Stable Isotopes and Palaeodiet

During the transition from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages, the Roman Empire dissolved in the West and medieval empires were founded. There has been much discussion about the role that migration played in this transition. This is especially true for the formation of the Baiuvariian tribe and the founding of this tribal dukedom, which took place from the 5th to the 6th century in what is now Southern Bavaria (Germany). In this study, we aimed to determine the extent of immigration during the beginning of this transformation and to shed further light on its character. To achieve this goal, we analyzed stable isotope values of strontium, carbon, and nitrogen from the teeth and bones of over 150 human remains from Southern Germany, dating from around 500 AD. This group of individuals included women with cranial modifications (ACD) which can be found sporadically in the burial grounds of this period. Our results showed an above-average migration rate for both men and women in the secon...

Stable isotope analysis has become a key research approach in archaeology, enabling the reconstruction of diets, subsistence strategies, agricultural transitions, and  human-environment relationships. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes are the most widely applied, providing insights into ancient dietary practices by distinguishing between C_3 and C_4 plant consumption, identifying trophic level differences, and tracing reliance on terrestrial  versus marine  resources.
While well  established in Europe, Africa, and the Americas, this field remains at a developing stage in South Asia and requires greater scholarly attention. This review synthesizes current research on δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N within the South Asian archaeological context, spanning from Neolithic communities to the Harapan civilization and other prehistoric cultures.
Case studies highlight the early adoption of millet as staple food, the integration of mixed C_3 and C_4  diets, coastal subsistence strategies, and evidence of pastoral mobility from Harappan sites in Gujarat. Despite these advances, isotopic research remains limited by the scarcity of human skeletal analyses, inadequate faunal and isotopic baselines, challenges of preservation in tropical environments and the historically culture-oriented approach of South Asian archaeology.
This study concludes by suggesting future directions for isotopic research, particularly through integration with zooarchaeology, palaeobotany and palaeoclimate studies. Expanding isotopic research in South Asia has the potential to provide deeper insights into ancient dietary strategies, palaeoclimate variability, human adaptations during the Quaternary and patterns of late Quaternary extinctions.

Study of the human remains of King Pedro I of Castile (1334-1369), his wife Queen Maria of Padilla (c. 1334-1361), and three other members of his family offered the possibility to investigate the diet of an elite in the medieval Iberian Peninsula by analyzing δ 15 N and δ 13 C values in collagen samples of their bones. Two medieval archaeological samples were selected for comparative purposes: a Christian sample (n=5) from Palacios de la Sierra (Burgos), and a Muslim sample (n=5) from La Torrecilla (Granada). Results obtained were compared with published data on other medieval populations of the Iberian Peninsula with the aim of improving knowledge on the diet of medieval populations, especially elite groups. Differences in the consumption of C3 and C4 plants were observed between Christians and Muslims, as previously reported. δ 15 N values indicated social class differences. The diet of the royal family was characterized by mainly C3 plants and an extremely high animal protein intake characteristic of carnivores. These results are consistent with historical data on the life circumstances of this family.

El estudio de las prácticas de lactancia y destete presenta un gran potencial en bioarqueología, ya que permite explorar la diversidad transcultural de estas costumbres de crianza y su relación con factores biológicos, socioculturales, ambientales, demográficos y económicos.

Este trabajo representa la primera investigación sobre la alimentación infantil en las poblaciones prehispánicas de Panamá. La muestra incluye 44 individuos de 0 a 9 años y 18 individuos adultos de tres sitios arqueológicos de la región central de Panamá: Cerro Mangote, Sitio Sierra y Cerro Juan Díaz. Estos sitios corresponden a los períodos Cerámico Temprano, Medio y Tardío.

Para analizar los aspectos relacionados a la alimentación infantil, se midieron los isótopos estables de nitrógeno (δ15N) y carbono (δ13C) en colágeno óseo. Los datos isotópicos δ15N se analizaron con el método bayesiano WARN (Reconstrucción de la Edad de Destete mediante Análisis de Isótopos de Nitrógeno [Paquete en R]) para estimar el inicio y fin del destete. También se evaluaron los valores isotópicos δ13C para identificar alimentos complementarios y variaciones dietéticas entre niños y adultos.

Los resultados indican que la introducción de alimentos complementarios ocurrió antes de los seis meses de edad, lo que marca un inicio temprano del proceso de destete. Sin embargo, la duración total del destete varió a lo largo del tiempo, con diferencias observadas entre fases cronológicas, extendiéndose entre 3 y 3,9 años. Estos hallazgos indican un destete precoz, lo cual habría podido reducir los intervalos entre nacimientos y favorecido el crecimiento demográfico durante el período relacionado con estos sitios arqueológicos.

Newgrange, the Neolithic monument and centerpiece of the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage complex, is a high-profile example of prehistoric societies' observation of, and reverence for, solar events. Comparatively little is known about how these concepts were remembered by those using Newgrange over subsequent millennia. While excavations have uncovered large quantities of later material culture, debate continues about what these subsequent activities represent. We combine zooarchaeological, radiocarbon, and isotopic evidence to assess the nature and seasonality of human-animal-environment relationships at Newgrange. Results show a concentration of feasting activity, focused on pigs, dating to 2600-2450 BC and indicate that most pigs were slaughtered shortly after a period of rapid, pannage-fueled weight gain. This seasonal specificity indicates feasting likely occurred in the weeks around the winter solstice and suggests that, centuries after passage tomb construction ended, practices at Newgrange continued to focus on the general winter solstice timeframe. We also connect a unique isotopic signature for mast (tree nuts) with pannage husbandry, a pattern that should allow for reinterpretation of archaeological pig diets and human-woodland relationships across Europe.

El cinabrio, un pigmento rojo vivo, ha sido utilizado por muchas culturas antiguas de todo el mundo. Teotihuacán es una de las capitales mesoamericanas que lo utilizó. Las características físicas del mineral y su color rojo sangre le confieren un valor y un significado particularmente importantes. Un estudio detallado sobre la utilización del mineral en Teotihuacán reveló su uso particular en los ámbitos funerario y ritual, así como en la pintura mural. Por un lado, este mineral puede ser considerado como un indicador de estatus social, un recurso-de prestigio-que se reservaba a las élites. Por otro lado, su depósito sobre el cuerpo de los difuntos formaba parte de un ritual relacionado con la noción de renacimiento. El hallazgo de cinabrio y de mercurio en el túnel excavado recientemente bajo el Templo de la Serpiente Emplumada, uno de los monumentos más emblemáticos de la ciudad, confirma la importancia simbólica de estos dos elementos y su vinculación con el pensamiento cosmogónico de las antiguas culturas mesoamericanas.

