Abstract
This study investigated strontium isotopes in the dental enamel of 32 human skeletons from Forte Marechal Luz sambaqui (shellmound), Santa Catarina, Brazil, aiming at identifying local and non-local individuals. The archeological site presents pot sherds in the uppermost archeological layers. Dental enamel was also examined from specimens of terrestrial fauna ((87)Sr/(86)Sr = 0.71046 to 0.71273) and marine fauna ((87)Sr/(86)Sr = 0.70917). The (87)Sr/(86)Sr isotope ratio for individuals classified as locals ranged from 0. 70905 to 0. 71064 and was closer to the isotope ratio of the seawater than to the ratio of the terrestrial fauna, indicating a strong influence of marine strontium on the inhabitants of this sambaqui. The results indicate the existence of three non-local individuals ((87)Sr/(86)Sr = 0.70761 to 0.70835), buried in both the level without pottery and the layer with pottery, possibly originated from the Santa Catarina Plateau, close to the municipality of Lages, or from the Curitiba Plateau. The occurrence of a slight difference between the isotope ratios of local individuals buried in the archeological layer without pottery, when compared to those in the layer with pottery, suggests a possible change in dietary patterns between these two moments in the site's occupation.
Highlights
Since the 1990s, the analysis of 87Sr/86Sr isotopes in human skeletal remains has been used extensively to identify past human mobility patterns
Strontium isotope analysis has been useful in various archeological studies, including those focusing on settlement and migration patterns in ancient Maya communities (Hodell et al 2004), Central Europe (Bentley et al 2003, Grupe et al 1997), in communities in the Southwest of North America (Ezzo et al 1997, Price et al 2000), Great Britain (Budd et al 2004, Evans et al 2006), Peru and Bolivia (Knudson et al 2004), and the Nile Valley (Buzon 2006), among others
A recent study by Wilson et al (2007) used strontium isotope analysis to demonstrate that some individuals sacrificed in Inca rituals came from quite distant regions
Summary
Since the 1990s, the analysis of 87Sr/86Sr isotopes in human skeletal remains has been used extensively to identify past human mobility patterns. Based on the relationship between the isotopic composition of these remains (bones and teeth specially) and that of rocks in a given location, it is possible to distinguish individuals that grew up and died in the same region, from those who did not (Bentley et al 2004) This is possible with dental enamel analysis, since the permanent dentition is formed during the first decade of life, and the strontium. Various authors have studied the mobility of prehistoric populations using strontium isotopes, as mentioned above, this technique has not been systematically explored in prehistoric Brazilian coastal populations These populations spread over a large geographic area, and there is even debate over their relationship and contacts with peoples from the interior (Prous 1991). Certain findings from inland sites, like zoolites (artifacts in the shape of animals, made of polished stone, typical of the coast), as well as typical plateau artifacts like pottery from the Itararé Tradition in coastal sites, contribute to the hypothesis of contact between coastal and inland populations (Beck 1971)
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