Isotope studies of human remains from Mayutian, Yunnan Province, China

In order to examine human mobility during the first millennium BC in the Red River region of Southeast Asia, we examine strontium and stable isotopes in human dental enamel from the Mayutian site. We here report the initial results from this area. Local individuals have 87Sr/86Sr values of 0.7096 ± 0.0003. The highest status individual of Mayutian is distinctly different (0.7066) suggesting a geographic origin further northwest, possibly near Dali. Stable isotopes reveal a mixture of C3 and C4 resources in the diet and indicate that they did not have an agricultural strategy that was dominated by either millet or rice.