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Scale of human mobility in northwestern Patagonia: An approach based on regional geology and strontium isotopes in human remains.
- Source :
-
Geoarchaeology . Jan2022, Vol. 37 Issue 1, p227-241. 15p. - Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- Strontium isotopes facilitate the study of human paleogeography and have widened the scope of archaeological enquiries on mobility. We present an approach based on strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) to study the mobility of hunter–gatherer societies from northwestern Patagonia (Neuquén, Argentina). The analysis is developed on the basis of a macro‐regional geological framework that guides the sampling and interpretation of results. We also present results for fauna to begin building a landscape of bioavailable strontium to be utilized in the interpretation of results from human samples. These first results conform to general expectations and show the most radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr values for the oldest geological provinces, while low values are recorded for recent substrates. Additionally, we provide results for human samples from archaeological sites spanning the last 4000 years, a period during which a number of important socio‐demographic changes occurred. The results in human samples indicate overall isotopic fidelity to the values recorded in the local geology, suggesting a relatively restricted spatial scale of mobility during the late Holocene. This discussion is situated in a biogeographic research framework assessing topographic variation and landscape seasonality, and contributes toward understanding the movements of people, flow of material objects, and circulation of information in the Patagonian Andes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 08836353
- Volume :
- 37
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Geoarchaeology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 154716469
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21881