Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene Migratory Behavior of Ungulates Using Isotopic Analysis of Tooth Enamel and Its Effects on Forager Mobility.
Zooarchaeological and paleoecological investigations have traditionally been unable to reconstruct the ethology of herd animals, which likely had a significant influence on the mobility and subsistence strategies of prehistoric humans. In this paper, we reconstruct the migratory behavior of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and caprids at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the northeastern Adriatic region using stable oxygen isotope analysis of tooth enamel. The data show a significant change in δ18O values from the Pleistocene into the Holocene, as well as isotopic variation between taxa, the case study sites, and through time. We then discuss the implications of seasonal faunal availability as determining factors in human mobility patterns.
Department of Anthropology and Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America.
Suzanne E
SE
Pilaar Birch
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Preston T
PT
Miracle
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Rhiannon E
RE
Stevens
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.|McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Tamsin C
TC
O'Connell
D025041:Animal Migration / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D003670:Deer / Q000502:physiology*; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005580:Fossils; D049690:History, Ancient; D063426:Human Migration; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals; D010103:Oxygen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
D010103:Oxygen Isotopes