Stable isotope analyses to assess human and animal mobility: some case studies from Argentina

CELESTE T. SAMEC

Colonia

Workshop; Types of Mobility in Pre- Modern Economies ? A Comparative Perspective; 2019

Universidad de Colonia

During the past five decades, stable isotope analyses have been used by archaeologists to address questions related to subsistence strategies and human diets in different areas of the globe and time periods. Moreover, the isotopic signals recorded in both human and animal tissues recovered at archaeological sites can also be used to address questions about origin and mobility since they also provide spatial information. This information is not only linked to the geographical availability (or not) of the resources consumed by past populations but also to the climatic and geological characteristics of the different geographical areas under analysis. In order to explore the potential of stable isotope analysis as a tool to address human and animal mobility in prehistoric contexts, this presentation will discuss some recent applications of these techniques in mountainous regions of Argentina in connection with themes such as pastoralism, long-distance trade, and colonization of new environments.