Stable isotope chemistry, population histories and Late Prehistoric subsistence change in the Aleutian Islands

Byers, David; Yesner, David R.; Broughton, Jack M.; Coltrain, Joan Brenner

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2010.09.005

Cited by 35 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…4). These results are significant in terms of (28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36), from modern interior Alaska (in this study), and bone collagen from USR fauna (in this study), and other ancient salmon in Alaska (23,(37)(38)(39). AB, aquatic bird (red square); FF, freshwater fish (blue square); SA, salmon (pink square); TA, terrestrial animals (green square).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Chemical profiling of ancient hearths reveals recurrent salmon use in Ice Age Beringia

Choy

Potter

McKinney

et al. 2016

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

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Current approaches to reconstruct subsistence and dietary trends in ancient hunter-gatherer societies include stable isotope analyses, but these have focused on human remains, cooking pottery, and food residues, which are relatively rare in the archaeological record. In contrast, short-term hearths are more ubiquitous worldwide, and these features can provide valuable evidence for ancient subsistence practices, particularly when faunal remains are not preserved. To test the suitability of hearths for this purpose, we conducted multiple chemical analyses: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of total organic matter (expressed as δ 13 C and δ 15 N values) and compound-specific carbon isotope analyses of individual fatty acids (δ 13 C 16:0 and δ 13 C 18:0 ) from 17 well-preserved hearths present in three occupations dating between ∼13,200-11,500 calibrated years B.P. at the Upward Sun River (USR) site in central Alaska. We combined δ 15 N and δ 13 C FA data in a Bayesian mixing model (stable isotope analysis in R) with concentration dependency to each hearth. Our model values were tested against faunal indices, indicating a strong positive relationship between marine proportional contributions to each hearth and salmon abundance. Results of the models show substantial anadromous salmon use in multiple USR components, indicating recurrent use of the site for salmon processing during the terminal Pleistocene. Our results demonstrate that salmonid and freshwater resources were more important for late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers than previously thought and highlight the potential of chemical profiling of hearth organic residues for providing greater geographic and temporal insights into resource use by prepottery societies. stable isotopes | hearths | organic residue analysis | GC-combustion-IRMS | Beringia

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Chemical profiling of ancient hearths reveals recurrent salmon use in Ice Age Beringia

Choy

Potter

McKinney

et al. 2016

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

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“…This can also be useful in comparing data here to other Thule-era studies in Canada and the Aleutians (see Section 4.3), where such approaches are common (e.g. Coltrain, 2009;Byers et al, 2011). The IsoSource model examines combinations of potential source inputs from different prey types in order to identify possible contributions from each source to the human diet.…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is of course not likely to reflect whole dietary composition: while starchy plant foods (and thus carbohydrate) are likely to have been scarce in the region, dietary fat content was probably high (as with contemporary traditional Arctic diets) and very high protein diets are unsustainable (Speth and Spielmann, 1983;Cordain et al, 2000). Summary mean isotopic values for a range of taxa types/ groups (Table 3) were determined from site faunal isotope data (Britton et al, 2013;McManus-Fry, 2015;McManus-Fry et al, 2016 [this volume]), with marine fish (near-shore and open water species) and additional salmonid values being contributed from another archaeological (Aleutian) study (Byers et al, 2011). All mean food source δ 15 N values were adjusted by + 3‰ (Coltrain, 2009: 770) and by + 1‰ for δ 13 C (Byers et al, 2011) to account for trophic level enrichment.…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Summary mean isotopic values for a range of taxa types/ groups (Table 3) were determined from site faunal isotope data (Britton et al, 2013;McManus-Fry, 2015;McManus-Fry et al, 2016 [this volume]), with marine fish (near-shore and open water species) and additional salmonid values being contributed from another archaeological (Aleutian) study (Byers et al, 2011). All mean food source δ 15 N values were adjusted by + 3‰ (Coltrain, 2009: 770) and by + 1‰ for δ 13 C (Byers et al, 2011) to account for trophic level enrichment. In order for animal bone collagen isotopic values and human isotope data to be directly comparable, the predicted mean bone collagen human value was used in the mixing model (see above).…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, few archaeological isotope studies have been undertaken in Alaska (e.g. Coltrain, 2010a;Byers et al, 2011), with only a single pilot study on a small number of archaeological samples in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region (Britton et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stable carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotope analysis of permafrost preserved human hair from rescue excavations (2009, 2010) at the precontact site of Nunalleq, Alaska

Britton

McManus-Fry

Nehlich

et al. 2018

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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Maritime adaptations and dietary variation in prehistoric Western Alaska: Stable isotope analysis of permafrost‐preserved human hair

Britton

Knecht

Nehlich

et al. 2013

American J Phys Anthropol

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The reconstruction of diet and subsistence strategies is integral in understanding early human colonizations and cultural adaptations, especially in the Arctic-one of the last areas of North America to be permanently inhabited. However, evidence for early subsistence practices in Western Alaska varies, particularly with regards to the emergence, importance, and intensity of sea mammal hunting. Here, we present stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data from permafrost-preserved human hair from two new prehistoric sites in Western Alaska, providing a direct measure of diet. The isotope evidence indicates a heavy reliance on sea mammal protein among the earlier Norton-period group (1,750 ± 40 cal BP), confirming that the complex hunting technologies required to intensively exploit these animals were most likely already in place in this region by at least the beginning of 1st millennium AD. In contrast, analysis of the more recent Thule-period hair samples (650 ± 40 cal BP; 570 ± 30 cal BP) reveals a more mixed diet, including terrestrial animal protein. Sequential isotope analysis of two longer human hair locks indicates seasonal differences in diet in a single Norton-period individual but demonstrates little dietary variation in a Thule-period individual. These analyses provide direct evidence for dietary differences among Alaska's early Eskimo groups and confirm the antiquity of specialized sea mammal hunting and procurement technologies. The results of this study have implications for our understanding of human adaptation to maritime and high-latitude environments, and the geographical and temporal complexity in early Arctic subsistence.

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Stable isotope chemistry, population histories and Late Prehistoric subsistence change in the Aleutian Islands

Cited by 35 publications

References 37 publications

Chemical profiling of ancient hearths reveals recurrent salmon use in Ice Age Beringia

Chemical profiling of ancient hearths reveals recurrent salmon use in Ice Age Beringia

Stable carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotope analysis of permafrost preserved human hair from rescue excavations (2009, 2010) at the precontact site of Nunalleq, Alaska

Maritime adaptations and dietary variation in prehistoric Western Alaska: Stable isotope analysis of permafrost‐preserved human hair

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