Compared to what is found in many other scientific disciplines, archaeological data are typically scarce, biased and fragmented. This, coupled with the fact that archaeologists can rarely test their hypotheses using experimental design, makes archaeological inference and our ability to assess the robustness of quantitative methods used to make such inferences challenging.
Archaeoriddle is a project that was born as an attempt to compare archaeological methods in an artificial scenario where the behaviour to be reconstructed was known. In this project we organised an experiment where a virtual archaeological record generated from a simulated interaction between hunter–gatherers and early farmers in a fictional landscape was shared with interested participants. Three archaeological questions were posed and the participants were challenged to answer them with the data that the developer team made available. The model and the generative processes behind the virtual record were known to the developers of the virtual world (Rabbithole) but not to the participants. Additionally, players were allowed to sample only a subset of the data from Rabbithole, mimicking real-life archaeological research and sampling efforts.
The long-term aim of the project is to assess how different methods performed under a controlled environment since, in this case, we knew the correct answers to the questions posed. This experience provided us with some insights into (1) how efficient various archaeological methods are in answering complex questions; (2) the degree of interest from archaeologists in improving their analytical techniques; and (3) the potential of archaeological method when free from external constraints (e.g. budget, fieldwork, etc.).

British Archaeology can reveal details of research on a late Roman skeleton first announced last October. Distinctive artefacts found with a man excavated in 1972 suggested he had come from eastern Europe in the fifth century AD. Scientific analysis of his teeth has shown he was a native Goth. He had probably come to Britain having been drawn into service in the Roman empire, and died holding high office aged around 40.

Here we report the results of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of human and faunal remains from two Bronze Age (Monteoru culture) sites near Buzău in Romania, in the eastern foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. The results for 54 humans from Sărata Monteoru and 10 from Cârlomăneşti indicate diets that were dominated by C3 terrestrial resources, consistent with the archaeofaunal inventories from the sites and archaeobotanical data from the wider region. Statistically significant differences in the average δ 15 N values of the two skeletal populations hint at a change in economic practices between early and late phases of the Monteoru culture. Consumer diets at the two sites were quantified using multiple mixing models generated with the Bayesian statistical program FRUITS (Food Reconstruction Using Isotopic Transferred Signals). The model outputs suggest the inhabitants of the later settlement, Sărata Monteoru, were less dependent on animal-derived products and relied more on cereals and legumes for energy and protein, compared to their predecessors at Cârlomăneşti. Based on changes in the faunal record we speculate that dairying may also have increased in importance between the early and later phases of the Monteoru culture.

This study investigates the life histories of three burials discovered in 2015, close to San Vito al Tagliamento, northeastern Italy. Despite the poor preservation of the skeletal remains and the paucity of contextual archaeological information, by using a multi-proxy approach including osteological analysis, radiocarbon dating, and isotopic analyses (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium isotopes), it has been possible to reconstruct the palaeomobility, dietary habits, and weaning patterns of the three individuals. Results place the burials in the early medieval period (most likely in the 8th c. AD), suggest a local origin for the individuals, with small-scale mobility patterns detected for two of them, and indicate a diet heavily reliant on C 4 terrestrial food sources. The isotopic evidence also suggests distinct weaning practices. This research highlights the potential of modern scientific techniques to yield significant insights into the lifeways of individuals from poorly preserved skeletal remains and partially investigated archaeological contexts. More particularly, this study contributes to a nuanced understanding of early medieval societal dynamics in northeastern Italy by reconstructing the bioarchaeological profiles of three individuals, who lived on the fringes of the early medieval landscape of Friuli during a period of deep economic and societal changes and whose stories were forgotten to history.

Dietary shifts and corresponding morphological changes can sometimes evolve in succession, not concurrently—an evolutionary process called behavioral drive. Detecting behavioral drive in the fossil record is challenging because it is difficult to measure behaviors independently from corresponding morphologies. To solve this problem, we focused on a puzzling behavior in the fossil record of some primates: eating graminoid plants. We report carbon and oxygen isotope ratios from fossil cercopithecid monkeys and integrate the data into a view of hominin dietary evolution, finding that changes in graminivorous behavior preceded corresponding changes in dental morphology by ~700,000 years. Decoupling diets and morphologies in time was conducive to determining when and to exploring why dietary changes helped to propel human evolution.

Evolutionary ecology provides a very useful theoretical perspective for integrating a wide variety of different aspects of human behavior. Despite the tremendous potential of this approach as illustrated by the studies in this volume, there are a number of problems which merit concern. In particular. the role of raw material as a currency is poorly understood both because we have little relevant ethnographic data to guide us and also because we lack the theory to adequately handle the complexity arising from the great variety of factors which affect its use. Similarly, general theoretical principles alone are not capable of predicting specific behavioral outcomes of individual situations since several technological responses are often equally plausible solutions.furthermore, many aspects of behavior can affect a single lithic attribute. A solution to these limitations is to embed lithic studies within a wider study of culture change in which multiple lines of evidence are examined. This alternative strategy is illustrated by means of a reconstruction of organizational changes during the Mesolithic of southwestern Germany. Hypotheses put forward by Myers for Britain are upheld, although the changes in Germany proceeded in the opposite direction.

Findings of canid remains in graves at different sites in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula are evidence of a widespread funerary practice that proliferated between the end of the 3rd and the 2nd millennium BC, in particular, in the Early-Middle Bronze Age contexts. The discovery of four foxes and a large number of dogs at the sites of Can Roqueta (Barcelona) and Minferri (Lleida) respectively, stand out among the many examples of these types of grave goods. In this work, we have made an approximation of the relationship between humans and canids through the study of their diet by analysis of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in bone collagen. These analyses were complemented by archaeozoological, anthropological and archaeobotanical studies. The comparison of human and animal diets comprised a total of 37 canids, 19 domestic ungulates and 64 humans. The results indicate that the diet of the dogs was similar to that of humans, although δ 15 N values of dogs in Can Roqueta and Minferri are, on the average, 1.4‰ and 1.1‰, respectively, lower than those of humans. The offset between canids and the herbivorous ungulates of each site is not up to the established minimum for a trophic level, which implies an input of C3 plants and human intervention in the feeding of dogs and some of the foxes. Some particular cases in Can Roqueta suggest a specific food preparation, richer in cereals, for larger dogs (probably devoted to carrying loads), and possibly for at least one of the foxes.

