Human and camelid paleodiets in El Bols ón valley (NW Argentina): A stable isotope approach

We present the first systematically obtained data on carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) isotopic relationships as measured on camelid and human bone collagen. They come from five camelid individuals from Los Viscos archaeological site, dating to the last 1200  years, and from six human individuals from archaeological rescues and isolated finds bracketed between at least ca. 1300 cal CE and ca. 500 cal CE, as no other human samples are available in the study area. The results suggest that camelids consumed predominantly locally available C3 pastures, while the human paleodiet was primarily based on C4 plants, with camelid protein not being central to it. Here, we discuss how local productive strategies would have played a part in the selective diet of the human inhabitants and interpret this picture in the context of the larger area comprising the Andean valleys of NW Argentina.
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - Category: Science Authors: Tags: SPECIAL ISSUE PAPER Source Type: research