Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Stable Carbon And Nitrogen Isotope Ratios Of Surface Food Residues In Pre-Columbian Ceramics From The Southern Pacific Region Of Costa Rica As Evidence Of Prehistoric Human Diets, Maureen Sanchez, Sally P Horn, Chad S. Lane

Geography Publications and Other Works

ABSTRACT: Introduction: to understand and interpret the consumption of plants and animals by humans in the past requires the investigation of different lines of evidence. Identifiable macroscopic remains of plants and animals, for example seeds and bones, are frequently found at archaeological sites and provide key data on food resources. Their analysis is complemented by the study of pollen grains or phytoliths of cultivated plants within archaeological horizons or in sediment cores recovered from lakes and wetlands near archaeological sites. Another important source of information on human diets in the past consists of food residues preserved in or on artefacts …