Exploring Human Subsistence Strategies and Environmental Change through Stable Isotopes in the Dry Puna of Argentina

Abstract

This article explores the feeding and territorial behaviour of the wild camelids – guanacos and vicuñas – consumed by the inhabitants of the Dry Puna during the Early and Mid‐Holocene, as a way to deal with the strategies for resource exploitation employed by these human groups. We present 38 stable isotope values (δ13C and δ15N) generated from bone collagen extracted from the faunal remains obtained from the Hornillos 2 archaeological site (Susques, Jujuy Province, Argentina). These bone assemblages were recovered from nine layers that comprise human occupations corresponding to both periods (from 9710 to 6130 years bp). These data will be discussed considering ecological and ethological information about wild camelids, especially regarding territorial behaviour and dietary selectiveness of vicuñas and guanacos that currently inhabit the Puna. Finally, the trends and patterns identified in these isotopic evidences will be analysed in the light of the environmental and cultural changes that took place during the mentioned chronological span. Our results show no significant differences between camelid species, implying that δ13C and δ15N values of bone collagen constitute a poor taxonomical indicator, dismissing the possibility to identify the early incidence of human intervention in animal diet as an initial step to deal with the problem of domestication. In chronological terms, the δ15N results from Early and Mid‐Holocene show certain differences that can be linked to the preponderance of arid conditions during the latter. This underscores the usefulness of this line of evidence when evaluating environmental changes. On the other hand, the δ13C values show no substantial differences, meaning that carbon isotopic composition of bone collagen in mixed C3–C4 systems is not a reliable paleoenvironmental proxy. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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

“…Stable isotope analyses of carbon and nitrogen in archaeological human remains have become a well-established method for inferring paleodiet, with a growing number of paleodietary applications in the Andes (see recent examples by Knudson et al 2015;Pestle et al 2016;Samec et al 2014;Santana-Sagredo et al 2015;Somerville et al 2015;Szpak et al 2014;Turner 2015;Webb et al 2015). Briefly, stable isotope ratios of 13 C to 12 C, expressed as δ 13 C, distinguish between plants with different photosynthetic pathways (Chisholm et al 1982;DeNiro and Epstein 1978;Schoeninger and DeNiro 1984;Walker and DeNiro 1986).…”

Estrategias de caza y pastoreo de camélidos entre las sociedades agropastoriles (ca. siglos IV a.C. - XVI d.C.) del oeste tinogasteño (Catamarca, Argentina). Una aproximación desde los isótopos estables

“…Respecto del conjunto más temprano de Palo Blanco (PB-B1-cE/F), se optó por incluirlo en el primer bloque temporal, que fue extendido entonces hasta el siglo IV a.C. En relación con el conjunto PB-B1-cA/B, si bien no posee fechados radiométricos, asumimos que, por el contexto de recuperación y la posición estratigráfica, corresponde a la ocupación de la aldea durante la segunda mitad del primer milenio de la era (Miyano, 2018). siguientes condiciones: ser huesos con tejido denso, presentar buen estado de conservación, no encontrarse termoalterados (Yacobaccio et al, 2010;Samec et al, 2014) y estar asignados osteométricamente a alguno de los dos grupos de tamaño de camélidos: pequeño (vicuña) o grande (llama, llama-guanaco). Así, la muestra se conforma de 21 especímenes asignados a vicuña, 16 a llamaguanaco y 11 a llama 2 (Tabla 2).…”

Evidencias isotópicas y radiocarbónicas de paleodieta y movilidad en una inhumación del período Formativo temprano (ca. 2400 cal aP) en la Puna de Atacama (norte de Chile)

“…Los valores isotópicos de carbono y nitrógeno de ambos individuos fueron comparados con los valores disponibles para la flora (Díaz et al 2016) y fauna moderna del norte de Chile (Tieszen y Chapman 1992), además de valores de fauna arqueológica (camélidos) del área atacameña (López et al 2017) y del Noroeste Argentino (Samec et al 2014; Figura 3; Texto Suplementario 1). Los valores de δ 13 C indican una dieta terrestre, debido a que se encuentran bajos en relación con la composición isotópica de carbono de todos los recursos marinos.…”