Hunter-gatherer mobility strategies and resource use based on strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis: a case study from Middle Holocene Lake Baikal, Siberia

In order to test the previously formulated hypotheses regarding mobility and resource procurement strategies practiced by Middle Holocene Glazkovo foragers in the Baikal region of Siberia, stable strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis was applied to human remains from the Bronze Age Khuzhir-Nuge XIV cemetery. The main goal was to differentiate between two alternative models: one based on resource acquisition within a relatively large territorial range encompassing most of the Cis-Baikal area, and the other involving a smaller annual range mainly confined to specific micro-regions. A secondary goal was to explore inter-individual variability in strontium ratios, and potential sociocultural correlates. Interpretation of the human data involved assessment of the biologically available strontium isotope ratios, tissue biology, trophic level effect, species-specific Sr-catchment, composition of human diet, sharing of resources, and mobility-related technology. The results indicate a considerable degree of intra- and inter-individual variability in strontium isotope ratios and long-term foraging territories focusing on the west coast of Lake Baikal but including other parts of the Baikal region.