Sulphur isotope analysis of modern and archaeological animal remains from marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems on the west coast of Canada

• Applicant: Dr. Olaf Nehlich
• Subject Area: Evolution, Anthropology
• Term: from 2011 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 192624216

The analysis of sulphur isotopes in archaeological materials is a novel and potentially powerful tool for the reconstruction of ancient ecosystems, diets and environments. As with other stable isotope approaches, before sulphur isotope analysis can become routine in archaeological research there is clear need for hypothesis-driven research in areas including marine, freshwater and terrestrial foodwebs. The rich coastal zones of western Canada represent one such opportunity as the area includes all three of these ecosystems. Furthermore, archaeological evidence demonstrates hunter-gatherer populations exploited all three ecosystems throughout the Holocene, allowing modern and ancient environments to be directly compared. This project will centre around four main case studies which will all make significant contributions to our understanding of sulphur isotope systematics: These include reconstruction of marine mammal behavioural ecology using sulphur isotopes (first preliminary results are shown); a study of the diachronic changes of sulphur isotopic signatures in migratory fish species; an assessment of the interaction between sulphur isotopes of freshwater and terrestrial environments; and the reconstruction of an archaeological estuarine ecosystem through sulphur isotope analysis. The synthesis of this data will not only contribute greatly to stable isotope research, but will also result in a more comprehensive view of hunter-gatherer diets in the area, and the changing influence of the local environments of the subsistence strategies of contemporary human populations. This study will combine multiple disciplines (ecology, archaeology and anthropology) to increase our knowledge of hunter-gatherer societies with large implications for other important archaeological questions.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Canada
• Host: Professor Dr. Michael Richards