Biogeochemical Approaches to Paleodietary Analysis

by Stanley H. Ambrose (Editor), M. Anne Katzenberg (Editor)

Overview

The study of human diet brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds ranging from modern human nutrition and biochemistry to the geochemistry of fossilized bones and teeth. The contributions to this volume grow out of the Fourth Advanced Seminar on Paleodiet and provide a forum for scholars with common interests to discuss the latest advances and interpretations and chart future directions for paleodietry research.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306471940
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	04/18/2006
Series:	Advances in Archaeological and Museum Science , #5
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	11 MB
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Table of Contents

Bone Chemistry, Food and History: A Case Study from 19th Century Upper Canada.- Diet and Animal Husbandry of the Preclassic Maya at Cuello, Belize: Isotopic and Zooarchaeological Evidence.- An Overview of Causes for Stable Isotopic Variations in Past European Human Populations: Environmental, Ecophysiological, and Cultural Effects.- Preservation of Isotopic Signals (13C, 15N)_in Pleistocene Mammals.- Preservation of Biogenic Carbon Isotopic Signals in Plio-Pleistocene Bone and Tooth Mineral.- Tooth Oxygen Isotope Ratios As Paleoclimate Monitors In Arid Ecosystems.- Quantifying Histological and Chemical Preservation in Archaeological Bone.- The Use and Abuse of Trace Elements for Paleodietary Research.- Modeling Protein Diagenesis in Ancient Bone: Towards a Validation of Stable Isotope Data.- Some Biochemical Aspects of Carbon Isotopic Paleodiet Studies.- “Consider a Spherical Cow ?” — on Modeling and Diet.- Controlled Diet and Climate Experiments on Nitrogen Isotope Ratios of Rats.

Editorial Reviews

The 12 contributions in this volume arose from a September 1994 advanced seminar held in Banff that presented advances in studying past diet through bone chemistry. Most of the authors apply various principles of stable isotope and trace element analyses to questions of reconstructing past diet and subsistence. The papers reflect the increasing use of bone and tooth carbonate as a source of stable carbon isotopes, an emphasis on ecological considerations as they relate to diet reconstruction, and attempts to model the course of ingested nutrients and their resulting chemical signatures. Topics include a case study from 19th century upper Canada, diet and animal husbandry of the preclassic Maya in Belize, and controlled diet and climate experiments on nitrogen isotope ratios of rats. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

‘This edited volume makes several significant contributions to the area of paleodietary studies through bio-geographical techniques and is a "must have" for individuals who study paleodiet. '
American Antiquity, 67:1 (2002)
'[...] this book is a welcome addition to the growing corpus of edited volumes on the subject. [..]collected here are solid, timely contributions by experts in the field. It is therefore highly recommended to students of paleodiet and bone chemistry and absolutely to any library worth its salt.'
Journal of Anthropological Research 58, (2002)

From the Publisher