Abstract:This study uses stable isotope analysis to identify the possible origin and taxon of unusually large worked bone artifacts recovered from the site of Chavín de Huántar in the central highland of Peru (3200-2200 BP). The site was traditionally considered to be an ideal trading point halfway between the Pacific coast and the Amazon jungle. The archaeological specimens were discovered in a workshop area located in the La Banda sector across from the main temple, and they were analyzed for the stable isotopes of c… Show more
“…However, owing to both the natural, and anthropogenic, distributions of C 3 and C 4 plants worldwide and at smaller spatial resolutions, δ 13 C isotope analyses of various human and animal tissues (teeth, bones, hair, feathers) are increasingly applied to provenance and mobility research in various fields of research ranging from wildlife ecology to forensics (e.g., Ehleringer et al 2015;Font et al 2015;Hobson et al 2012;Veen et al 2014). Additionally, owing to the existence of geographic variation in ancient foodways, δ 13 C isotope analyses are also increasingly applied to paleomobility studies in archeology, alone or more commonly in conjunction with other isotope data (e.g., Cook and Price 2015;Santana et al 2016;Sayre et al 2015;Schroeder et al 2009). In this study, we use δ 13 C data as a complement to these other isotope proxies, and as indicators of inter-and intra-taxa variation in dietary niches.…”
Archeological excavations of Amerindian sites on Dos Mosquises Island, Los Roques Archipelago, Venezuela, uncovered a wide range of evidence reflecting seasonal exploitation of local resources and multiple ritual depositions of large quantities of ceramic figurines, lithics, and faunal remains. Zooarchaeological analysis revealed the presence of modified and unmodified bones and teeth from numerous imported mammal species. Local geographic and environmental conditions preclude permanent establishment of terrestrial mammal populations and as such, there are no native mammalian taxa on the island itself or the surrounding oceanic archipelago. The presence of these faunal remains on Dos Mosquises can be attributed to the intentional movement of animal resources from the mainland to Los Roques by indigenous groups in the Late Ceramic Age (~AD 1200-1500). Despite attributions to a mainland source region, little else is known about the origins of these unique specimens. Here, we apply strontium (87 Sr/ 86 Sr), oxygen (δ 18 O), and carbon (δ 13 C) isotope analyses of tooth enamel from various archeologically recovered taxa including deer, peccary, tapir, ocelot, margay, opossum, fox, and weasel to investigate their geographic origins via comparisons with macro-regional models of precipitation δ 18 O and bioavailable 87 Sr/ 86 Sr. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr results are highly variable both for the overall assemblage and between specimens within the same taxa, indicating origins from different geochemical environments of mainland South America. The combined archeological and isotopic evidence are consistent with origins within the late pre-colonial Valencioid Sphere of Interaction which encompassed the Lake Valencia Basin, surrounding regions, and several offshore island groups including Los Roques archipelago.
