A strontium isoscape for the Conchucos region of highland Peru and its application to Andean archaeology

Abstract

Strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human skeletal remains is an important method in archaeology to examine past human mobility and landscape use. 87Sr/86Sr signatures of a given location are largely determined by the underlying bedrock, and these geology specific isotope signatures are incorporated into skeletal tissue through food and water, often permitting the differentiation of local and non-local individuals in past human populations. This study presents the results of a systematic survey of modern flora and fauna (n = 100) from 14 locations to map the bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr signatures of the Conchucos region, an area where the extent of geologic variability was previously unknown. We illustrate the necessity to examine the variation in 87Sr/86Sr values of the different geological formations available to human land use to document the range of possible local 87Sr/86Sr values. Within the Conchucos region we found significant variation in environmental 87Sr/86Sr values (0.7078–0.7214). The resulting isoscape represents the largest regionally specific bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr map (3,840 km2) to date for the Andes, and will serve as a baseline for future archaeological studies of human mobility in this part of the Peruvian highlands.

Diet During the Late Initial Period (1100–800 BC) in the Chavín Heartland: New Data from Canchas Uckro (North-Central Peru)

“…This conclusion is supported by strontium isotope analysis of teeth (n = 4) from 4 different deer recovered from the excavations at Canchas Uckro. The strontium values (Supplemental Table S7) of these deer match closely with the bioavailable strontium in the area immediately surrounding Canchas Uckro (Washburn et al 2021). Supporting evidence for the importance of hunting includes the high number of chipped stone and ground slate projectile points (n = 18) that were recovered from Canchas Uckro (Supplemental Figure S9).…”

A strontium isoscape of Italy for provenance studies

“…Hobson et al, 2010;Muhlfeld et al, 2012;Song et al, 2014;Chesson et al, 2018;Colleter et al, 2021;Lazzerini et al, 2021). So far, national isoscapes have been produced for several European and extra-European countries, employing and testing several different methods for the spatial interpolation, including machine learning (Montgomery et al, 2006;Evans et al, 2010;Frei and Frei, 2011;Bataille and Bowen, 2012;Pestle et al, 2013;Hartman and Richards, 2014;Copeland et al, 2016;Kootker et al, 2016;Laffoon et al, 2017;Bataille et al, 2018;Hedman et al, 2018;Willmes et al, 2018;Adams et al, 2019;Ladegaard-Pedersen et al, 2020;Scaffidi and Knudson, 2020;Snoeck et al, 2020;Wang and Tang, 2020;Frank et al, 2021;Funck et al, 2021;Washburn et al, 2021;Zieliński et al, 2021).…”

Insights into the genetic histories and lifeways of Machu Picchu’s occupants

“…Isotopic methods on their own are limited for determining the ancestral regions from where these individuals might have originated. For example, high degrees of Sr-isotopic variability and the absence of regional and pan-regional isoscapes limit inferences ( 29 ). After reviewing all of the available evidence, Inca specialist D’Altroy ( 2 ) concluded that the people of the estate complex at Machu Picchu were largely from areas to the south of Cusco, but he hesitated to be more specific.…”