Stable isotope analysis of a pre‐Hispanic Andean community: Reconstructing pre‐Wari and Wari era diets in the hinterland of the Wari empire, Peru

Tung, Tiffiny A.; Knudson, Kelly J.

doi:10.1002/ajpa.23339

Cited by 31 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Haeberli (2000) describes a period of artistic unity influenced by Nasca religious themes, but leveraging local forms, which he termed “Siguas 3,” from around 200–750 CE. Evidence is mounting that local mortuary traditions remained linked to Nasca ideology well into the eighth century (Lozada et al, ; Scaffidi, ), even as highland‐produced artifacts and local emulations of highland Wari styles were increasingly used in mortuary and communal spaces (Huamán López, ; Jennings, ; Lozada et al, ; Tung, ; Tung & Knudson, ; Yépez Álvarez, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reid recently located a Wari enclave and waystations in the upper Majes Valley (Reid, ), situated along travel routes linking the upper and lower Majes with key Wari‐era sites from Ayacucho to Moquegua (independently corroborated by Reid, ; Scaffidi, ; Williams, ). Wari influence and the attendant alteration of trade alliances also likely reconfigured local peoples’ access to resources (e.g., obsidian and marine resources, among others) (Tung, ), though perhaps not agricultural resources (Tung & Knudson, ). Thus, it appears that Wari influence was differentially distributed in the valley, thereby reshaping political alliances (Tung, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Endemic violence in a pre‐Hispanic Andean community: A bioarchaeological study of cranial trauma from the Majes Valley, Peru

Scaffidi

Tung

2020

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: This study examines violence-related cranial trauma frequencies and wound characteristics in the pre-Hispanic cemetery of Uraca in the lower Majes Valley, Arequipa, Peru, dating to the pre-and early-Wari periods . Cranial wounds are compared between status and sex-based subgroups to understand how violence shaped, and was shaped by, these aspects of identity, and to reconstruct the social contexts of violence carried out by and against Uracans. Materials and Methods: Presence, location, and characteristics (lethality, penetration, and post-traumatic sequelae) of antemortem and perimortem cranial fractures are documented for 145 crania and compared between subgroups. Cranial wounds are mapped in ArcGIS and the locational distribution of injuries is compared between male and female crania.Results: Middle adult males were disproportionately interred at Uraca, particularly in the elite Sector I. The Uraca mortuary population presents the highest rate of cranial trauma reported for pre-Hispanic Peru: 67% of adults present trauma, and among those, 61.1% present more than one cranial injury. Males exhibit significantly more cranial trauma than females and present a higher mean number of injuries per person.Elite males show the highest mean number of injuries per person, more antemortem injuries, and are the only ones with perimortem cranial trauma, bladed injuries, penetrating injuries, and post-traumatic sequelae. Both sexes were most frequently injured on the anterior of the cranium, while the proportion of posterior injuries was higher for females.Discussion: The rate, intensity, and locational patterns of cranial trauma suggests the community was engaged in raids and/or war with enemy groups, some of which may have increased physical violence between community members. Engaging in violence was likely a prerequisite for burial in the elite sector and was bound up with the generation and maintenance of social status differences linked to male social life.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Endemic violence in a pre‐Hispanic Andean community: A bioarchaeological study of cranial trauma from the Majes Valley, Peru

Scaffidi

Tung

2020

American J Phys Anthropol

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“…3). While there are other C 4 plants in the Andes (e.g., amaranth) that exhibit δ 13 C values similar to maize (69,70), botanical data (33,71) support the interpretation that maize was the primary C 4 plant food eaten at Paredones (33, 71). nitrogen isotope values from dentin collagen from Huaca Prieta and Paredones, each demonstrating a significant relationship between carbon and nitrogen values (respectively: P = 0.0003, R 2 = 0.71; P = 0.033, R 2 = 0.72).…”

Section: Effects Of Dietary Practices On Economies and Lifestyles)mentioning

confidence: 85%

Early specialized maritime and maize economies on the north coast of Peru

Tung

Dillehay

Feranec

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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We assess diet and economies of middle Holocene (∼7,500 to 4,000 calibrated [cal] B.P.) humans at coexisting mound sites (Huaca Prieta and Paredones) in north coastal Peru and document regular consumption of maize by ∼6,500 to 6,000 cal B.P. and its earliest use as a staple food in this area of the Andes between 5,000 and 4,500 cal B.P. Stable isotope data from enamel carbonates and dentin collagen (childhood diet) and dental microwear texture analysis (adult diet) demonstrate dietary and economic specialization. Previous studies revealed maize and mixed-food refuse at both sites, but this study documents actual food consumption, showing that these communities situated a few hundred meters apart had significantly distinct diets in childhood and adulthood. Huaca Prieta focused on marine resources, although there are some contributions from terrestrial meat. Paredones individuals primarily consumed maize during childhood (up to 70% of the juvenile diet), as shown by δ13C values, apatite-collagen spacing, and discriminant analysis of δ13Ccoll, δ13Ccarb, and δ15N values. Maize was likely used as a weaning food (e.g., gruel and/orchicha—a maize beverage), hinting at the significant role of breastfeeding mothers, weanling infants, and children in the development of maize as a staple crop. Additionally, dental microwear data show Paredones adult diets are high in abrasives, potentially from maize processing. The distinct foodways at these neighboring sites result from and also reflect their social and political distinctions. These differences in food production, distribution, and consumption generated opportunities for exchange, an interaction that bound them together in mutual benefit.

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“…Applications to past human cultures, particularly those that highlight changing diets and migration, can provide important insights into past cultural thresholds, such as changing religious practices, political regimes, or technological advance that resulted in altered subsistence patterns (Kosiba et al, 2007;Ventresca Miller et al, 2014;Alexander et al, 2019;Cheung et al, 2019). Dietary reconstruction of human populations can identify the incorporation (or lack thereof) of marine resources in the diet (typically requiring a consistent level of consumption over a sustained period) (Goude et al, 2017;McConnan Borstad et al, 2018;Tung and Knudson, 2018). Stable isotopic analysis is increasingly being applied to zooarchaeological remains providing a unique window into the past which can be used to compare to modern ecological studies (Pilaar Birch, 2013).…”

Section: Stable Isotopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting Baselines to Thresholds: Reframing Exploitation in the Marine Environment

2021

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Current research on anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems often relies on the concept of a “baseline,” which aims to describe ecosystems prior to human contact. Recent research is increasingly showing that humans have been involved in marine ecosystems for much longer than previously understood. We propose a theoretical framework oriented around a system of “thresholds” referring to system-wide changes in human culture, ecosystem dynamics, and molecular evolution. The concept of the threshold allows conceptual space to account for the fluid nature of ecosystems throughout time while providing a critical framework for understanding drivers of ecosystem change. We highlight practical research approaches for exploring thresholds in the past and provide key insights for future adaptation to a changing world. To ensure ecological and societal goals for the future are met, it is critical that research efforts are contextualized into a framework that incorporates human society as integral to ecology and evolution.

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Stable isotope analysis of a pre‐Hispanic Andean community: Reconstructing pre‐Wari and Wari era diets in the hinterland of the Wari empire, Peru

Cited by 31 publications

References 95 publications

Endemic violence in a pre‐Hispanic Andean community: A bioarchaeological study of cranial trauma from the Majes Valley, Peru

Endemic violence in a pre‐Hispanic Andean community: A bioarchaeological study of cranial trauma from the Majes Valley, Peru

Early specialized maritime and maize economies on the north coast of Peru

Shifting Baselines to Thresholds: Reframing Exploitation in the Marine Environment

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