Six centuries of adaptation to a challenging island environment: AMS 14C dating and stable isotopic analysis of pre-Columbian human remains from the Bahamian archipelago reveal dietary trends

QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS

卷:254

Article

Schulting, Rick J.¹  Snoeck, Christophe^2,3  Pouncett, John¹  Brock, Fiona⁴  Ramsey, Christopher Bronk¹  Higham, Thomas¹  Deviese, Thibaut¹  Delancy, Kelly⁵  Pateman, Michael⁶  Keegan, William⁷  Ostapkowicz, Joanna¹ 

[1] Univ Oxford, Sch Archaeol, 1 South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3TG, England

[2] Vrije Univ Brussel, Dept Chem, Res Unit Analyt Environm & Geochem, AMGC We VUB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

[3] Univ Libre Bruxelles, G Time Lab, CP 160-02,50 Ave FD Roosevelt, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

[4] Cranfield Univ, Def Acad United Kingdom, Cranfield Forens Inst, Shrivenham SN6 8LA, England

[5] Antiqu Monuments & Museums Corp, Shirley St, Nassau Ee 15082, Bahamas

[6] Grand Bahama, AEX Bahamas Maritime Museum, Freeport, Bahamas

[7] Univ Florida, Florida Museum Nat Hist, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA

关键词: Carbon;    Nitrogen;    Strontium isotopes;    Resource over-exploitation;    Resilience;    Caribbean;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106780

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

The limestone islands of the Bahamian archipelago provide a challenging environment for human settlement, one that was not taken up until after AD 700. The analysis of human skeletal remains offers new insights into how this challenge was met. A substantial program of AMS C-14 dating on pre-Columbian humans (n = 66) provides a robust chronological framework for the period ca. AD 1000-1600, with the latter date suggesting the possible persistence of an indigenous Lucayan presence on the islands for some decades later than previously thought. Associated stable carbon (delta C-13) and nitrogen (delta N-15) isotope analyses imply an early focus on near-shore marine resources that seems to have rapidly led to their local over-exploitation, resulting in a shift towards horticulture based mainly on root crops. The Medieval Warm Period is very likely to have been a factor in the initial settlement of the islands; the impact of the Little Ice Age is less clear, with no marked changes in either delta C-13 or delta N-15. Strontium isotope results are consistent with an origin of most individuals within the archipelago, with a limited (but potentially important for maintaining connections) presence of incomers from the Greater Antilles, and perhaps even further afield. Despite the relatively short history of pre-Columbian occupation, Lucayan adaptations to the Bahamian archipelago were dynamic and demonstrate resilience in the face of both human resource depletion and climate change. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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