title: Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic signatures of human dietary change in the Georgia Bight.
abstract: Measurement of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (delta 13C and delta 15N) in samples of human bone collagen (n = 93) from a temporal series of four prehistoric (early preagricultural, late preagricultural, early agricultural, late agricultural) and two historic (early contact, late contact) periods from the Georgia Bight, a continental embayment on the southeastern U.S. Atlantic coast, reveals a general temporal trend for less negative delta 13C values and less positive delta 15N values. This trend reflects a concomitant decrease in emphasis on marine resources and increased reliance on C4-based resources, especially maize. This dietary reorientation is most apparent for the early agricultural sample (AD 1150-1300), coinciding with the Mississippian fluorescence in the eastern United States. There is, however, a shift toward the use of C3 (non-maize) foods during the last prehistoric period (AD 1300-1450), which is likely related to environmental stress and social disruption. A heavier use of maize and terrestrial resources in general after the establishment of mission centers on barrier islands is indicated. A reduced dietary breadth during the mission period may have contributed to the extinction of these populations in the eighteenth century.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Schoeninger
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: van der Merwe
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lee-Thorp
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001106:Archaeology; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry*; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry*; D004032:Diet; D005845:Georgia; D015186:Hominidae; D006801:Humans; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D003094:Collagen