Theme:
2. Archaeological Sciences, Humanities and the Digital era: Bridging the Gaps
Session format:
Session with keynote presentation and discussion
Title:
New Frontiers in Stable Isotope Research of Bioarchaeological Remains: Progress and Pitfalls
Content:
Stable isotope analysis on bioarchaeological remains is a powerful tool offering unprecedented insights into lifeways, economies, and environmental living conditions of ancient human populations. Advancements in analytical protocols and mass spectrometry, coupled with reduced costs of analysis, have increased awareness of isotopic proxies in archaeology. However, following exponential growth there is now increasing recognition of their inherent interpretative limitations.
As a result, isotopic research has necessitated venturing into new avenues of investigation. For example, compound-specific stable isotopes of collagen amino acids have proven effective in delineating the contributions of various dietary sources at a high resolution, mitigating well-known constraints associated with bulk analysis. Calcium and zinc stable isotopes measured in tooth enamel or bone bioapatite offer a valid alternative to detect specific food components. The meta-analysis of large volumes of isotopic measurements enhanced by advanced modelling tools, have enabled the exploration of past dynamics at different spatio-temporal scales. These examples represent just a glimpse of the ongoing developments in this evolving field.
Although great leaps have been made methodologically, it is essential to acknowledge that these novel techniques introduce new uncertainties, primarily due to our limited understanding of their fundamental mechanisms and the scarcity of comparative data. Additionally, the high costs and lengthy analysis times, coupled with a lack of readily available analytical facilities, pose considerable challenges.
In this session, we aim to promote a fruitful dialogue among archaeologists who are applying innovative isotopic approaches to address old and new archaeological questions. We aim not only to learn from successful applications but also to provide a platform for addressing emerging challenges associated with these new methodologies. This will foster a meaningful discussion regarding the past and future of the archaeological stable isotope research.
Keywords:
bioarchaeology, stable isotope analysis, advancements, amino acids, lifeways
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Silvia Soncin (Italy) 1
Co-organisers:
Carlo Cocozza (Germany) 2
Ricardo Fernandes (Germany) 2,3,4,5
Oliver Craig (United Kingdom) 6
Affiliations:
1. Department of Environmental Biology and Mediterranean bioArchaeological Research Advances (MAReA) centre, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
2. Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
3. Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
4. Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
5. Climate Change and History Research Initiative, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
6. BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
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