Bioarchaeology, Barbados, Eastern Caribbean: Isotopic Analyses of Teeth and Bone from Human Remains

Summary

Bioarchaeological studies have grown in sophistication and are now helping test assumptions about island garden agriculture (palm, cassava and/or maize) and the relative contributions of marine proteins. Bone and teeth samples from five sites on Barbados were processed by Center for Applied Isotopic Studies, University of Georgia and data are reported for δ13Cco, δ13Cca, δ15Nco, and δ18Oap. Stable isotope ratios, adjusted ratios, and apatite-collagen spacing correspond with results from elsewhere in the Lesser Antilles. After adjustment, all of the δ15N bone and teeth samples are within the food web range for marine protein resources. Adjusted values for samples from Heywoods, Chancery Lane, Goddard, and Light & Power sites are indicative of a mollusc diet. A Shell Oil site sample has a value indicating terrestrial resources (fauna or C3 plants). Shell Oil and Goddard site samples δ18Oap values suggest use of brackish coastal springs. The δ18Oap values for Chancery Lane, Heywoods, and Light & Power match values expected for springs originating from upland coral terraces on Barbados, or might indicate off-island origins.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

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