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.