Robert H. Tykot

Dieta en sociedades alfareras de Chile central: aporte de análisis de isótopos estables

espanolEste trabajo pretende contribuir al conocimiento de los sistemas de subsistencia y asentamiento de las poblaciones alfareras prehispanas de Chile central, sobre la base de analisis de isotopos estables de carbono, nitrogeno y oxigeno realizados en hueso y dientes humanos. Dicha tecnica no se habia aplicado anteriormente en esta region y, a diferencia de la informacion inferida de restos botanicos, faunisticos y artefactuales de sitios arqueologicos, asi como de patologias oseas y dentales, permitio reconocer y dimensionar lo que los individuos estudiados realmente consumieron. Los datos humanos fueron interpretados a la luz de las senales isotopicas de los recursos vegetales y faunisticos de Chile central que fueron analizados con la misma metodologia. Los principales aportes son: evidencia concreta de patrones alimentarios diferenciados segun grupo cultural; baja dependencia en los recursos marinos de casi todos los habitantes costeros; evidencia indirecta de patrones de movilidad costa-interior que muestran diferencias entre las poblaciones del periodo Alfarero Temprano y del Intermedio Tardio; aumento del consumo de maiz a lo largo de la secuencia temporal especialmente en la poblacion Aconcagua; diferencias de genero en el consumo de maiz entre esta misma poblacion, con mayor consumo entre individuos masculinos. Los resultados confirman algunas hipotesis previamente planteadas, como la diferencia en las dietas de poblaciones contemporaneas Bato y Llolleo del periodo Alfarero Temprano, cuestionan otras, como la dependencia de los habitantes costeros de los alimentos marinos y abren nuevas preguntas que deberan explorarse en futuras investigaciones EnglishThis is the first time that stable carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotope analyses of human bones and teeth have been used to reconstruct subsistence and settlement patterns of prehispanic ceramic societies from Central Chile. Isotope analyses, unlike the evidence from botanical, faunal and artifactual remains from archaeological sites, and from dental and skeletal pathologies, gave information of which resources were really eaten by each individual during the last years of their life. The human data were evaluated against isotopic values of marine and terrestrial resources from central Chile. These results were interpreted taking into consideration different lines of paleodiet evidence. The main contributions are: empirical evidence of dietary differences according to cultural groups; low dependence on marine foods for most people living on the coast; indirect evidence of mobility strategies that show differences between Early and Late Intermediate societies; increased dependence on maize with time, especially among the Aconcagua people; gender differences in maize consumption for the same Aconcagua groups, men showing the greatest levels of maize intake. The results support some hypotheses, such as the difference in dietary patterns between contemporary Bato and Lolleo groups, contradict others, such as the supposed importance of marine diet for coastal inhabitants, and open new research questions for the future

The Importance of Early Maize Agriculture in Coastal Ecuador: New Data from La Emerenciana

In order to get a qualitative estimate of the uranium content of the fossils, the Tabon frontal and the left mandibular fragment were measured by means of non-destructive gamma-ray spectrometry. The mass of the fossils and the relatively low uranium content (about 2 ppm) prevented any attempt at direct dating. However, the detection of a small amount of uranium allowed the use of alpha-ray spectrometry and the calculation of the Th/ U ratio by chemical separation of uranium and thorium isotopes. Such treatment classically includes (Bischoff et al. 1988) dissolution by HNO3 and H2O2, separation of uranium and thorium using anionic exchange resin, and extraction and deposition before spectrometric counting. A 0.47-g sample of nasal bone was used for this purpose and counted for a week. The sample proved to have a 0.142 0.016 Th/ U ratio. Its 2.88-ppm uranium content is quite consistent with the gamma-ray rough estimate, suggesting a homogeneous distribution of that element in the fossil. The Th/ Th ratio ( 1 100) shows that no detrital thorium entered the bone after its burial. Following the early-uranium-uptake hypothesis (Bischoff and Rosenbauer 1981), this ratio would imply an age of 16,500 2,000 b.p. for the fossil.

