Stable isotopes, diet, and taphonomy: a look at using isotope-based dietary reconstructions to infer differential survivorship in zooarchaeological assemblages

Archaeology has always faced the problem of making informed inferences based on an incomplete record. Zooarchaeological studies of prehistoric hunting and diet offer a clear case in point, where a range of behavioral and taphonomic factors can produce a substantial disconnect between what people actually captured and ate and what archaeologists recover and interpret. We explore this disconnect by presenting stable C and N data for wild faunas, archaeological maize, and three human burials from Fremont-period sites in southeastern Utah, the United States. We use these data to estimate faunal contributions to prehistoric diets and compare the results with previous zooarchaeological analyses of faunas from the same sites. Results for the two approaches differ sharply, with isotopic estimates showing much higher contributions of small and lowland game. We discuss these results in terms of both local prehistory and wider issues of taphonomy and dietary analysis.

► Dietary reconstructions from Parowan Valley show high-maize consumption.
► Range of reliance mirrors Anasazi and Basketmaker data from similar areas.
► Faunas show substantial reliance on smaller lagomorphs and lowland resources.
► These data differ from traditional zooarchaeological analysis.
► Analysis reveals both taphomomic impacts and a possible method for evaluating them.