Under the direction of Dr. Douglas Price, Mr. Joseph Ezzo will conduct doctoral dissertation research. He will carry out chemical analysis on the approximately 270 human skeletons from the archaeological site of Grasshopper Pueblo, located in Arizona. He will reconstruct changes in the inhabitant's diet over time. To do this he will determine concentrations of trace elements such as strontium and calcium which reflect the relative amount of meat consumed. Analysis of carbon isotopic ratios will provide insight into the importance of plants such as maize in the diet. The Grasshopper site is important for several reasons. First occupied ca. A.D. 1295, it grew into a major prehistoric settlement but was suddenly abandoned about A.D. 1400. This same trend in mirrored in other sites in the region, and it is unclear to archaeologists what underlying process is responsible. Mr. Ezzo postulates that examining change in diet may shed light on this issue, because non-chemical analyses of human skeletal material suggest that subsistence related stresses may have grown severe as population density increased. Chemical analysis provides a new and complimentary approach to this question. Because Grasshopper is one of the best-known sites in North America - research has been conducted there for 27 consecutive field seasons - the comparative data base is excellent. Several benefits will result from this research. New light will be shed on a major prehistoric site, and our understanding of the mechanisms which govern the growth and decline of technologically simple populations will be increased. The project will also provide a test of the utility of such chemical based approaches and, finally, will assist in the training of a promising young scientist.
