Stable isotope analysis of human bone hydroxyapatite and collagen for the reconstruction of dietary patterns of hunter‐gatherers from Jomon populations

Abstract

AbstractStable isotope analysis on human skeletal remains is a powerful tool to reconstruct prehistoric human diet. A previous study used carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bone collagen to reveal that the incorporation of marine resources was significant in the diet of people in the Jomon period. It was found that carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in bone collagen reflect those of protein sources in the diet during adulthood, whereas the incorporation of terrestrial plants could not be evaluated. In this study, we assessed the consumption of terrestrial plants during adulthood by analysing the carbon isotope ratios in bone hydroxyapatite, which reflect the respective values in the whole diet (carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins). We studied 55 human skeletal remains from the Yoshigo and Inariyama shell mounds of the Tokai region in Japan. The carbon isotope ratios in bone hydroxyapatite from these samples were analysed to evaluate the dietary dependence on marine and terrestrial resources. We discovered that the carbon isotope ratios in the bone hydroxyapatite were as low as those in terrestrial mammals, thereby indicating that C3 plants and terrestrial mammals were the main sources of dietary energy for the Jomon people. This result suggests that the dietary incorporation of terrestrial resources was recorded in the bone hydroxyapatite. Finally, the difference between the carbon isotope ratios of the bone hydroxyapatite and collagen was correlated to the nitrogen isotope ratios of the bone collagen, thereby suggesting the large dietary variation among individuals. This study highlighted the utility of carbon isotope analysis of bone hydroxyapatite and bone collagen from human skeletal remains in the investigation of the prehistoric diet of Jomon populations.