teoria da prática de Bourdieu (1967Bourdieu ( , 1977Bourdieu ( , 1989 Já para a contextualização local e regional dos resultados, foram realizadas comparações com dados provenientes de estudos em diferentes sítios do litoral catarinense (Bastos et al 2011(Bastos et al , 2014(Bastos et al , 2015Colonese et al 2014;De Masi 2001. Vale destacar que a análise multidimensional dos dados só se fez possível devido a essa comparação com outros estudos e, sobretudo, devido à realização de datações individualizadas de diversos sepultamentos do sítio armação do sul.…”

O que sabemos dos grupos construtores de sambaquis? Breve revisão da arqueologia da costa sudeste do Brasil, dos primeiros sambaquis até a chegada da cerâmica Jê

“…As análises isotópicas realizadas por Bastos (2009) e Bastos et al (2011) em indivíduos sepultados nos níveis pré-cerâmicos e cerâmicos do sambaqui Forte Marechal Luz (Ilha de São Francisco do Sul, SC) indicaram predomínio de indivíduos autóctones em ambos os níveis. Do conjunto de 32 indivíduos analisados, unicamente três não eram locais e provêm do interior, dois estavam enterrados no nível cerâmico do sambaqui, e um no nível pré--cerâmico.…”