EAA 2022: Abstract

Strontium isotopic analysis (87Sr/86Sr) has dominated human mobility studies since the mid-1980s. While strontium allows researchers to identify movement between different lithologies, it can prove ineffective in regions with homogenous or overly heterogenous lithology. Additionally, the multi-isotope systems can often prove more effective in determinations of origin (e.g., 87Sr/86Sr with δ18O).
Sulphur isotopic analysis (δ34S) is proving increasingly useful in archaeological case studies due to an ever-improving understanding of sulphur isotope variability within ecosystems, recent innovations in mass spectrometry, and its potential to infer aspects of both diet and movement histories in the past. Sulphur isotopic variation across landscapes is correlated with lithology and is strongly influenced by the coastline and the sea spray effect allowing researchers the potential to identify mobility through variations in geology but (perhaps more so) also with changes in distance from the coastline. When combined with strontium isotope analysis, sulphur isotopes have the potential to allow exploration of individual movement histories and to infer species-specific spatial behaviours.
This project aims to explore the potentials in multi-isotopic analysis and isoscapes to reconstruct Late Pleistocene herbivore spatial ecology. Focusing on combining strontium with sulphur isotopic analysis, this project is being approached in three phases: 1) the development and refining of a sulphur isoscape for the Dordogne, France; 2) application of sulphur isotope analyses to faunal remains (bone and dentine) from Middle and Upper Palaeolithic study sites in the Dordogne and 3) the integration of sulphur isotope data with laser ablation strontium isotope data from the same fauna. Furthermore, this project will also focus on best methods to establish a sulphur isoscape and how to meaningfully interpret sulphur results when combined with strontium.

Strontium isotopic analysis, Sulphur isotopic analysis, Late Pleistocene, Herbivore spatial ecology

Oral presentation

  Abstract (PDF)

Sarah Barakat¹

Elodie-Laure Jimenez^1,3
Mael Le Corre¹
Vaughan Grimes²
Emmanuel Discamps⁴
Kate Britton¹