Multi-isotopic Investigation of Late Pleistocene Human Diet from the Site of Taforalt, Morocco

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Paleolithic to Neolithic transition generally denotes a dietary change from hunting, gathering, and fishing to agriculture. However, due to the limited number of Pleistocene sites that have yielded preserved human remains, our knowledge of the diets of pre-agriculturist human populations is still limited. Previously published isotopic studies have mainly focused on European sites where the environmental conditions allowed collagen preservation. The unique site of Taforalt in Morocco, associated with the Iberomaurusian culture, has yielded what is known as the largest and oldest cemeteries in North Africa, dating to the Late Pleistocene period (15,100–13,900 years BP). Evidence of intense plant use, early sedentarism, and a high prevalence of tooth caries and disease linked with a newly adopted mode of subsistence was found at Taforalt. Here, we conduct a detailed investigation of the subsistence strategies of this population through a multi-isotope study on bone collagen and dental enamel from humans and animals using traditional bulk collagen δ13C and δ15N, δ13C and δ15N of amino acids, 87/86Sr and nontraditional δ66Zn isotopes of hydroxyapatite. These results reveal new information and a much clearer picture of the dietary practices of Late Pleistocene humans in North Africa.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37367.0