Under the direction of Dr. John Krigbaum, Bryan Tucker will analyze stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios from human teeth recovered from Archaic period (ca. 10,000 to 3,000 years ago) archaeological sites in northeastern Florida. From anthropology to zoology, analysis of light stable isotope ratios (e.g., 13C/12C and 18O/16O) in biological tissues has transformed how research is conducted and the types of research problems addressed. In archaeology, the bones and teeth that are frequently recovered through excavation can yield stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios that reflect past changes in ecology, diet and climate. Such methods are now well-established and provide a robust means to independently corroborate other lines of evidence inferred from the archaeological record.
The Archaic period in southeastern North America is characterized by hunter-gatherer populations who inhabited a variety of different ecological zones with a diverse dietary regime that varied seasonally. Most of the archaeological sites that characterize this period, however, are mortuary mound sites rather than habitation sites. Over the course of this period, some groups became increasingly sedentary, however, when and where they procured their food remains an open question. Tucker's work will develop new methods in stable isotope analysis to infer seasonal changes in human diet and ecology, thereby establishing human mobility patterns in prehistory.
Advances continue to be made in stable isotope analysis, particularly with respect to the spatial and temporal resolution of the analysis. This dissertation research will build on improvements in the isotopic sampling of teeth to provide a subannual, seasonal record of diet and ecology using stable carbon and oxygen isotopes, respectively. Specifically, Tucker will focus on the incremental growth lines of tooth enamel that form like clockwork in the human dentition. The isotopic ratios sampled at a given time during tooth enamel deposition will reflect the diet and ecology of that individual during the time of that tooth's formation. Through the analysis and sampling of tooth enamel in thin section, a more accurate record will be sampled that will allow seasonal ecological and cultural conditions to be inferred for each Archaic individual sampled.
This interdisciplinary research will contribute substantively to studies of regional prehistory and to methods employed in stable isotope analysis. Collaboration with archaeology colleagues, and publication in peer-reviewed journals and newsletters, public presentations and a presence on the web will all provide a means to communicate the findings of this research to the scientific community and the public at large. Further, the training of undergraduate students will foster their interests into these important and ground-breaking techniques.
