Paleodietary trends in Late Holocene hunter-gatherers from southwestern La Pampa province, Argentina. First results from the Médano Petroquímica site through stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N).

IANNIELLO, IGNACIO LYNCH; ARRIETA, MARIO A.; BERNARDI, LILA; MENDONÇA, OSVALDO J.

QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019

1040-6182

The aim of this work is to explore general trends and intra-site variability in human paleodiet from Médano Petroquímica, a burial site created by pre-Hispanic hunter-gatherers and located in the southwest of La Pampa province, Argentina. Measurements of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) stable isotopes were performed on the human bone and tooth samples of 16 individuals from five of the burials identified in the site (EA, H4, H5, H6-1, and H7). The multivariate diet reconstruction model used indicates the consumption of land/terrestrial resources within a food web based mainly on C3 producers. The results suggest a relatively high trophic position for these individuals, which is consistent with a marked dependence on animal protein, particularly that of herbivores, such as Lama guanicoe, Rhea spp. (and/or its eggs), and omnivorous animals. A relatively greater dispersion observed in δ13Cap values in comparison with δ13Ccol and δ15N values is partially attributed here to greater intra-site variability in the non-protein portion of diet relative to the protein component.