Role of stable isotope analyses in reconstructing past life-histories and the provenancing human skeletal remains: a review

Abstract

This article reviews the present scenario of use of stable isotopes (mainly δ13C, δ 15 N, δ 18 O, 87 Sr) to trace past life behaviours like breast feeding and weaning practices, the geographic origin, migration history, paleodiet and subsistence patterns of past populations from the chemical signatures of isotopes imprinted in human skeletal remains. This approach is based on the state that food-web isotopic signatures are seen in the human bones and teeth and such signatures can change parallely with a variety of biogeochemical processes. By measuring δ 13 C and δ 15N isotopic values of subadult tissues of different ages, the level of breast milk ingestion at particular ages and the components of the complementary foods can be assessed. Strontium and oxygen isotopic analyses have been used for determining the geographic origins and reconstructing the way of life of past populations as these isotopes can map the isotopic outline of the area from where the person acquired water and food during initial lifetime. The isotopic values of strontium and oxygen values are considered specific to geographical areas and serve as reliable chemical signatures of migration history of past human populations (local or non-local to the site). Previous isotopic studies show that the subsistence patterns of the past human populations underwent extensive changes from nomadic to complete agricultural dependence strategies. The carbon and nitrogen isotopic values of local fauna of any archaeological site can be used to elucidate the prominence of freshwater resources in the diet of the past human populations found near the site. More extensive research covering isotopic descriptions of various prehistoric, historic and modern populations is needed to explore the role of stable isotope analysis for provenancing human skeletal remains and assessing human migration patterns/routes, geographic origins, paleodiet and subsistence practices of past populations.

The Mediterranean archive of isotopic data, a dataset to explore lifeways from the Neolithic to the Iron Age

“…The application of isotope analysis to archaeological remains has been crucial in observing how past communities dealt with social and economic changes throughout time 15 – 19 . Later prehistory, in particular, incorporates several key transformations that influenced humans both on a local and a broader scale: from the rise of farming economies in the Neolithic and the development of metalworking in the Copper Age to the increasing social stratification of the Bronze Age and the local fragmentation of societies in the Iron Age.…”

Reconstructing Hominin Diets with Stable Isotope Analysis of Amino Acids: New Perspectives and Future Directions

“…Bulk δ 13 C and δ 15 N analysis of ecological and archeological proteinaceous tissues has long served as an important avenue for exploring the diets and life histories of hominins (Sehrawat and Kaur 2017 ). However, issues of equifinality, influences of environmental variation, and a general coarseness of interpretation have demanded new biomarkers for discerning variation in resource use, the consumption of different macronutrients, and interorganism relationships on local, regional, and even global scales.…”

Spatial ecology of moose in Sweden: Combined Sr-O-C isotope analyses of bone and antler

“…Indeed, geochemistry has long been used for provenance and environmental studies, with applications ranging from food science to ecology, forensics and archaeology [19][20][21][22][23]. It is now well established that mobility and nutritional patterns are recorded in the geochemical signature of human and animal skeletal tissues [24][25][26]. To date, numerous applications of strontium ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr), oxygen (δ 18 O) and carbon (δ 13 C) isotope analyses have reconstructed dietary habits, migration events, residential patterns, animal management, exchange of goods and raw materials in archaeological contexts [27][28][29][30].…”