This study provides a broad overview of human dietary habits and subsistence practices across time in the Aegean World (defined in the East by the coastal littoral of western Anatolia, Crete to the South, and eastern mainland Greece in the West). This was done principally through the collation and examination of previously published stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N values) from human bulk bone collagen. The sites/populations examined in this study date from the Neolithic to the Late Byzantine periods; ca. 6000 BC to the early 16th century AD. Broadly speaking, the stable isotope values demonstrate general consistency diachronically, although a slight and gradual increase in δ13C values over time is observed. The δ15N values are also broadly similar diachronically, with the exception of the Classical (and to a lesser extent
Hellenistic and Byzantine) periods which have noticeably higher δ15N values than the preceding and following periods. Interestingly, and perhaps unexpectedly, there are no clearly observable differences between the sub-regions of the Aegean World (i.e., East Aegean, Crete, West Aegean). The observed findings would, therefore, suggest broadly similar dietary habits and subsistence practices in the AegeanWorld fromthe Neolithic period onwards, perhaps pointing toward dietary habits and subsistence practices being a further facet of connectivity in the region.

Investigador multidisciplinario en temas de naturaleza y culturas. El reciente anuncio del supuesto reconocimiento oficial del "Perro Pastor Chiribaya" como raza nacional ha generado gran expectativa mediática, pero también confusión y desinformación. Este artículo busca precisar, desde una perspectiva científica e histórica, el estado real de la investigación sobre esta antigua raza canina vinculada a la cultura Chiribaya del sur peruano, y exhorta a que el tratamiento de este tipo de hallazgos se haga con mayor seriedad académica. La domesticación de animales en los Andes no se limita a llamas y alpacas. En el extremo sur del Perú, hallazgos arqueológicos evidencian la existencia de un perro utilizado para el pastoreo por los Chiribaya, cultura prehispánica que habitó entre los siglos IX y XIV los valles costeros del actual Moquegua y Tacna. Este "perro pastor Chiribaya" ha despertado el interés de arqueólogos, genetistas y antropólogos, al presentar características fenotípicas y genéticas únicas, distintas de razas caninas modernas. Sin embargo, ante la reciente ola de afirmaciones no verificadas que circulan en redes sociales y medios de prensa, urge establecer los límites entre la evidencia científica y las interpretaciones sin respaldo técnico. Investigaciones dirigidas por la Dra. Sonia Guillén (2006) hallaron más de 40 momias de perros en cementerios especiales en el valle del río Osmore. Estos canes presentaban dimensiones físicas similares: cuerpo más largo que alto, pelaje de tonalidades amarillas a rojizas, orejas caídas y extremidades posteriores tipo liebre, adaptadas a los suelos arenosos de los desiertos costeros. Estos hallazgos, junto a análisis genéticos dirigidos por la Dra. Jane Wheeler, revelaron la existencia de haplotipos únicos en el ADN mitocondrial, lo que respalda su singularidad como linaje autóctono.

En este estudio paleodemográfico contribuimos a la discusión sobre el impacto de la incorporación de recursos vegetales domesticados en poblaciones del sitio Jaime Prats-1, el área de entierros humanos con mayor número de individuos del centro occidente argentino. La ubicación espacial y temporal del sitio arqueológico se corresponde con el registro de cultígenos prehispánicos en la región, por lo que resulta relevante para entender la dinámica poblacional en un área de interacción entre grupos cazadores-recolectores y sociedades agricultoras. Los resultados del análisis de los perfiles de edades de muerte, el Índice de Juventud y la suma de probabilidades de los fechados radiocarbónicos disponibles, indican un pulso de crecimiento demográfico entre los 2000 y los 1500 años aP, correspondiente al período de uso del sitio. Tomando como referencia un conjunto de cazadores-recolectores contemporáneos y otro de agricultores tardíos, ambos procedentes de la región, Jaime Prats-1 ocupa una posición intermedia, de confluencia entre ambos sistemas de subsistencia. Palabras clave: paleodemografía, producción de alimentos, frontera agrícola sudamericana In this paleodemographic study, we contribute to the discussion about the impact of the incorporation of domesticated plants in the life of the human population of the Jaime Prats-1 site, the burial area with the highest number of individuals in centralwestern Argentina. The chronology and spatial location of the site correspond to the presence of macroremains of prehispanic cultigens. The results of age-at-death profiles, the Juvenile Index, and the radiocarbon summed probability distributions show a demographic growth pattern of around 2000-1500 years BP, corresponding to the period of use of the site. Comparing Jaime Prats-1 with hunter-gatherer and agriculturalist reference samples, both located in the same region, Jaime Prats-1 is placed in an intermediate position, suggesting the convergence of both subsistence strategies.

A pesar de los numerosos estudios zooarqueológicos en Pampa occidental-Patagonia, los registros de perros son escasos y, por lo tanto, es limitado el conocimiento del vínculo que tuvieron con las sociedades
cazadoras-recolectoras. Las evidencias arqueológicas en períodos prehispánicos indican que estos cánidos desempeñaron roles como animales de compañía y acompañantes funerarios, y en tiempos históricos se registra el uso como animal de carga, ayudante para la caza y como guardián. Con el objetivo de ampliar el conocimiento sobre las relaciones de estas poblaciones y sus perros, este trabajo presenta los
resultados obtenidos de nuevos restos (NMI = 1) procedentes del sitio Chenque I y reanaliza datos de un perro previamente publicado para el mismo sitio. Se realizaron estudios zooarqueológicos, tafonómicos,
estimaciones de edad y masa corporal, análisis de isótopos estables (carbono, nitrógeno y oxígeno) y de microrrestos vegetales recuperados en el tártaro dental de los cánidos. Los resultados indican que los perros
fueron alimentados y cuidados, y luego enterrados en un sector destinado exclusivamente a la inhumación de personas. Se concluye que estos animales fueron valorados social y simbólicamente, probablemente
como animales de compañía/mascotas.

