An isotopic generation: four decades of stable isotope analysis in African archaeology

Abstract

The application of stable isotope analysis in African archaeology has a long and distinguished pedigree. Many new developments were inspired by questions in the archaeology of the continent, helped considerably by the availability of African landscapes as natural laboratories for providing the essential underpinning of isotope ecology systematics. Stable isotopes are now regularly built into multi-disciplinary archaeological projects spanning the very long temporal and geographical span of human history on the African continent. On the fiftieth anniversary of Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa we evaluate these endeavours -the achievements, problems, constraints and potential of stable isotopic research in African archaeology. We begin with a discussion of the continent's role in developing understandings of stable carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and strontium isotope systematics, as used to interpret change in the archaeological record. We discuss the application of these principles within several areas of archaeological research, drawing on case studies in the Late Pleistocene/Holocene human hunter-gatherers, early food producers, complex societies of the African Iron Age and the individual life histories of the African slave trade. There is clearly much potential for further application in African archaeology.

Origin and Health Status of First-Generation Africans from Early Colonial Mexico

“…Without any additional contextual information or isotopic data from fauna, it remains challenging to determine the exact nature of their individual diets. Distinguishing these sources has been a consistent problem in African archaeology, where significant C 4 ecosystems coexist in proximity to the coast [35,36].…”

“…Despite the long history of stable isotope research in African archaeology, there is a significant inequality in the application of these studies across the regions of Africa [36]. While South and East Africa have been well covered, other regions, especially West Africa, remain relatively unexplored [36].…”

Isotopic evidence for dietary diversity at the mediaeval Islamic necropolis of Can Fonoll (10th to 13th centuries CE), Ibiza, Spain

“…Few stable isotope studies of northern African groups subsisting largely on C4 resources have been undertaken -see Loftus et al (2016) for a review. Analyses of historic farming populations from Kenya, known to have predominantly consumed a mix of C4 and C3 cereals in varying proportions, had δ 13 C values ranging from -18.0‰ to -7.3‰, while two individuals from west Kenya, who subsisted exclusively on C4 resources, had δ 13 C values of -6.7‰ and -6.3‰ (Ambrose and DeNiro 1986)…”

Sampling and Pretreatment of Tooth Enamel Carbonate for Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Analysis

“…Stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of tooth enamel carbonate has been used to study past human dietary intake, weaning, and mobility, as well as faunal reliance on vegetation, the movement of animals, and livestock foddering. These applications have been comprehensively discussed and reviewed for a variety of environmental conditions indicating the effects of local aridity, temperature, water sources, and vegetation compositions 1,2,3,4,5,6 . The diversity of potential applications in archaeology and paleontology, as well as the good preservation of tooth enamel carbonate, has made it an attractive material for stable isotope work 3 .…”

“…Methods of sampling, pretreatment, and diagenesis screening are briefly described in a number of previous publications 1,7 . However, thorough verbal and visual demonstrations remain largely unavailable, particularly to people outside of archaeological science laboratories and among laboratory groups with limited funding where the interest in the use of this technique is increasing 5 .…”