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Spatial variation of strontium isotopes (^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr) in the Maya region: a tool for tracking ancient human migration [An article from: Journal of Archaeological Science]
Book Details
PublisherElsevier
ISBN / ASINB000RR17GC
ISBN-13978B000RR17G2
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Description
This digital document is a journal article from Journal of Archaeological Science, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
Strontium isotope ratios (^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr) in human bones and teeth have become a useful tool to study migration and sedentism of individuals from archaeological contexts. Here we analyzed ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr of water, bedrock, soils, and plants across a broad geographic region to test the potential of this method in the ancient Maya area. Our aims were two-fold: first to test if the sources of dietary strontium (i.e., plants and water) in humans reflect the ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr ratio of exposed bedrock, and second, to determine whether the ranges of ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr values were sufficiently distinct among the principal Maya geocultural areas to infer past migration. We identified five distinct subregions on the basis of geologic maps and evaluated the variability of ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr values (values given as mean ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr +/-2 standard deviations; number of samples): (1) Northern Lowlands (0.70888+/-0.00066; n=16); (2) Southern Lowlands (0.70770+/-0.00052; n=86); (3) Volcanic Highlands and Pacific Coast (0.70415+/-0.00023; n=34); (4) Metamorphic Province (0.70743+/-0.00572; n=50); and (5) the Maya Mountains of Belize (0.71327+/-0.00167; n=3). Although the sample size is small and overlap exists in ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr values among some subregions, most areas can be readily distinguished from one another on the basis of strontium isotopes. These subregional ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr differences provide archaeologists with a powerful tool to recognize geographic ''outliers'' in ancient Maya burials and thereby test hypotheses concerning the origin of specific individuals, inferred population migration patterns, and the possibility of outside cultural influences in the Maya region.
Description:
Strontium isotope ratios (^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr) in human bones and teeth have become a useful tool to study migration and sedentism of individuals from archaeological contexts. Here we analyzed ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr of water, bedrock, soils, and plants across a broad geographic region to test the potential of this method in the ancient Maya area. Our aims were two-fold: first to test if the sources of dietary strontium (i.e., plants and water) in humans reflect the ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr ratio of exposed bedrock, and second, to determine whether the ranges of ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr values were sufficiently distinct among the principal Maya geocultural areas to infer past migration. We identified five distinct subregions on the basis of geologic maps and evaluated the variability of ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr values (values given as mean ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr +/-2 standard deviations; number of samples): (1) Northern Lowlands (0.70888+/-0.00066; n=16); (2) Southern Lowlands (0.70770+/-0.00052; n=86); (3) Volcanic Highlands and Pacific Coast (0.70415+/-0.00023; n=34); (4) Metamorphic Province (0.70743+/-0.00572; n=50); and (5) the Maya Mountains of Belize (0.71327+/-0.00167; n=3). Although the sample size is small and overlap exists in ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr values among some subregions, most areas can be readily distinguished from one another on the basis of strontium isotopes. These subregional ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr differences provide archaeologists with a powerful tool to recognize geographic ''outliers'' in ancient Maya burials and thereby test hypotheses concerning the origin of specific individuals, inferred population migration patterns, and the possibility of outside cultural influences in the Maya region.
