scholarly journals Correction to: Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Variability of Bone Collagen to Determine the Number of Isotopically Distinct Specimens

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corrie Hyland ◽  
Michael B. Scott ◽  
Jennifer Routledge ◽  
Paul Szpak
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen

The Stable- and Radio-Isotope Chemistry of Western Basketmaker Burials: Implications for Early Puebloan Diets and Origins

2007 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Brenner Coltrain ◽  
Joel C. Janetski ◽  
Shawn W. Carlyle
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
American Southwest ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Large Collection ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Maize Agriculture ◽  
Great House ◽  
Four Corners

The timing and degree of reliance on maize agriculture in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest has been a central issue in studies that examine the origins of Puebloan society. Both diffusionist (various, but see Wills 1995) and migrationist (Berry and Berry 1986; Matson 1991) models have been proposed to explain the processes responsible for the movement of maize (Zea mays) north into the Four Corners region. This paper reports bone collagen stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values with paired accelerator radiocarbon dates on a large collection of human remains from western Basketmaker II/III sites in Marsh Pass and other areas of northeastern Arizona, as well as data on a small number of Puebloan remains including Chacoan Great House burials. The results make clear that Basketmaker II people were heavily dependent on maize by 400 B.C. Moreover, their degree of dependence is similar to that of Pueblo II and III farmers of the Four Corners region. These findings and the apparent rapidity of maize dependence support a migrationist model for the origins of maize farming in the northern Southwest.

scholarly journals Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Variability of Bone Collagen to Determine the Number of Isotopically Distinct Specimens

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corrie Hyland ◽  
Michael B. Scott ◽  
Jennifer Routledge ◽  
Paul Szpak
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Isotopic Variation ◽  
Faunal Assemblages ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Multiple Samples

AbstractArchaeological and palaeontological excavations frequently produce large quantities of highly fragmentary bone. These bones can help to answer questions regarding past environments and human and animal lifeways via a number of analytical techniques but this potential is limited by the inability to distinguish individual animals and generate sufficiently large samples. Using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of bone collagen (δ13C, δ15N), we present a metric to identify the number of isotopically distinct specimens (NIDS) from highly fragmented faunal assemblages. We quantified the amount of intra-individual isotopic variation by generating isotopic data from multiple elements from individual animals representing a wide variety of taxa as well as multiple samples from the same skeletal element. The mean intra-individual variation (inter-bone) was 0.52‰ (σ = 0.45) (Euclidean distance between two points in isotopic bivariate space), while the mean intra-bone variation was 0.63‰ (σ = 0.06). Using archaeological data consisting of large numbers of individual taxa from single sites, the mean inter-individual isotopic variation was 1.45‰ (σ = 1.15). We suggest the use of 1.50‰ in bivariate (δ13C, δ15N) space as a metric to distinguish NIDS. Blind tests of modelled archaeological datasets of different size and isotopic variability resulted in a rate of misclassification (two or more elements from the same individual being classified as coming from different individuals) of < 5%.

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