В коллективной монографии представлены первые результаты исследований, полученные в рамках проекта РНФ № 22-18-00065
(https://rscf.ru/project/22-18-00065). Исследования направлены на сопоставление изменений палеоклиматических условий голо-
цена в Северном Причерноморье (Северо-Западное Причерноморье и Северо-Западный Крым) и культурно-исторических про-
цессов в позднем бронзовом — раннем железном веках. Для палеоклиматических реконструкций были проведены исследования
отложений культурных слоев из разрезов на археологических памятниках, а также изучение колонок озерных отложений ме-
тодами палинологии, гранулометрии, геохимической индикации ландшафтно-климатических условий и радиоуглеродного
датирования. Археологические находки проанализированы комплексом прецизионных аналитических методов. Это дало воз-
можность реконструировать особенности древних технологических процессов, места обитания и перемещения людей и живот-
ных, а также выявить характер питания и особенности хозяйственного уклада в позднем бронзовом — раннем железном веке
в этом регионе. На основе радиоуглеродного датирования и археологической периодизации уточнена хронологическая схема
развития культур позднего бронзового — раннего железного веков Северного Причерноморья и проведена корреляция с клима-
тическими событиями голоцена. Триггером кардинальных преобразований в сообществах скотоводов и земледельцев степной
зоны позднего бронзового века и изменений хозяйственного уклада являлись резкие климатические колебания, происходившие
на рубеже II–I тыс. до н.э.
Монография предназначена специалистам в области гуманитарных и естественных наук (археологам, историкам, географам,
геологам, материаловедам), а также может вызвать интерес широкого круга читателей, интересующихся историей и географией.
The collective monograph presents the first results of the research carried out within the framework of the RSF project No. 22-18-00065
(https://rscf.ru/project/22-18-00065). The research is devoted to the correlating of changes in the Holocene paleoclimatic conditions in the
Northern Black Sea Region (North-Western Black Sea coast and North-Western Crimea) and cultural and historical processes. For the
paleoclimatic reconstructions, the deposits of the cultural layers from the cross-sections of the archaeological sites as well as the lake deposits
were studied using the methods of pollen analysis, grain-size analysis, the method of geochemical indication of landscape and
palaeoclimatic conditions and radiocarbon dating. Artifacts were studied using high precision analytical methods. This has allowed us to
reconstruct the features of ancient technological processes, the locations and the migration of humans and animals as well as to determine
the diet and household system of the Late Bronze — Early Iron Age in this region. Based on radiocarbon dating and archaeological periodization
the chronological schema of cultures of the Late Bronze — Early Iron Age in the Northern Black Sea Region was corrected and
synchronized with the Holocene climatic events. The trigger of significant changes in the communities of pastoralists and farmers in the
steppe zone of the Late Bronze Age was the sharp climatic changes at the turn of the 2nd–1st millennium BC.
The monograph will be of interest to specialists in the humanities and natural sciences (archaeologists, historians, geographers, geologists,
and materials scientists), as well as to a wide range of readers interested in history and geography.

ObjectivesGender differentiation can influence the diet, physical activity, and health of human populations. Multifaceted approaches are therefore necessary when exploring the biological consequences of gender‐related social norms in the past. Here, we explore the links between diet, physiological stress, physical activity, and gender differentiation in the Medieval Islamic population of La Torrecilla (Granada, Spain, 13th–15th century AD), by analyzing stable isotope patterns, stature, and long bone diaphyseal measurements.Materials and MethodsThe sample includes 96 individuals (48 females, 48 males) classified as young and middle adults (20–34 and 35–50 years of age respectively). Diet was reconstructed through the analysis of δ13C and δ15N. Stature, humeral and femoral diaphyseal shape and product of diaphyseal diameters served as proxies of physiological stress and physical activity.ResultsIsotopic ratios suggest a substantial dietary contribution of C4 plants (e.g., sorghum, mi...

A medieval osteological sample (n = 20) from the isolated rural community of San Baudelio de Berlanga (Soria, N-Spain) was studied using paleopathological and stable isotope analyses. The necropolis was initially dated by archeologists between the XI and XII centuries AD and contains 57 individuals. The main objective of this study was to investigate the diet and the chronology of these individuals to improve the understanding not only of the diet but also of the population dynamics in an isolated rural site. The isotopic composition of their rib bone collagen was determined. δ 15 N values ranged between 9.3‰ and 11.5‰, with a mean of 10.3 + 0.5‰ (AIR), while δ 13 C values ranged between -17.6‰ and -19.0‰ with a mean of -18.2 + 0.4‰ (V-PDB). Radiocarbon results dated the individuals to between the XI and mid-XIII century. The stable isotopic results suggest a mixed terrestrial diet dominated by C 3 cereals but including also animal products (e.g. meat and dairy products). Isotopic differences between sexes may be related more closely to social (patrilineal pattern of pairing) and biodemographical (lower female life expectancy) factors than dietary gender differences.

Stable carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope analyses combined with radiocarbon dates were carried out on human and faunal (camelids) hair remains from three archeological coastal sites in northern Chile (Playa Miller 7, Quiani 7 and Camarones 15) to assess subsistence patterns between 4000 and 1500 years ago. Sulfur isotopes were useful to decipher some cases where carbon and nitrogen did not detect significant consumption of terrestrial resources. These isotopic results confirm that the exploitation of marine resources was the main activity for the inhabitants of the Formative Period, a time of neolithization process in south central Andes. This contradicts previous assumptions on the speed of the shift from the exploitation of marine to terrestrial resources, suggesting that this transition did not impact the subsistence strategies of this population as fast as previously thought. Therefore the "neolithization" of populations during this period did not lead to a significant change in diet. In this paper we present data from fifteen individuals, of which thirteen had a diet mainly based on marine resources, while two showed a more terrestrial-based diet. These different cases among individuals in relation to different access to resources are discussed. Moreover, the results are compared with those obtained from other contemporaneous Chilean sites of the same geographical area. This investigation on mummified hair samples offers new palaeodiet insights into the prehistoric subsistence strategies in northern Chile during a key transitional period.

