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.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/8336h434v

Share

 
COinS