Multiproxy Reconstruction of Human Diet in the Northern Great Basin: Coprolite Research at the Paisley Caves

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Human coprolites from archaeological contexts can provide valuable information about human health, dietary practices, and land-use patterns. Traditional coprolites studies have focused on identifying animal macrofossils and plant macrofossils and microfossils, but more recent research has shown the utility of biomolecular research (e.g., lipids, aDNA) for providing important additional information in multi-proxy studies of human diet and health. Because there are so many important constituents in coprolites it is important to establish best practice guidelines for the multi-proxy analysis of these remains. This poster describes recent methodological studies using coprolites from the Paisley Caves, south-central Oregon. The Paisley Caves have produced a large assemblage of human and non-human coprolites from terminal Pleistocene through late Holocene contexts, offering an important resource for a diachronic study of human occupation and subsistence in the region. These coprolites also provide a valuable resource for establishing best practice methods for coprolite analysis. This research is part of a broader project investigating site formation processes and human occupation of the caves using biogeochemical, plant micro- and macrofossil, and sediment micromorphological analyses.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25983