Diet and landscape use at Faraoskop from C, N and Sr isotopes in multiple skeletal tissues

Abstract

The isotopic composition of body tissues can provide information about diet and patterns of movement or migration during life. Here, we report δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analyses for a small sample of fauna and for the 12 humans buried at Faraoskop, and make inferences about how these people ranged across the landscape as they hunted and foraged. δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values for collagen from cortical and cancellous bone and (for two individuals) desiccated muscle tissue are similar, reflecting consumption of isotopically similar, mostly terrestrial foods throughout life. Not all individuals had teeth preserved but for five we were able to measure ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in tooth enamel in an earlier- and a later-forming tooth. Where possible, teeth were analysed near the occlusal surface, half-way up the height of the crown and near the dentine/enamel junction, to assess variation during the period of crown formation. Only one of the five (UCT 394) showed significant intra-individual variation in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, between 0.6 and 3.5 years of age. Two individuals yielded enamel ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr like the geologically recent sediments of the coastal plain to the west of Faraoskop, while three individuals had values intermediate between the coastal plain and the more ancient shales and sandstones of the Table Mountain Group to the east. As young children, people buried at Faraoskop ranged over different areas of the local landscape, probably as part of different social groups.