Social Complexity and Food Systems at Altun Ha, Belize: The Isotopic Evidence

Abstract

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Individual dietary patterns during childhood: an archaeological application of a stable isotope microsampling method for tooth dentin

“…The speed of this decline gives an indication of the speed and timing of the weaning process. In some studies, the d 13 C decline is more rapid than that seen for d 15 N, leading some authors to suggest that d 13 C is more sensitive to the introduction of weaning foods (Dupras et al, 2001;Fuller et al, 2006a;Richards et al, 2003;White et al, 2001). The child's weaned diet is often as interesting as the weaning pattern as it may reflect the diet of the adults in the population or be child specific.…”

Trophic level and macronutrient shift effects associated with the weaning process in the postclassic Maya

“…Ten of the 15 children are enriched in 13 C by at least 1.0% relative to the female mean; this corresponds to the 1.0% trophic level effect reported by others (Dupras et al, 2001;Richards et al, 2002;White et al, 2001 (Fig. 4C, Table 2).…”

“…Also, there is generally an enrichment of 1% in the stable carbon-isotope ratio between trophic levels (DeNiro and Epstein, 1978). However, this does not appear to be consistent between breastfeeding infants and adults (Lovell et al, 1986;Wright and Schwarcz, 1998; but see Dupras et al, 2001;Richards et al, 2002;White et al, 2001) and may not be a reliable indicator for age of weaning.…”

“…Additionally, breast-feeding is related to fertility; frequent nursing can prevent the return of ovulation, thereby increasing birth spacing (Kennedy et al, 1989;McNeilly et al, 1994). In both modern and archaeological populations, infant feeding practices and diet provide important information about fertility, population growth, infant health, mortality, and morbidity.The nitrogen isotopic analysis of human bone collagen has been used to investigate weaning in archaeological populations since the method was first introduced by Fogel et al (1989; e.g., Dupras et al, 2001;Herring et al, 1998;Katzenberg et al, 1996;Katzenberg and Pfeiffer, 1995;Schurr, 1997Schurr, , 1998White et al, 2001). There is a stepwise enrichment in 15 N between trophic levels (Minagawa and Wada, 1984;Schoeninger and DeNiro, 1984), which can be used to determine an individual's position in the foodweb.…”

Zooarchaeology in Complex Societies: Political Economy, Status, and Ideology

“…A related topic is the role of female labor in processing and cooking food (Bray 2003b;Kirch and O'Day 2003;Leach 2003;Montón Subías 2002). Corroborating data from multiple sources, particularly stable carbon isotopes, will increase our understanding of female consumption habits and status (e.g., Ambrose et al 2003;Sandness 1992;White et al 2001a). …”