Lead Isotope Analysis of Human Bone for Addressing Cultural Affinity: a Case Study from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta

The Use of Strontium Isotope Analysis to Investigate Tiwanaku Migration and Mortuary Ritual in Bolivia and Peru

“…Since the strontium present in soil and groundwater is incorporated into the plants and animals of the region, the strontium isotopic composition of an individual's diet will be reflected in her or his hard tissue (Ericson 1985;Sealy et al 1991Sealy et al , 1995Price et al 1994;Carlson 1996). Because its chemical behaviour and atomic radius are similar to that of calcium, strontium commonly substitutes for calcium in the crystalline lattice of hydroxyapatite in teeth and bone (Likins et al 1960;Schroeder et al 1972;Nelson et al 1986).…”

“…Tooth enamel, on the other hand, forms during early childhood but is considered dead tissue because it is not penetrated by any organic structures (Steele and Bramblett 1988). Tooth enamel will not recrystallize or absorb elements from the environment after it has formed (Hillson 1986), and this ensures that tooth enamel will reflect the strontium content and isotopic composition of the environment in which a person lived while the tooth was being formed (Ericson 1985;Sealy et al 1991Sealy et al , 1995Price et al 1994;Carlson 1996).…”

Insights into immigration and social class at Machu Picchu, Peru based on oxygen, strontium, and lead isotopic analysis

“…Isotope analyses provide useful tools in assessing mobility in ancient skeletal populations, using individuals as the units of analysis within an ecological and geological context, both in the Andes (Andrushko et al, in press;Hewitt et al, 2008;Knudson and Price, 2007;Knudson et al, 2004;Slovak, 2007;Verano and DeNiro, 1993) and elsewhere (Bentley and Knipper, 2005;Carlson, 1996;Chiaradia et al, 2003;Evans et al, 2006a,b;Montgomery et al, 2003;Price et al, 1994;Valentine et al, 2008;White et al, 2004White et al, , 2002White et al, , 1998.…”

Continuity or colonization in Anglo‐Saxon England? Isotope evidence for mobility, subsistence practice, and status at West Heslerton

“…The application assumes that the skeletal remains of indigenous populations will contain an isotope composition that is typical of the surface geology, and hence geographic area, in which they dwell (Beard and Johnson, 2000;Ericson, 1985). Anthropogenic lead contamination renders lead more difficult to analyze and interpret (Montgomery, 2002), and it has been infrequently used (but see Carlson, 1996;Molleson et al, 1986). Strontium, however, has been extensively applied to studies of human and hominid bone and tooth enamel (e.g., Ericson, 1985;Ezzo et al, 1997;Grupe et al, 1997;Price et al, 1994aPrice et al, ,b, 2000Price et al, , 2001Sillen et al, 1998).…”