Sustainable research in archaeological science: Examples from high-and low resolution biogeochemical studies of archaeological shell

Summary

Advances in archaeological sciences demonstrated the (almost) unlimited potential to apply new methods and techniques to existing and under-utilized archaeological collections. Developing programs of research using innovative and multi-disciplinary approaches to the analysis of material cultural, hard tissues, sediments and organic remains are critical to move the discipline of archaeological sciences forward. More critical, is the balance between technical skills one learns to become an ‘archaeometrist’ while still being rooted in contemporary anthropological theory. This paper discusses the results shell biogeochemical data, specifically oxygen and carbon isotopes and micro-growth patterns from sites across Canada British Columbia, Ontario and Newfoundland, revealing patterns of trade, seasonality, and landscape use over the past 6000 years. By combining low- and high-resolution studies on hard-tissues, such as shell, bone and teeth from existing collections, archaeologists can build sustainable archaeometric research programs to develop new environmental proxies and interpret past cultural, historical and natural environments.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Foundations for Innovation: The Legacies and Influences of Archaeological Science at McMaster

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14757