Strontium isotope analysis of archaeological skeletons has provided useful and exciting results in archaeology in the last 20 years, particularly by characterizing past human migration and mobility. This review covers the biogeochemical background, including the origin of strontium isotope compositions in rocks, weathering and hydrologic cycles that transport strontium, and biopurification of strontium from to soils, to plants, to animals and finally into the human skeleton, which is subject to diagenesis after burial. Spatial heterogeneity and mixing relations must often be accounted for, rather than simply ``matching'' a measured strontium isotope value to a presumed single-valued geologic source. The successes, limitations and future potential of the strontium isotope technique are illustrated through case studies from geochemistry, biogeochemistry, ecology and archaeology.

/pdf/strontium-isotopes-from-the-earth-to-the-archaeological-2c7rwbxe6b.pdf

Strontium Isotopes from the Earth to the Archaeological Skeleton: A Review

This review charts the developments and progress made in the application of stable light isotope tools to palaeodietary adaptations from the 1970s onwards. It begins with an outline of the main principles governing the distribution of stable light isotopes in foodwebs and the quality control issues specific to the calcified tissues used in these analyses, and then proceeds to describe the historical landmark studies that have marked major progress, either in their archaeological applications or in enhancing our understanding of the tools. They include the adoption of maize agriculture, marine-focused diets amongst coastal hunter–gatherers, trophic level amongst Glacial-period modern humans and Neanderthals, and the use of savannah resources by early hominins in Africa. Particular attention is given to the progress made in addressing the challenges that have arisen out of these studies, including issues related to the routing of dietary nutrients. I conclude with some firm, and some more speculative, pointers about where the field may be heading in the next decade or so.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1475-4754.2008.00441.x

On isotopes and old bones

The impact of manuring on nitrogen isotope ratios in cereals: archaeological implications for reconstruction of diet and crop management practices

The introduction of domesticated plants and animals into Britain during the Neolithic cultural period between 5,200 and 4,500 years ago is viewed either as a rapid event1 or as a gradual process that lasted for more than a millennium2. Here we measure stable carbon isotopes present in bone to investigate the dietary habits of Britons over the Neolithic period and the preceding 3,800 years (the Mesolithic period). We find that there was a rapid and complete change from a marine- to a terrestrial-based diet among both coastal and inland dwellers at the onset of the Neolithic period, which coincided with the first appearance of domesticates. As well as arguing against a slow, gradual adoption of agriculture and animal husbandry by Mesolithic societies, our results indicate that the attraction of the new farming lifestyle must have been strong enough to persuade even coastal dwellers to abandon their successful fishing practices.

Archaeology: sharp shift in diet at onset of Neolithic.

The agricultural revolution as environmental catastrophe: Implications for health and lifestyle in the Holocene

The change in subsistence at the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition in Denmark is often characterized as rapid, with a dramatic shift from a marine diet in the Mesolithic to a terrestrial-based diet in the Neolithic. This view has been largely based on the work of Tauber (1981), who observed this dietary shift in stable carbon isotope values for human bone from various coastal sites. Crucial to Tauber's argument are the radiocarbon dates he obtained for each of the isotope samples, for the ages are used to categorize samples as Mesolithic or Neolithic. In this reassessment of his pioneering work, we report on new carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values and radiocarbon dates for Danish Mesolithic and Neolithic humans, including some obtained by remeasuring a number of Tauber's samples. We first briefly describe the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic in Denmark and the major characteristics of the transition. We next consider the work by Tauber that has been seminal in studies of the transition. In subsequent sections we present new radiocarbon dates and stable isotope measurements from human skeletal material from the Mesolithic and Neolithic. The concluding discussion summarizes our results and emphasizes the need for more analyses of radio- and stable isotopes from this important transition period.

/pdf/mesolithic-and-neolithic-subsistence-in-denmark-new-stable-25d5phpj9y.pdf

Mesolithic and Neolithic Subsistence in Denmark: New Stable Isotope Data

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Mesolithic and Neolithic Subsistence in Denmark: New Stable Isotope Data