Stable Isotope Dietary Analysis on Human Remains: A case Study at Khirbet Aqabet Al Qadi Burial Chamber, Nablus, Palestine

ABSTRACTIn 2016, a burial chamber hewn into limestone was discovered at Khirbet Aqabet Al Qadi on the northwestern slope of Mount Ebal, 2km north of the city center of Nablus. The floor of the chamber is 3.15 × 2.9 m and the height averages 1.8 m. A movable closure at the entrance consists of a limestone slab. The burial chamber houses four sarcophagi. The aim of this case study is to give information not only on the burial chamber but also, for the first time in the region, on human remains. Stable isotope analysis of a human bone sample enabled us to obtain dietary information on one individual. Due to low collagen content, the sample did not allow precise dating but it can be placed between 50 BC and 50 AD. Systematic illegal excavation and looting at funerary sites in the Nablus area has caused material for potential information to be missing at the site. Nonetheless, the dietary information obtained supports other material finds indicating Mediterranean agricultural use of the land. Our evidence demonstrates that the site dates to between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD.

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Analysis of the Context and Contents of an Ulua-Style Marble Vase from the Palmarejo Valley, Honduras

Latin American Antiquity ◽

10.7183/1045-6635.25.1.82 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 82-100 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E. Christian Wells ◽

Karla L. Davis-Salazar ◽

José E. Moreno-Cortes ◽

Glenn S. L. Stuart ◽

Anna C. Novotny

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Human Remains ◽

Classic Period ◽

Late Classic ◽

Residential Group ◽

Holistic Understanding ◽

Political Economic

Ulúa-style marble vases played important social, political, economic, and religious roles in southern Mesoamerica during the seventh through eleventh centuries A.D. However, most such vessels known to archaeologists are part of looted collections or else were unearthed before the advent of modern archaeological practices. As a result, little is known about the context, use, and chronology of these objects. Recent investigations at the site of Palos Blancos in northwest Honduras discovered an Ulúa-style marble vase in an undisturbed mortuary context. Excavation of the burial context, along with bioarchaeological and stable isotope analysis of the human remains, suggests that the vase was placed as an offering, possibly to an ancestor of the residential group. Phosphate and pollen studies indicate that the vase once held a corn-based beverage . Radiocarbon dating of four charcoal samples from immediately below and adjacent to the vase yielded a range of dates from the beginning of the Late Classic period, ca.A.D. 600-800. Through analyses of the context and contents of the vase, this research contributes to a more holistic understanding of the use and meaning of Ulúa-style marble vases in southern Mesoamerica.

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