Sourcing nonnative mammal remains from Dos Mosquises Island, Venezuela: new multiple isotope evidence

Jason E Laffoon,Andrzej Antczak,Marlena M Antczak,Till F Sonnemann

doi:10.1007/s12520-016-0453-6

Abstract

Archeological excavations of Amerindian sites on Dos Mosquises Island, Los Roques Archipelago, Venezuela, uncovered a wide range of evidence reflecting seasonal exploitation of local resources and multiple ritual depositions of large quantities of ceramic figurines, lithics, and faunal remains. Zooarchaeological analysis revealed the presence of modified and unmodified bones and teeth from numerous imported mammal species. Local geographic and environmental conditions preclude permanent establishment of terrestrial mammal populations and as such, there are no native mammalian taxa on the island itself or the surrounding oceanic archipelago. The presence of these faunal remains on Dos Mosquises can be attributed to the intentional movement of animal resources from the mainland to Los Roques by indigenous groups in the Late Ceramic Age (~AD 1200–1500). Despite attributions to a mainland source region, little else is known about the origins of these unique specimens. Here, we apply strontium (87Sr/86Sr), oxygen (δ18O), and carbon (δ13C) isotope analyses of tooth enamel from various archeologically recovered taxa including deer, peccary, tapir, ocelot, margay, opossum, fox, and weasel to investigate their geographic origins via comparisons with macro-regional models of precipitation δ18O and bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr. The 87Sr/86Sr results are highly variable both for the overall assemblage and between specimens within the same taxa, indicating origins from different geochemical environments of mainland South America. The combined archeological and isotopic evidence are consistent with origins within the late pre-colonial Valencioid Sphere of Interaction which encompassed the Lake Valencia Basin, surrounding regions, and several offshore island groups including Los Roques archipelago.

Highlights

It has long been recognized that the pre-Columbian Caribbean was characterized by complex patterns of human migration, mobility, and exchange (Fewkes 1907; Lovén 1935; Rouse 1964)
The limited information concerning the origins of much of Caribbean material heritage represents a notable lacuna in our knowledge of pre-colonial social articulations as provenance data have the potential to substantively contribute to reconstructions of past networks of interaction and exchange, and current debates and dialogs concerning how these relate to various other sociocultural developments in the broader region (e.g. Hofman et al 2011, 2014a; Laffoon et al 2014; Mol et al 2015; Pavia et al 2013; Rodríguez Ramos 2013)
124 bones belong to 11 different mammal taxa; 93 of them come from the Dos Mosquises Island site and represent a minimum number of 25 individuals (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

It has long been recognized that the pre-Columbian Caribbean was characterized by complex patterns of human migration, mobility, and exchange (Fewkes 1907; Lovén 1935; Rouse 1964). Multiple lines of evidence have demonstrated the migrations of people (Fitzpatrick and Ross 2010; Laffoon 2013; Rouse 1986; Siegel 1991), and the movement and/or circulation of artifacts and raw materials (Knippenberg 2007), languages (Granberry 2013), plants (Newsom and Wing 2004; Pagán-Jiménez 2013), and animals (Giovas et al 2012; Kimura et al 2016; Newsom and Wing 2004) into and throughout the broader Caribbean region in pre-Columbian times (see Curet and Hauser 2011; Hofman and Hoogland 2011; Hofman et al 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014a, b; Keegan et al 2013; Rodríguez Ramos 2010; Rouse 1992; Siegel 2005; and others) These processes attest to the variability of interactions. The limited information concerning the origins of much of Caribbean material heritage represents a notable lacuna in our knowledge of pre-colonial social articulations as provenance data have the potential to substantively contribute to reconstructions of past networks of interaction and exchange, and current debates and dialogs concerning how these relate to various other sociocultural developments in the broader region (e.g. Hofman et al 2011, 2014a; Laffoon et al 2014; Mol et al 2015; Pavia et al 2013; Rodríguez Ramos 2013)

Methods

Results

Conclusion