“…However, owing to both the natural, and anthropogenic, distributions of C 3 and C 4 plants worldwide and at smaller spatial resolutions, δ 13 C isotope analyses of various human and animal tissues (teeth, bones, hair, feathers) are increasingly applied to provenance and mobility research in various fields of research ranging from wildlife ecology to forensics (e.g., Ehleringer et al 2015;Font et al 2015;Hobson et al 2012;Veen et al 2014). Additionally, owing to the existence of geographic variation in ancient foodways, δ 13 C isotope analyses are also increasingly applied to paleomobility studies in archeology, alone or more commonly in conjunction with other isotope data (e.g., Cook and Price 2015;Santana et al 2016;Sayre et al 2015;Schroeder et al 2009). In this study, we use δ 13 C data as a complement to these other isotope proxies, and as indicators of inter-and intra-taxa variation in dietary niches.…”
Archeological excavations of Amerindian sites on Dos Mosquises Island, Los Roques Archipelago, Venezuela, uncovered a wide range of evidence reflecting seasonal exploitation of local resources and multiple ritual depositions of large quantities of ceramic figurines, lithics, and faunal remains. Zooarchaeological analysis revealed the presence of modified and unmodified bones and teeth from numerous imported mammal species. Local geographic and environmental conditions preclude permanent establishment of terrestrial mammal populations and as such, there are no native mammalian taxa on the island itself or the surrounding oceanic archipelago. The presence of these faunal remains on Dos Mosquises can be attributed to the intentional movement of animal resources from the mainland to Los Roques by indigenous groups in the Late Ceramic Age (~AD 1200-1500). Despite attributions to a mainland source region, little else is known about the origins of these unique specimens. Here, we apply strontium (87 Sr/ 86 Sr), oxygen (δ 18 O), and carbon (δ 13 C) isotope analyses of tooth enamel from various archeologically recovered taxa including deer, peccary, tapir, ocelot, margay, opossum, fox, and weasel to investigate their geographic origins via comparisons with macro-regional models of precipitation δ 18 O and bioavailable 87 Sr/ 86 Sr. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr results are highly variable both for the overall assemblage and between specimens within the same taxa, indicating origins from different geochemical environments of mainland South America. The combined archeological and isotopic evidence are consistent with origins within the late pre-colonial Valencioid Sphere of Interaction which encompassed the Lake Valencia Basin, surrounding regions, and several offshore island groups including Los Roques archipelago.
“…Peru suggested a marine origin for the raw materials at a site at more than 3000 m above sea level (Sayre et al, 2016). This finding was supported by other archaeological evidence for intensive trade networks between the site and regions of the Pacific coast (Sayre et al, 2016).…”
Section: Animal Origin and Animal Products: Exchange Transport Tradementioning
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.
“…It is shown in Table 1, but was not included in the phase averages or in the calibration curves illustrated in Figures 3–5. Figure 4.Plot comparing the calibration probability distributions of the AMS measurements from Chavín de Huántar using samples from the 1975 excavations by Burger in the Chavín settlement to those on measurements in La Banda by Sayre and colleagues (2016) and in West Field by Contreras (2010) 1 .Figure 5.Plot comparing calibration probability distributions of new AMS measurements from Chavín de Huántar to those available from the Manchay culture complex of Mina Perdida, Lurín Valley.…”
Section: New Radiocarbon Results From the Chavín De Huántar Settlementmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Plot comparing the calibration probability distributions of the AMS measurements from Chavín de Huántar using samples from the 1975 excavations by Burger in the Chavín settlement to those on measurements in La Banda by Sayre and colleagues (2016) and in West Field by Contreras (2010) 1 .…”
Section: New Radiocarbon Results From the Chavín De Huántar Settlementmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Investigations on the east bank of the Mosna River have shown that the residential occupation of La Banda was associated with Janabarriu Phase pottery (Figure 2; Gamboa 2016; Sayre 2010). Sayre's work also revealed a Janabarriu Phase bone workshop that included the carving of Pacific mammal bone such as whale (Sayre et al 2016). Thus, the research in La Banda reinforces the conclusion that it was during the Janabarriu Phase that Chavín de Huántar achieved its maximum size.…”
This article proposes a new 14C chronology for the three-phase ceramic chronology from the settlement of Chavín de Huántar based on the AMS dating of collagen extracted from faunal remains recovered during my 1975 excavations. The chronometric estimates for the Chavín de Huántar ceramic chronology are as follows: Urabarriu Phase (950–800 cal BC), Chakinani Phase (800–700 cal BC), and Janabarriu Phase (700–400 cal BC). The new measurements confirm the sequence of the ceramic phases and indicate that the site was established around 950 cal BC and was abandoned by 400 cal BC. The results are consistent with the earlier hypothesis that the major developments at Chavín de Huántar largely postdate the Initial Period fluorescence of early coastal civilization during the second millennium BC, but they cast doubt on some current interpretations of the site's founding and cultural apogee.
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