Isotopic Studies of Human Skeletal Remains from a Sixteenth to Seventeenth Century AD Churchyard in Campeche, Mexico: Diet, Place of Origin, and Age

In AD 2000, construction activities in the central plaza of the city of Campeche, Mexico, led to the discovery of an early colonial church and an associated burial ground dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries AD. During the subsequent rescue excavations, the remains of at least 180 individuals were unearthed from the churchyard. We have concluded a series of isotopic studies of these remains to obtain information on diet, status, place of origin, and date of burial. This work involves the application of both light and heavy isotope analyses to both tooth enamel and human bone. Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios were measured in tooth enamel and bone. Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were measured on bone collagen. Strontium and lead isotopes were measured in tooth enamel, and the ratios were compared to a large database for the Maya region. Radiocarbon dates were obtained for 10 of the skeletons to evaluate the date of burial and the period of use of the cemetery. The results of our study, interpreted jointly with mortuary information and conventional skeletal examination, provide detailed information on the overall burial population, a sort of collective life history of the deceased individuals. In the context of the historical background, new insights on living conditions, mobility, and diet of the founding generations in the colonial New World are obtained. A new and direct appreciation on life and death in an early multiethnic colonial Spanish town, including its historically invisible sectors—children, women, servants, and slaves—becomes possible.

New directions in central Mediterranean obsidian studies

Mediterranean obsidian-provenance studies are changing in direction and focus of modern research, with characterization of the Sardinian sources, application of minimally destructive and inexpensive analytical techniques, analysis of complete or large parts of assemblages, and the integration of provenance data with reduction technology and use-wear traces.

Diet and Animal Husbandry of the Preclassic Maya at Cuello, Belize: Isotopic and Zooarchaeological Evidence

The diet of the Preclassic Maya at Cuello, Belize was studied by means of carbon and nitrogen isotope measurements on human and animal bones from the site, as well as on modern animals from the region. The average δ13C value for Preclassic human bone collagen was −12.9±0.9‰ (n=28) and for tooth enamel apatite it was −8.7±2.3‰ (n=33); the average δ13N in bone collagen was 8.9±1.0‰ (n=23). The archaeological faunal remains, in order of frequency, include white-tailed deer, freshwater turtle and dog, plus smaller numbers of armadillo, Brocket deer, peccary, and rodent. All of these are C3 plant eaters (ave. δ13C=−20.8‰, n=19), except dog (−15.6‰, n=12) and armadillo (−16.4‰, n=6). Archaeological plant remains include maize (estimated carbon and nitrogen isotope values −10‰, ∔3‰) and a variety of forest species. Marine foods are barely represented in the archaeological deposits. The archaeological and isotopic evidence together indicate that the people at Cuello made substantial use of maize, but were not dependent on it like later Maya populations. C4 carbon made up ca. 30–35 percent of their bone and tooth enamel apatite and 50–55 percent of their bone collagen. This apparent discrepancy is the result of their eating dog and armadillo, both with substantial C4 components in their diets. The dogs were the size of large terriers, were slaughtered in their prime, and were apparently allowed to scavenge rather than being fed a high-maize diet to fatten them for the pot. The deer neither raided the cornfields nor were they intentionally fed maize. Feeding maize to deer and dogs are phenomena which were observed in historic times, but evidently developed after the Preclassic.

Long-Distance Obsidian Trade in Indonesia

Long-distance trade in obsidian from sources in the southwest Pacific has been well-documented for the Lapita culture complex, beginning about 1600 BC. Analyses of obsidian artifacts from recent excavations at Bukit Tengkorak in southeastern Sabah (Borneo, Malaysia) indicate the use of obsidian from multiple sources in Melanesia as early as the 5th millennium BC. The archaeological presence of obsidian, up to more than 3500 km from its source, is the surviving evidence of what was almost certainly the longest Neolithic trade route in the world. In addition, these results indicate that long-distance trade networks existed in Indonesia at least 2500 years prior to the Lapita culture, and strengthen hypotheses of its origins in southeast Asia.

