Stable Isotope Analysis of Human and Animal Remains from Trent’s Plantation, Barbados, 17th through 19th Centuries

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Zooarchaeology and Technology: Case Studies and Applications" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Geochemical studies of stable isotopes on archaeological skeletal material offer information on human and animal diet, mobility and migration, exchange, and climate. Here, we apply stable isotope studies to human and animal remains recovered from archaeological excavations at Trent’s Plantation in Barbados. Trent’s Plantation was one of the earliest sugar estates on the island of the Barbados, and operated from the 17th through 19th centuries. The faunal materials recovered include primarily domestic mammals, birds, mollusks and land crab. Analysis also identified two human teeth from enslaved laborer occupation deposits. In this paper, we present the results of stable isotope (δ18O, δ13C, δ15N, 87Sr/86Sr)) analysis of bone collagen, apatite, and tooth enamel from the small sample of human teeth, and from a cross-section of the mammals identified at the site, including pig, sheep/goat and dog. These analyses provide insight into the geographical origins and diets of the two individuals who lived and labored as enslaved people on the site. In addition, isotopic study of the faunal remains offer baseline data to compare with the human samples, and convey information regarding animal diet, economic exchange, species biogeography and climate.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Zooarchaeology and Technology: Case Studies and Applications   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24042