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Exploring Human Behavior Through Isotopic Analyses: Tools, Scales, and Questions

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Exploring Human Behavior Through Isotope Analysis

Part of the book series: Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology ((IDCA))

Abstract

Isotopic analyses have become an important tool in archaeological and bioarchaeological research. This chapter provides an overview of the application of both stable and radiogenic isotopic analyses to the reconstruction of past human behavior. We present an overview of the main isotope systems commonly used within this context, i.e. carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and strontium. We then provide a discussion of the most common tissues from which isotope ratios are obtained and highlight the importance of considering scales of analysis in research design and data interpretation. Finally, we present the general categories of social research questions for which isotopic studies have been particularly productive, such as studies of paleodiet and life-history, human-animal interactions, and human mobility and migration. Within these general categories, we discuss the individual contributions to the volume.

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Acknowledgements

This edited volume originally began as an organized session at the 78th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2013 (“Isotope Ecology and the Ring of Fire: Bioarchaeology in the Pacific” organized by Melanie Beasley and Andrew Somerville). We sincerely thank all of the contributing authors for their patience with the volume and for their excellent contributions. We particularly thank Margaret Schoeninger for her mentoring and for the example she has set for us. Additionally, we thank Springer Publishing for their patience and support, particularly Solomon George. We also thank Jelmer Eerkens for suggesting the idea and supporting the book project. Finally, we thank two anonymous reviewers and Corinna Most for comments on a previous version of this chapter.

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  1. Department of World Languages and Cultures, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Andrew D. Somerville

  2. Department of Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Melanie M. Beasley

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Melanie M. Beasley

  2. Department of World Languages and Cultures, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Andrew D. Somerville

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Somerville, A.D., Beasley, M.M. (2023). Exploring Human Behavior Through Isotopic Analyses: Tools, Scales, and Questions. In: Beasley, M.M., Somerville, A.D. (eds) Exploring Human Behavior Through Isotope Analysis. Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32268-6_2

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