Resumen: En este trabajo exploramos el patrón de variación de la morfología craneofacial de cinco especímenes recuperados en el sitio "La Punta", que datan de hace poco más de 5 000 años AP. Dicha cronología convierte a este lugar en una de las ocupaciones más tempranas, con presencia de restos óseos humanos para esta región del país. La nueva información se compara con los datos de algunos especímenes prehistóricos del centro de México y de la Península de Yucatán, correspondientes al Pleistoceno tardío y el Holoceno temprano, así como con el grupo pericú, que subsistió hasta el periodo histórico

Au début des années 1980, sur un versant des vallées andorranes, un ensemble d’interventions archéologiques réalisées par l’ancien «Servei d’Investigacions Arqueológiques del Patrimoni Artístic Nacional d’Andorra » permit de documenter le site de la Feixa del Moro. En contrebas de terrasses abandonnées, dans une zone de haute montagne, plusieurs structures d’habitat et d’inhumation furent découvertes, situées chronologiquement entre le Néolithique ancien et le Néolithique moyen (milieu du Ve-début du IVe millénaire cal. BC). La singularité de la Feixa del Moro ne résidait pas uniquement dans son emplacement, ni dans la diversité typologique de ses constructions, mais aussi dans l’excellent état de conservation de ses vestiges et particulièrement de ses sépultures, faisant de cet ensemble un des sites archéologiques de référence du Néolithique des Pyrénées en particulier, et de la Méditerranée occidentale en général. Encore aujourd’hui, les sites présentant des ensembles clos avec un...

This study examines trends in infant diet, breastfeeding and weaning in Portugal through time in Roman, Medieval Muslim and Christian skeletal assemblages (1st to the 15th century CE). New stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) measurements were collected from 143 non-adults and 46 adults that are analysed alongside comparative published datasets from contemporaneous Iberian populations. A statistical package was used to model bone collagen nitrogen isotope data of individuals, quantitatively estimating weaning onset and completion across diverse historical sites. Nutritional intake from infancy to adolescence was reconstructed via Bayesian modelling supported by the OsteoBioR platform using incremental dentine-collagen isotope ratio analysis in six adult individuals. Childhood diets in historical Portugal showed a prolonged weaning time while weaning food included varying degrees of high trophic level protein during both the Roman and Medieval periods. The Bayesian statistical approach offers a comprehensive perspective on child-rearing practices through the lens of diet, including breastfeeding, weaning and nutritional intake during childhood in historical Portugal. The results highlight the variability and complexity of childhood diets over time and between different locations. Overall, the study informs debates about child nutrition practices globally while also offering unique insights into infant nutrition in Iberia over nearly 1500 years.

This study examines the expansion of Amazonian forager-horticulturalists grouped within the Guaraní archaeological unit,
who migrated from southwestern Amazonia to southeastern South America, spanning much of the La Plata basin and the
Atlantic coastal slope of southeastern Brazil, covering over 2500 km in a relatively short period. This process, marked by
rapid expansion and extensive territorial coverage, represents one of the most remarkable migrations recorded among known
pre-industrial societies. The initial expansion probably began in southwestern Amazonia, progressing southeastward to the
headwaters of the La Plata basin, where this population appears as a weak archaeological signal around 500 CE. Approximately
800 years later, these Amazonian groups reached the Río de la Plata estuary, 1400 km farther south. Based on calibrated
age ranges, the spatial distribution of Guaraní sites across the basin, and the application of various statistical methods
(Silhouette Coefficient Analysis, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, Principal Components Analysis, and Summed Probability
Distribution of radiocarbon ages), this expansion was divided into four clusters or phases, reflecting a complex migratory
process. In addition to redefining the dynamics of Guaraní expansion, this study provides a better alignment with linguistic
dispersion models of these populations and offers new perspectives on how canoeing societies, in general, can rapidly spread
across a vast territory within a brief archaeological timeframe.
Available Full Text in Research Gate

Применение геохимических методов (анализ стабильных изотопов (δ13C, δ15N), определение химического элементного состава и радиоуглеродное датирование костей человека и животных из погребений и культурных слоев археологических памятников
Крыма) позволило охарактеризовать диету человека в позднем бронзовом – раннем железном веке в контексте развития земледелия и скотоводства. На основе полученных данных по материалам нескольких проанализированных поселений выделены
различные группы людей, для которых характерны разные системы питания, прежде всего связанные со спецификой их хозяйственной деятельности. Жители прибрежных районов имели доступ к морской пище. Для постоянных жителей поселения Бай-Кият I в рационе питания отмечено преобладание рыбы, морепродуктов, молока и мяса. В их рацион также входили растения с C4 типом фотосинтеза. Другая группа обитателей поселения Бай-Кият I была ориентирована на выпас скота. В их рацион входило больше мясных и молочных продуктов, а также растительная пища из растений с фотосинтезом С3. Полученные данные позволяют предположить на поселениях позднего бронзового века Бай-Кият I и Бурун-Эли 1 культивацию проса, наличие полукочевого скотоводства у сообществ поздней сабатиновской и ранней белозерской культур. На поселении Долгий Бугор существовало отгонно-пастбищное животноводство у носителей кизил-кобинской культуры раннего железного века.

Sequential stable isotope analyses of hypsodont ruminant molars provide insights into animal behavior and human-animal interactions at seasonal scales. Stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope ratios obtained from intra-tooth sequences of dentinal collagen inform on animal weaning and feeding habits, but sequential sampling of this tissue is rarely carried out in part due to the undefined relationship between dentin geometry, sample position, and measured isotope values. Here, we present a serial sampling approach applied to dentin collagen from modern and archaeological taurine second molars that entails sub-sampling the outermost portion of the dentin structure. Compared to intra-tooth isotope sequences measured from the entire thickness of the dentin structure, nitrogen isotope sequences obtained from the outermost dentin portion better capture the weaning process, while carbon isotope values reveal subtle but discernible shifts in C 3 dietary intake that were not visible in dentin portions involving the entire dentin thickness. The ability to document dietary change at higher resolution has important implications for gaining more nuanced insights into livestock husbandry practices in the past, including foddering, weaning, and pasturing.

This chapter is about chemical variation in the
various components that make up bones and
teeth, and its application to studies of diet,
demography and life history. Bones and teeth
provide direct evidence of past diets, including
infant diets. Knowledge gained from bone chem
istry adds to other sources of evidence for diet
and, in turn, the interaction of diet, nutrition, and
disease. Understanding infant diets and the dura
tion of nursing contributes to understanding
demographic variables such as birth spacing and
population growth. Chemical variation in bones
and teeth can also be linked to chemical variation
in the environment and thus, reveals information
about place of residence and migration. While
stable isotope analysis may be viewed as a fairly
technical research specialty, the results of such
analyses make a significant contribution to the
reconstruction of past human life.