El Maíz (Zea Mays) en el Mundo Prehispánico de Chile Central

Los restos de maiz en sitios arqueologicos de la region central de Chile son notablemente escasos. Para estudiar la introduccion y adopcion de este cultivo en las poblaciones prehispanicas se discutiran los resultados de analisis de isotopos estables de un conjunto de muestras humanas que abarcan desde las comunidades alfareras iniciales (300 a.C.–200 d.C.) hasta el contacto incaico (1450–1550 d.C.). Los isotopos estables de Carbono son sensibles para determinar la presencia y estimar abundancia de plantas C4, como el Zea mays, en dietas del pasado. Nuestros resultados permiten concluir que i) la adopcion del maiz es posterior al 200 d.C., ii) su consumo se hace regular entre los grupos Llolleo, iii) su uso aumenta significativamente en los grupos Aconcagua con un consumo diferencial por genero, y finalmente iv) la importancia del Zea mays decae inesperadamente durante el periodo de contacto incaico. En el Periodo Ceramico Temprano, los horticultores de maiz eran contemporaneos de y compartian el paisaje con cazadores recolectores y horticultores de quinoa, aun cuando cada grupo tenia sus propios habitos dietarios. Esta evidencia muestra un nuevo acercamiento a los sistemas sociales pero tambien dejan abiertas algunas preguntas, especialmente en lo que se refiere a la presencia inicial del maiz en la region.

Recovery and identification of mature enamel proteins in ancient teeth.

Proteins in mineralized tissues provide a window to the past, and dental enamel is peculiar in being highly resistant to diagenesis and providing information on a very narrow window of time, such as the developing period; however, to date, complete proteins have not been extracted successfully from ancient teeth. In this work we tested the ability of a whole-crown micro-etch technique to obtain enamel protein samples from mature enamel of recently extracted (n = 2) and ancient (n = 2; ad 800 to 1100) third molars. Samples were analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF/TOF) mass spectrometry, and the resulting spectra were searched against the Swiss-Prot protein database using the Mascot software for protein identification. In our protocol, the separation of proteins in gel is not necessary. Successful identification of specific enamel proteins was obtained after whole-crown superficial enamel etching with 10% HCl. Most protein fragments recovered from dry teeth and mummy teeth contained amino-terminal amelogenin peptides. Only one peptide specific for the amelogenin X-isoform was identified. In conclusion, the reported techniques allowed the successful recovery of proteins specific to dental enamel from samples obtained in a very conservative manner, which may also be important in forensic and/or archeological science.

The Importance of Maize in Initial Period and Early Horizon Peru

Cardal A late Initial Period complex site in the lower Lurin Valley with maize phytoliths recovered from a public center. Early Horizon First millennium BC period in Peru characterized by such complex sites as Chavin de Huantar. Mina Perdida The oldest of the Initial Period U-shaped centers in the lower Lurin Valley, with special packets of preserved hair found in a ritual context. Pacopampa A large late Initial Period–Early Horizon public center in the northern highlands with evidence for significant contact with Chavin de Huantar. Tablada de Lurin An extensive cemetery complex in the lower Lurin Valley dating to the final centuries of the early Horizon to the initial centuries of the Early Intermediate Period.

BONE CHEMISTRY AT CERRO OREJA: A STABLE ISOTOPE PERSPECTIVE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL ECONOMY IN THE MOCHE VALLEY, PERU DURING THE EARLY INTERMEDIATE PERIOD

In this paper we test the hypothesis that an intensification of maize production preceded the development of a regional Moche political economy in the Moche Valley of north coastal Peru during the Early Intermediate period (400 B.C.—A.D. 600). To do so we analyze stable isotopic signatures of 48 bone apatite and 17 tooth enamel samples from human remains recovered from the site of Cerro Oreja, a large urban and ceremonial center in the Moche Valley. These remains date to the Guanape, Salinar, or Gallinazo phases and provide a diachronic picture of subsistence before the appearance of the Southern Moche state. The most notable patterns identified in the study include a lack of significant change in δ 13 C apatite values from the Guanape to Satinar phases, followed by a significant enrichment in δ 13 C apatite values from the Salinar to Gallinazo phases. Several lines of evidence, including archaeological context, dental data, and comparative carbon stable isotope data from experimental animal studies and studies of archaeological human remains support the interpretation that the observed 13 C enrichment in stable isotope values in the Gallinazo phase primarily reflects maize intensification. The stable isotope data from Cerro Oreja thus suggest that a shift in subsistence toward a highly productive and storable crop may have served as an important precursor to state development during the Early Intermediate period in the Moche Valley.