Overview
- Discusses the application of stable isotope systems
- Includes case studies from the Americas and Oceania
- Highlights the utility of isotope ratios to reconstructing past human behavior
Part of the book series: Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology (IDCA)
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Table of contents (13 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Paleodiet and Life History
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Front Matter
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Human-Animal Interactions
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Front Matter
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Mobility of Humans
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Front Matter
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Future Directions
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Front Matter
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Keywords
- Advancements in stable isotope research
- Diet and health determinations through isotope analysis
- Human mobility and isotope ratios
- Isotopic reconstruction of human behavior
- Studying human behavior through isotopic analysis
- Understanding human-animal relations through isotope systems
- Use of strontium isotope analysis in island environments
- Utility of faunal bones in reconstructing paleoenvironments
About this book
This edited volume compiles a series of chapters written by experts of isotopic analysis in order to highlight the utility of various isotope systems in the reconstruction of past human behaviors. Rather than grouping contributions by specific isotopes or analytical techniques, as many isotope review articles are arranged, the volume organizes chapters by broadly defined themes of archaeological research. These include: paleodiet and life histories, human-animal interactions, and migration and mobility. In this sense, the book is arranged with the intent of being as much question based as method based.
Chapters under these themes provide background information on the principles of the techniques and on the theoretical underpinnings of the research; yet they are written with the non-specialist in mind and attempt to convey these ideas clearly and succinctly. In addition to the case studies and reviews, three chapters provide greater context to the field of isotopicarchaeology, discussing its history, basic principles, and future potential. The volume aims to serve as a reference source for students and practicing archaeologists seeking to apply isotopic studies to their own research projects or to act as a reader for courses in archaeological science.
Chapter 6 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
Editors and Affiliations
About the editors
Andrew D. Somerville received his MAand PhD in Anthropology at the University of California-San Diego. He spent a year in Mexico City as a UC MEXUS Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. His research focuses on the archaeology and ecology of the ancient Americas. He is the co-director of excavations for the Proyecto Hacienda Metepec at the ancient Mexican metropolis of Teotihuacan and is leading new research on the origins of agriculture in the Tehuacan Valley of Puebla, Mexico. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Iowa State University where he directs the Paleoecology Laboratory and is a faculty member of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology interdisciplinary PhD program.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Exploring Human Behavior Through Isotope Analysis
Book Subtitle: Applications in Archaeological Research
Editors: Melanie M. Beasley, Andrew D. Somerville
Series Title: Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32268-6
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: History, History (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-32266-2Published: 24 June 2023
eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-32268-6Published: 23 June 2023
Series ISSN: 1568-2722
Series E-ISSN: 2730-6984
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 303
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: Archaeology