Regional Variability in Stable Isotope Food-Web Baselines and Sex-Based Differences in Diet: An Example from Early Agriculturists in Southeastern Utah
Author(s): Michael D. Lewis; Joan Coltrain; R. E. Burrillo
Year: 2017
Summary
This paper provides an isotope-ecology context for Cedar Mesa, Utah by presenting isotope data on over 400 modern botanical and archaeo-faunal specimens from the area. While carbon data fit with regional expectations, nitrogen isotope ratios throughout the Cedar Mesa food-web show depletion in 15N relative to other ecosystems in the intermountain west--consistent with nitrogen inputs from cyptobiotic soil crusts. In light of this localized isotope baseline, we reassess previously published isotope studies of Basketmaker II (BMII) burials by comparing modeled whole-diet isotope ratios with the feasible diet polygon (e.g. convex hull) defined by local resources. Implications for translating sex-based differences in BMII bone chemistry into engendered subsistence strategies are also discussed.
Cite this Record
Regional Variability in Stable Isotope Food-Web Baselines and Sex-Based Differences in Diet: An Example from Early Agriculturists in Southeastern Utah. Michael D. Lewis, Joan Coltrain, R. E. Burrillo. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2017 ( tDAR id: 428933)
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Keywords
General
Basketmaker
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Diet
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Isotope Ecology
Geographic Keywords
North America - Southwest
Spatial Coverage
min long: -115.532; min lat: 30.676 ; max long: -102.349; max lat: 42.033 ;
Record Identifiers
Abstract Id(s): 16371