Isotopic Landscapes in Bioarchaeology

Gisela Grupe, George C. McGlynn (Herausgeber)

Buch | Softcover

XII, 238 Seiten

2018 | 1. Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2016
Springer Berlin (Verlag)
978-3-662-56917-7 (ISBN)

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This work takes a critical look at the current concept of isotopic landscapes ("isoscapes") in bioarchaeology and its application in future research. It specifically addresses the research potential of cremated finds, a somewhat neglected bioarchaeological substrate, resulting primarily from the inherent osteological challenges and complex mineralogy associated with it. In addition, for the first time data mining methods are applied. The chapters are the outcome of an international workshop sponsored by the German Science Foundation and the Centre of Advanced Studies at the Ludwig-Maximilian-University in Munich. Isotopic landscapes are indispensable tracers for the monitoring of the flow of matter through geo/ecological systems since they comprise existing temporally and spatially defined stable isotopic patterns found in geological and ecological samples. Analyses of stable isotopes of the elements nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, strontium, and lead are routinely utilized in bioarchaeologyto reconstruct biodiversity, palaeodiet, palaeoecology, palaeoclimate, migration and trade. The interpretive power of stable isotopic ratios depends not only on firm, testable hypotheses, but most importantly on the cooperative networking of scientists from both natural and social sciences. Application of multi-isotopic tracers generates isotopic patterns with multiple dimensions, which accurately characterize a find, but can only be interpreted by use of modern data mining methods.

Unanswered Questions in the Evolution of Biomineralization.- Complexities of the Ancient Mortuary Rite of Cremation: An Osteoarchaeological Conundrum.- Bones, Rocks, and Flames: Mineralogy and Petrology of Slags and Cremated Bones from Ritual Immolation Sites in Tyrol.- Radiocarbon Dating of Cremated Finds: An Overview.- Mineralogic Characterisation of Archaeological Bone.- Assessing the 'local' ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr Ratio for Humans.- Determination of Geo-dependent Bio-available ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr Isotopic Ratios for Archaeoelogical Sites from the Inn Valley (Austria) - a Model Calculation.- Provenancing Bronze: Exclusion, Inclusion, Uniqueness, and Occam's Razor.- Linking Oxygen Isotopes of Animal-bone Phosphate with Altimetry - Results from Archaeological Finds from a Transect in the Alps.- Oxygen and Hydrogen Stable Isotopes in Earth's Hydrologic Cycle.- Toward an Integrated Isotope Zooarchaeology.- Assigning Elephant Ivory with Stable Isotopes.- Towards Predicting Places of Origin from Isotopic Fingerprints - A case study on the Mobility of People in the Central European Alps.

Erscheinungsdatum	20.07.2018
Zusatzinfo	XII, 238 p. 87 illus., 41 illus. in color.
Verlagsort	Berlin
Sprache	englisch
Maße	155 x 235 mm
Gewicht	3869 g
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Archäologie
	Informatik ► Datenbanken ► Data Warehouse / Data Mining
	Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geologie
	Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Mineralogie / Paläontologie
Schlagworte	Anthropology • Bioarchaeology • Biomineralization • cremation • Isotopic Landscapes • Migration • Mineralogy • Radiocarbon Dating
ISBN-10	3-662-56917-5 / 3662569175
ISBN-13	978-3-662-56917-7 / 9783662569177
Zustand	Neuware