Intra-insular mobility and ancient human adaptations to restricted environments. Case study: strontium isotope analysis and the archaeology of Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Graduation Date
2016
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Other
Program
Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, Applied Anthropology, 2016
Committee Chair Name
Marisol Cortes-Rincon
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Keywords
Insular landscapes, Geoarchaeology, Canary Islands, Strontium, Lanzarote, Ancient settlement, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Anthropology
Abstract
Provenience of first Canary Islands populations is still a matter of dispute after a few centuries of enquiry. The amount of material culture exhibiting Classical Mediterranean craftsmanship alludes that the islands must have been populated earlier than previously thought. Several bioarchaeological techniques have shown the intricacies behind Canarian archaeology; methods such as the use of Carbon-14 dating have revealed dispersed chronologies throughout the archipelago. Mitochondrial DNA has shown substantial gene flow inherent in Canary islander, thus making it difficult to pinpoint ancestry through biomolecular studies. Trace element or stable isotope analyses have not yet been fully incorporated in the archaeological toolkit of the archipelago; specifically, the assay of stable isotopes of strontium (87Sr/86Sr) as a measurement to understand population mobility has not been exploited. Archaeology throughout the world is aware of the fruitful results the technique has yielded regarding ancient human and animal mobility. This research project focuses on understanding the viability of documenting the bioavailable ratios of 87Sr/86Sr in Lanzarote Island to tackle questions regarding migration, and the peopling of the Canaries. Knowing the signatures of 87Sr/86Sr in Lanzarote Island today provides a picture of the type of values that can be potentially found in the organic remains of pre-Hispanic insular communities. This study aims to demonstrate the possibility of adding an interdisciplinary method to the archaeological toolbox of the Canary Islands thus helping to augment the knowledge we have today about these extinct societies.
Recommended Citation
Cuello del Pozo, Paloma, "Intra-insular mobility and ancient human adaptations to restricted environments. Case study: strontium isotope analysis and the archaeology of Lanzarote, Canary Islands" (2016). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 1058.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/1058
https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/8336h434v