Prehistoric Human Bone: Archaeology At The Molecular Level

Locked up within human bone are tantalizing clues concerning
the diets consumed by ancient peoples. On the one hand the
amounts of certain elementsin bone (strontium, zinc) serve
as measures of protein, fiber, and calcium intake. On the
other hand, the ratios of carbon isotopes and of nitrogen
isotopes provide information on questions of fish vs. meat,
herbivore vs. carnivore, or (for animals) browser (shrubs)
vs. grazer (grasses). Such information can provide a window
on many aspects of prehistoric cultures and can supplement
the nonskeletal archaeological record. In addition to these
two approaches, the biochemical record in bone from protein
and nucleic acids such as DNA serves as a source of
nondietary information such as genetic relationships. This
volume treats all three subjects.: elemental, isotopic, and
biochemical. The foremost experts in the areas provide
fundamental descriptions of the techniques, express their
concerns over the limitations of the methods, and describe
recent applications to archaeological studies.