Reconstructing childhood and adulthood diets from a Caribbean population using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of dentin and bone collagen

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish stable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotope signatures for the 43 individuals in this study population using bone and dentin collagen, and extrapolate the isotopic data to dietary regimes using historical and archaeological evidence as indirect baseline data. This research used stable isotope analysis to reconstruct the diets of 43 individuals recovered from the archaeological site of Sainte-Marguerite on the island of Guadeloupe in the West Indies. This site was excavated in response to severe erosion that threatened it.