Stable isotopes and diet in complex hunter-gatherers of Paraná River Basin, South America

This paper discusses isotopic analyses carried out on human bone samples corresponding to complex hunter-gatherers from the Paraná River basin in northeastern Argentina. Based on the δ15N and δ13C values obtained, the dietary patterns of 23 individuals recovered from pre-Hispanic archaeological site...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Ottalagano, Flavia Vanina, Loponte, Daniel Marcelo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/71546
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/71546
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Complex Hunter-Gatherers
Late Holocene
Maize
South American Archaeology
Stable Isotopes
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.1
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6
Descripción
Sumario:This paper discusses isotopic analyses carried out on human bone samples corresponding to complex hunter-gatherers from the Paraná River basin in northeastern Argentina. Based on the δ15N and δ13C values obtained, the dietary patterns of 23 individuals recovered from pre-Hispanic archaeological sites of the Late Holocene are characterized. These sites are associated with the archaeological unit generically called Goya-Malabrigo, which is identified in South America over the entire middle basin of the Paraná River and on a part of the lower river. The values obtained show diets based on depleted δ13C proteins linked to the C3 photosynthetic pathway, which is in turn consistent with the isotopic values detected in the main food sources of these human groups: freshwater fishes and continental mammals. The δ15N values and the results of a multivariate model also indicate a low consumption of plant foods. Although archaeobotanical information from the area has reported maize and other cultigens, the diet of the individuals studied was based on animal proteins, especially on freshwater fish. Moreover, the intake of maize was not isotopically detectable in the human bones analyzed.