Baseline bioavailable strontium isotope values for the investigation of residential mobility and resource-acquisition strategies in prehistoric Cambodia |
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| Authors: | L G Shewan R A Armstrong D O'Reilly |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia;2. Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia;3. School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Strontium (Sr) isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) measured in human skeletal material can increase one's understanding of the residential behaviour and resource-acquisition strategies of past populations. The paper maps bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr variation in 183 plant and soil samples across Cambodia. Bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr, as measured in plants, differs significantly between four major geological units. The data set will support future investigations of skeletal material from Cambodian archaeological sites. Baseline 87Sr/86Sr data should be applied judiciously to skeletal populations, and in concert with other lines of evidence, to identify potential geographical outliers rather than to ascribe specific locations from which individuals may have moved. |
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| Keywords: | Cambodia strontium isotopes baseline map paleomobility |
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