Artificial feeding of young infants is considered a modern phenomenon. However, historical sources note its practice in some past European populations. This research explores factors that contributed to a short to absent period of breastfeeding in pre-modern Netherlands. Stable nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis is undertaken on 277 19 th century individuals from Beemster, a, rural, mainly Protestant, dairy farming community. An intra-individual sampling approach for �6 year-olds compares newer metaphyseal to older diaphyseal long bone collagen to classify feeding status at death. Archivally identified individuals permit analyses of sex and year-of-death. Few infants have isotopic evidence for breastfeeding and, if present, it was likely of short duration or a minor source of dietary protein. From only a few weeks to months of age infants were fed cow's milk and paps with sugar. There is broad dietary homogeneity with no sex or temporal isotopic differences, but young infants (1-11 months) have the most δ 15 N and δ 13 C variation highlighting the effect of multiple dietary and physiological processes. Beemster had many factors associated with high rates of breastfeeding in other Dutch communities, yet, most mothers did not breastfeed, or not for long, showing that regional variation in infant feeding is influenced by community values and traditions. On top of child rearing and domestic chores, female dairy farmers were in charge of milking cattle and dairy production, an important income source, suggesting high workload was also a factor in short or absent breastfeeding periods, aided by the constant supply of fresh milk that could be fed to an infant by an older sibling.

Se presentan los resultados de un estudio que busca acceder a los patrones de consumo dietario a lo largo de una secuencia de ocupación de más de un milenio en las comunidades aldeanas de La Rioja. Para este fin, se presentan y discuten los primeros análisis de isótopos estables realizados en una muestra de 12 individuos humanos procedentes de diversas localidades arqueológicas con diferente cronología y ambiente. Con la finalidad de determinar las señales isotópicas de las posibles fuentes de alimentación humanas, se presentan también valores de carbono y nitrógeno en una muestra de 18 vegetales actuales y 20 restos óseos de camélidos arqueológicos. Los resultados alcanzados señalan una dieta que combina recursos C3 y C4 en el conjunto humano con predominio de los primeros en la mayoría de los individuos analizados que podrían corresponder a recursos disponibles localmente en el caso de los vegetales y al consumo de animales con dietas marcadas por consumo de especies C3. No se hallaron diferencias en la comparación estadística de los sistemas isotópicos de acuerdo con la cronología.

A medieval osteological sample (n = 20) from the isolated rural community of San Baudelio de Berlanga (Soria, N-Spain) was studied using paleopathological and stable isotope analyses. The necropolis was initially dated by archeologists between the XI and XII centuries AD and contains 57 individuals. The main objective of this study was to investigate the diet and the chronology of these individuals to improve the understanding not only of the diet but also of the population dynamics in an isolated rural site. The isotopic composition of their rib bone collagen was determined. δ 15 N values ranged between 9.3‰ and 11.5‰, with a mean of 10.3 + 0.5‰ (AIR), while δ 13 C values ranged between -17.6‰ and -19.0‰ with a mean of -18.2 + 0.4‰ (V-PDB). Radiocarbon results dated the individuals to between the XI and mid-XIII century. The stable isotopic results suggest a mixed terrestrial diet dominated by C 3 cereals but including also animal products (e.g. meat and dairy products). Isotopic differences between sexes may be related more closely to social (patrilineal pattern of pairing) and biodemographical (lower female life expectancy) factors than dietary gender differences.

We studied an osteological sample from the pre-Roman/Celtic necropolis of Seminario Vescovile of Verona (Italy), dated to the 3rd to 1st century BCE and attributed to the Cenomani Gauls population. The sample is mostly composed of well-preserved infants in their first months and years of life. In this study we combined isotopic (δ 15 N and δ 13 C) and anthropological evidence with the aim of investigating infant feeding practices in non-adult samples. 36 non-adults were selected and divided into seven age phases. The isotopic composition of their rib bone collagen was determined and related to the mean values of adults (n = 54) and animals (n = 7). δ 15 N values ranged between 7.1‰ and 12.9‰ (AIR), with a mean of 10.2‰ ( ± 1.5‰), while δ 13 C values ranged between -20.2‰ and -9.7‰ (V-PDB), with a mean of -15.3‰ ( ± 2.5‰). These results indicate the initiation of transitional feeding around six months. Significantly high δ 15 N values in some infants up to two years old suggests prolonged breast-milk consumption. In comparison with the δ 15 N and δ 13 C data from the adult females (n = 21), considered as potential mothers, these infants clearly show the effect of breastfeeding on trophic level (δ 15 N enriched between 1.8 and 3.3‰).

Little is known about the types of social organization characterizing the pre-Roman Celtic populations of Italy. Here, we explore the funerary variability characterizing the late Iron Age site of Seminario Vescovile (SV: Verona, Italy, 3 rd -1 st c. BC), and test its possible correlation to diet and relative exposure to developmental stressors. Patterns on funerary treatment (N = 125), δ 13 C and δ 15 N (N = 90), and linear enamel hypoplasia (N = 47) from SV are compared, and their possible association with sex and age-at-death further discussed. Results point to the presence at SV of variable funerary customs while at the same time demonstrating a rather homogenous diet and exposure to developmental stressors: funerary treatment is mainly correlated to age-at-death but do not appear to be associated to either isotopic patterns or hypoplasia frequencies. Accordingly, even if some weak social differentiation may have characterized the individuals buried at SV, this was not reflected in markedly differing living conditions. Our study is the first to attempt an exploration of the links between age, sex, funerary variability, and diet in a pre-Roman Celtic community from Italy. While highlighting the potential of a multifaceted approach in bioarcheology, it also points to a series of analytical and theoretical issues relevant when trying to disentangle the cultural and biological dimensions of social differentiation in the past.

