Paleodiet in northern Chile through the Holocene: extremely heavy δ15N values in dental calculus suggest a guano-derived signature?

Consumption of animals beyond diet in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile (13,000–410BP): Comparing rock art motifs and archaeofaunal records

“…Another possibly influencing factor concerns the fact that artifacts made from animal remains, such as leather or bones, can mask eating, as their use as raw material or as ritual elements required the death of the animal whose meat could have also served as food. Despite this, our results are in line with bioanthropological studies of paleodiet which point to the importance of marine resources through all of the prehistoric intervals (Aufderheide and Allison, 1992;Aufderheide, 1993;Aufderheide et al, 1994;Aufderheide and Santoro, 1999;Moseley, 1974;Poulson et al, 2013;Roberts et al, 2013b).…”

Loco or no Loco? Holocene Climatic Fluctuations, Human Demography, and Community Based Management of Coastal Resources in Northern Chile

“…Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of human bones as well as other remains excavated at the Caleta Vitor archeological site show, as elsewhere along the Pacific coast of the Atacama Desert, that people maintained a marine diet that included shellfish, fish, sea birds, sea mammals, and seaweed since their arrival to the region (Petruzzelli et al, 2012;Poulson et al, 2013;Roberts et al, 2013;Pestle et al, 2015;Salazar et al, 2015;Bland et al, 2016;Standen et al, 2017). Ecofacts (or biofacts) found both in domestic and funerary contexts further support this assertion (Valenzuela et al, 2014).…”

Dental calculus is not equivalent to bone collagen for isotope analysis: a comparison between carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of bulk dental calculus, bone and dentine collagen from same individuals from the Medieval site of El Raval (Alicante, Spain)

“…Some researchers have attempted to use dental calculus as a source for carbon and nitrogen isotopes (Poulson et al, 2013;Scott and Poulson, 2012). These studies assume that carbon and nitrogen isotope values from bulk dental calculus can be interpreted in the same way as those from bone or dentine collagen.…”