Stable Oxygen Isotope Sourcing of Archaeological Fauna From Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

Hamilton, Marian; Drake, Lee; Wills, W. H.; Jones, Emily Lena; Conrad, Cyler; Crown, Patricia L.

doi:10.1017/aaq.2017.61

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Without local baseline information and, in the case of herbivores in particular, without information on the sources of δ 18 O, it is difficult to understand exactly how δ 18 O fractionates in an ecosystem (Hamilton et al ., 2018). For alpine species such as ibex, differentiating climate and environmental influences from dietary influences on δ 18 O is particularly difficult.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neanderthal palaeoecology in the late Middle Palaeolithic of western Iberia: a stable isotope analysis of ungulate teeth from Lapa do Picareiro (Portugal)

Carvalho

Jones

Ellis

et al. 2021

J Quaternary Science

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Adaptation to Late Pleistocene climate change is an oft‐cited potential contributor to Neanderthal disappearance in Eurasia. Accordingly, research on Neanderthal behaviour – including subsistence strategies, mobility, lithic technology, raw material procurement and demography – often focuses on linking changes observable in the archaeological record to specific phases of climate and environmental change. However, these correspondences are often tenuous because palaeoclimatic and archaeological records are rarely available on the same scale. In Iberia, a critical location for understanding the demise of Neanderthals, some research indicates that Neanderthal populations were unable to recover from environmental degradations known as Heinrich Events, while other studies suggest that enclaves of Neanderthal populations survived for several millennia longer in refugial zones. Here, we present a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction study using analysis of δ13C and δ18O of herbivore tooth enamel recovered from two Mousterian deposits at Lapa do Picareiro, a site located in Portuguese Estremadura. We then use these data, combined with other site‐based palaeoenvironmental indicators, to assess whether central Portugal acted as a refugium during periods of unfavourable climate, and to test whether Neanderthals in Portuguese Estremadura reorganised their mobility strategies after severe climate episodes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neanderthal palaeoecology in the late Middle Palaeolithic of western Iberia: a stable isotope analysis of ungulate teeth from Lapa do Picareiro (Portugal)

Carvalho

Jones

Ellis

et al. 2021

J Quaternary Science

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“…Oew values, bulk δ 18 Obioapatite values themselves are usually insufficient to infer specific provenance in most areas (e.g. Hamilton et al, 2018;Pietsch et al, 2011).…”

Section: Animal Origin and Animal Products: Exchange Transport Tradementioning

confidence: 99%

Oxygen isotopes in bioarchaeology: Principles and applications, challenges and opportunities

Pederzani

Britton

2019

Earth-Science Reviews

180

161

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Oxygen isotope analyses of skeletal remains (18 O/ 16 O, δ 18 O) are a powerful tool for exploring major themes in bioarchaeology (the study of biological archaeological remains) and can aid in the reconstruction of past human-environment interactions, socio-cultural decisions and individual life histories. Making use of the preserved animal and human tooth and bone commonly found at archaeological sites, applications include the reconstruction of palaeoclimate and palaeoseasonality; animal husbandry and management practices; human and animal lifetime mobility and provenance; and cultural practices such as breastfeeding, weaning and even past culinary preparation techniques. With a range of other uses across the natural, physical, chemical and biological sciences, oxygen isotope analyses are also highly cross-disciplinary, with developments in the field of isotope bioarchaeology potentially feeding into other fields and vice-versa. The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the biogeochemical background of oxygen isotope systematics from the water cycle to human and animal skeletal tissues for archaeologists and other scientists, and to explore how these have been utilised in terrestrial bioarchaeological research. In this way, we aim to provide an overview resource for stable isotope analysts in archaeology and the wider earth science community, as well as for archaeological practitioners and consumers interested in specific applications. By providing a summary of fundamental isotope mechanics alongside a review of recent developments in the field, we hope to highlight the potential of oxygen isotope bioarchaeology to not only reveal environmental and ecological aspects of the past relevant to human groups using archaeological materials, but also to illuminate past human decisions and behaviours. Current limitations and caveats of the approaches used are also explored.

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“…δ 18 O Background. Accurate interpretation of archaeological δ 18 O relies on contextualization with modern and ancient climate data (e.g., Hamilton et al 2018). δ 18 O of environmental water is influenced by a suite of factors, including temperature, altitude, rainfall amount, aridity, seasonal precipitation patterns, and distance from the coast (Cerling et al 2010).…”

Section: Isotope Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Lehi Horse: Implications for Early Historic Horse Cultures of the North American West

Taylor

Hart

Jones³

et al. 2021

Am. Antiq.

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Although recognized as one of the most significant cultural transformations in North America, the reintroduction of the horse to the continent after AD 1492 has been rarely addressed by archaeological science. A key contributing factor behind this limited study is the apparent absence of equine skeletal remains from early historic archaeological contexts. Here, we present a multidisciplinary analysis of a horse skeleton recovered in Lehi, Utah, originally attributed to the Pleistocene. Reanalysis of stratigraphic context and radiocarbon dating indicates a historic age for this horse (cal AD 1681–1939), linking it with Ute or other Indigenous groups, whereas osteological features demonstrate its use for mounted horseback riding—perhaps with a nonframe saddle. DNA analysis indicates that the animal was a female domestic horse, which was likely cared for as part of a breeding herd despite outliving its usefulness in transport. Finally, sequentially sampled stable carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope values from tooth enamel (δ13C, δ18O, and 87Sr/86Sr) suggest that the horse was raised locally. These results show the utility of archaeological science as applied to horse remains in understanding Indigenous horse pastoralism, whereas consideration of the broader archaeological record suggests a pattern of misidentification of horse bones from early historic contexts.

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Stable Oxygen Isotope Sourcing of Archaeological Fauna From Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

Cited by 12 publications

References 47 publications

Neanderthal palaeoecology in the late Middle Palaeolithic of western Iberia: a stable isotope analysis of ungulate teeth from Lapa do Picareiro (Portugal)

Neanderthal palaeoecology in the late Middle Palaeolithic of western Iberia: a stable isotope analysis of ungulate teeth from Lapa do Picareiro (Portugal)

Oxygen isotopes in bioarchaeology: Principles and applications, challenges and opportunities

Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Lehi Horse: Implications for Early Historic Horse Cultures of the North American West

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