Study of the human remains of King Pedro I of Castile (1334-1369), his wife Queen Maria of Padilla (c. 1334-1361), and three other members of his family offered the possibility to investigate the diet of an elite in the medieval Iberian Peninsula by analyzing δ 15 N and δ 13 C values in collagen samples of their bones. Two medieval archaeological samples were selected for comparative purposes: a Christian sample (n=5) from Palacios de la Sierra (Burgos), and a Muslim sample (n=5) from La Torrecilla (Granada). Results obtained were compared with published data on other medieval populations of the Iberian Peninsula with the aim of improving knowledge on the diet of medieval populations, especially elite groups. Differences in the consumption of C3 and C4 plants were observed between Christians and Muslims, as previously reported. δ 15 N values indicated social class differences. The diet of the royal family was characterized by mainly C3 plants and an extremely high animal protein intake characteristic of carnivores. These results are consistent with historical data on the life circumstances of this family.

During the transition from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages, the Roman Empire dissolved in the West and medieval empires were founded. There has been much discussion about the role that migration played in this transition. This is especially true for the formation of the Baiuvariian tribe and the founding of this tribal dukedom, which took place from the 5th to the 6th century in what is now Southern Bavaria (Germany). In this study, we aimed to determine the extent of immigration during the beginning of this transformation and to shed further light on its character. To achieve this goal, we analyzed stable isotope values of strontium, carbon, and nitrogen from the teeth and bones of over 150 human remains from Southern Germany, dating from around 500 AD. This group of individuals included women with cranial modifications (ACD) which can be found sporadically in the burial grounds of this period. Our results showed an above-average migration rate for both men and women in the secon...

During the Iron Age, north-eastern Iberian communities relied on crop cultivation and animal husbandry for their subsistence. The latter was mainly focused on caprine, with sheep being prominent due to their suitability to the Mediterranean climate, orography, and environment. Despite the pivotal role of sheep in livestock husbandry, information on Iberian communities' feeding strategies for this species is limited. To address this lacuna, this study investigates the livestock feeding habits at four Catalan sites dating back to the 3rd century BC: Mas Castellar de Pontós, Tossal de Baltarga, Sant Esteve d'Olius, and Turó de la Rovira. Bulk carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) of bone collagen and sequential carbon and oxygen analyses (δ 13 C and δ 18 O) of dental enamel were performed on 74 remains (43 bones, 31 teeth) from 51 sheep. Additionally, 153 bone remains from other domestic and wild species from the four sites were analysed. Our results revealed the complex and adaptive livestock feeding strategies of Iron Age Iberian populations. Sheep exhibited minimal diet variations, mainly consuming C 3 plants across the four sites. Nevertheless, their feeding habits changed seasonally depending on pasture availability and settlement requirements. The other main domestic species were subject to individualised and variable feeding strategies within the same settlement. This diversified feeding management unveiled the complex and adaptive nature of the husbandry practices employed by Iron Age Iberian communities. Finally, the extensive number of remains analysed provides the first data on livestock feeding strategies for the Middle/Late Iron Age in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Animal diet • Stable isotopes • δ 13 C and δ 18 O tooth bioapatite • Bone collagen δ 13 C and δ 15 N values • Iron Age communities • NE Iberian Peninsula * Chiara Messana

We present data on carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of human bones from Tolombón (Calchaqui Valley, Salta) and Esquina de Huajra (Quebrada de Humahuaca, Jujuy) sites located in Northwest Argentina (NWA). Both are complex archaeological residential settlements ascribed to the Regional Development Period (ca. 900–1430 A.D.), the Inca Period (ca. 1430–1536 A.D.), and the Early Colonial Period (ca. 1536–1600 A.D.). Twelve samples of human bones were collected and analyzed, including remains from individuals of both sexes and different ages at death. We also present the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of modern plants from nearby areas in order to start building an isotopic ecology of the area and compile available information on food consumption from different lines of evidence. The isotopic results obtained reveal the consumption of C4 plants, which for the area are maize and amaranth, combined with animal proteins. The integration of these results with the broader dat...

As a mixed society in which Muslims, Christians and Jews coexisted, the cultural landscape of medieval Al-Andalus offers considerable potential for study. As a contribution to this rich field, this paper explores the impact of social and religious differences on childhood dietary life histories. To achieve this, we apply the first carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of sequential dentine for the medieval Al-Andalus region. The first molars of 11 individuals from two sites in northeastern Spain, Balaguer (urban Muslim cemetery, 8th-12th) and Santa Coloma d' Àger (rural Christian necropolis, 6th-11th), were analysed, from which details of weaning practices and childhood diets were reconstructed, and food consumption patterns by sex, age, religion and setting (urban/rural) were examined. The results indicate a preference for C 3-based foods such as wheat and barley in early child-rearing practices for both Muslims and Christians, with C 4-foods occasionally consumed. No significant gender differences were observed. Nevertheless, differences between the urban Balaguer and rural Santa Coloma d' Àger highlight the critical role of socioeconomic factors and resource accessibility. The more consistent reliance on C 3-based foods and higher δ 15 N values at Balaguer likely reflect greater food availability and/or different agricultural practices associated with an urban setting. In contrast, Santa Coloma d' Àger's rural background may have led to a stronger dependence on locally available resources, sometimes overriding even religious dietary norms, reflecting the interplay of societal structure and contextual constraints in medieval Al-Andalus.

Isotopic analyses of human bones in a search for ancient
individual and community-specific dietary habits are
becoming increasingly common in Greek archaeology,
highlighting dominant dietary items but also absent or
under-consumed ones. Fish and marine molluscs fall in
the latter category having been, in this region, largely
undetected isotopically. At the same time, accumulated
conventional zooarchaeological studies of fish bone and
molluscan remains from sites of wide chronological and
geographical distribution suggest a constant and, at places,
intense consumption of aquatic foods. The two sets of data,
isotopic and zooarchaeological, offer an apparently contradictory
picture. This paper provides a critical review of the
current state of research in the context of Prehistoric,
mostly Bronze Age Aegean. Additionally, it explores possible
ways to achieve nuanced, in-depth understanding of
the exploitation of aquatic, mostly marine, food resources,
combining the methodologies and findings of both
approaches. It elaborates on certain methodological and
interpretational issues, and it suggests possible directions
for future research. The combined analysis of the available
data suggests that both geographical and social factors may
have affected fish consumption in the past. It becomes
clear, however, that to be able to offer meaningful and
secure evaluations in a time and site-specific manner, we
need targeted, high quality excavation data that would
provide the context of analysis. We would also need
detailed publication of human and fish isotopic comparative
data and fish and molluscan archaeological remains.

Major migration events in Holocene Eurasia have been characterized genetically at broad regional scales . However, insights into the population dynamics in the contact zones are hampered by a lack of ancient genomic data sampled at high spatiotemporal resolution . Here, to address this, we analysed shotgun-sequenced genomes from 100 skeletons spanning 7,300 years of the Mesolithic period, Neolithic period and Early Bronze Age in Denmark and integrated these with proxies for diet ( 13 C and 15 N content), mobility ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio) and vegetation cover (pollen). We observe that Danish Mesolithic individuals of the Maglemose, Kongemose and Ertebølle cultures form a distinct genetic cluster related to other Western European hunter-gatherers. Despite shifts in material culture they displayed genetic homogeneity from around 10,500 to 5,900 calibrated years before present, when Neolithic farmers with Anatolian-derived ancestry arrived. Although the Neolithic transition was delayed by more than a millennium relative to Central Europe, it was very abrupt and resulted in a population turnover with limited genetic contribution from local hunter-gatherers. The succeeding Neolithic population, associated with the Funnel Beaker culture, persisted for only about 1,000 years before immigrants with eastern Steppe-derived ancestry arrived. This second and equally rapid population replacement gave rise to the Single Grave culture with an ancestry profile more similar to present-day Danes. In our multiproxy dataset, these major demographic events are manifested as parallel shifts in genotype, phenotype, diet and land use.

Resumen Las investigaciones llevadas a cabo en la última década por el Proyecto Arqueológico Sierra Alta de Sonora y el Programa Protección Técnica y Legal de Zonas Arqueológicas del Centro inah Sonora, han proporcionado información valiosa sobre los antiguos o'ob (pimas) y pobladores de la Cultura Casas Grandes que habitaron en la vertiente occidental de la Sierra Madre Occidental. Se han recuperado cuerpos momifi cados, semi-momifi cados y esqueletizados, cuyo análisis osteológico y bioquímico han dado algunas claves para inferir movimientos poblacionales a través de montañas y cañadas de la región noreste del estado de Sonora. Uno de los sitios, Cueva de Ochoa, contiene una casa en acantilado donde se recuperaron varios individuos que han sido fechados; uno de ellos, Oqui, posiblemente no nació en el lugar que murió. Lo mismo podemos decir de uno de los individuos recuperados de la Covacha Cueva La Yaqui, catalogado como fardo número 3, cuya tomografía y análisis bioquímico también indica que su lugar de nacimiento fue distinto a la Sierra Madre Occidental. Los anteriores son algunos de los ejemplos presentados en este artículo que constituyen evidencias biológicas sobre el movimiento poblacional a través de la Sierra Madre Occidental en el Noroeste de México, soportando propuestas arqueológicas planteadas desde décadas atrás. Palabras clave: isótopos estables, arqueología, bioarqueología, Sierra Madre Occidental, cultura Casas Grandes.

When John Lubbock, soon after the publication of his agenda-setting book Prehistoric times, which had defined the terms Neolithic and Palaeolithic (Lubbock 1865), began his excavations at Parc le Breos Cwm on the Gower peninsula in association with local landowner and magnate Henry Hussey Vivian (later Lord Swansea), they were visited by Lord Dunraven and a party from the already well established Cambrian Archaeological Association (Lubbock et al. 1887). It was Dunraven's second presidency of the Cambrians. He was an Anglo-Irish peer, erstwhile MP for Glamorganshire, and with wide interests including spiritualism and archaeology, especially in Ireland; his mother was a Glamorganshire heiress, and his son and successor was to become a glamorous war correspondent. Lubbock's book had ranged widely over the then available evidence in western Europe, covering megaliths and Swiss lake villages alike; one important case study was of the West Kennet long barrow (Lubbock 1865, chapter 5). The 1869 excavation at Parc le Breos Cwm represented a powerful combination of intellectual and social prominence, focused on a site in south Wales. A long time later, at the turn of this millennium, a series of thought-provoking papers observed that the study of the Neolithic in Britain had come to be dominated by narratives from Wessex and Orkney (Barclay 2000; 2001), or in another version, by narratives from Wessex and two satellites, in Orkney and on the Yorkshire Wolds (Barclay 2004, 152; cf. Champion 1996). Lubbock would surely have been surprised by this perspective. Whether or not things were ever quite so lop-sided as Gordon Barclay argued is for historiographical debate elsewhere. Now the Neolithic evidence across Britain is certainly much more evenly distributed, as recent syntheses demonstrably testify (e.g.

Un equipo de arqueologos bajo la direccion del doctor Saburo Sugiyama (Aichi Prefectural University) y el arqueologo Ruben Cabrera Castro (INAH) recientemente practicaron excavaciones alrededor y dentro de la Piramide de la Luna en Teotihuacan. Encontraron una camara rustica en el interior de la cuarta etapa constructiva (fase Tzacualli) de la piramide. Dentro de la camara estaban depositados varios objetos y restos de animales que formaron parte de una rica ofrenda.

This study presents sulfur isotope compositions (δ 34 S) for plants grown in a series of growth chamber and field experiments under controlled conditions. Maize, beans, and squash fertilized with a marine fertilizer (seabird guano) were significantly enriched in 34 S relative to the unfertilized control plants (by +4.0 to +7.2‰) in the growth chamber experiments. No 34 S enrichment was detected in the plants from the field experiment, which likely relates to the recent use of ammonium sulfate fertilizer in these fields and the retention of residual sulfate with a comparatively low δ 34 S. The field experiment provided a basis to estimate the apparent fractionation between soil and plant S associated with uptake and assimilation (Δ 34 S), which ranged between -4 and -6‰ depending on the taxon and tissue. The use of marine fertilizers has the capacity to increase plant δ 34 S values and complicate quantitative reconstructions of ancient diet based on bulk stable isotope data.

In this paper we summarise the available human radiocarbon dates and stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope data for the Mesolithic of Northern Spain. This reinforces a strong division between inland and coastal locations, with the two separated by a distance of as little as ca. 10 km. There is considerable time depth to this division, which appears to exist from at least the second half of the eighth millennium BC, representing the region’s earliest Holocene human results. We also present new δ13C and δ15N data for terrestrial fauna from the inland site of Los Canes, as well as for a small number of marine and estuarine fish species from coastal sites.