Pastoralism and Emergent Complex Settlement in the Middle Bronze Age, Azerbaijan

Isotopic analyses of mobility strategies in transformation

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8320187
AutoresSelin E Nugent (0000-0001-9346-7926, University of Oxford Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion Oxford UK, autor de correspondencia)
Año2020
Volumen171
Número1
Páginas120-141
Fecha de publicación2020-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.23956
PMID31688956
OpenAlexW2984073273
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas5
Referencias citadas87

OBJECTIVES: This article explores the scale and seasonal patterns of mobility at the complex settlement site of Qızqala during the Middle Bronze Age (2400-1,500 BCE). By integrating human bone, teeth, and environmental samples this research tests the hypothesis of the persistent importance of community-wide seasonal pastoral transhumance during the early formation of complex settlement systems of the South Caucasus. METHODS: This research applies stable oxygen and radiogenic strontium isotope analyses on incremental samples of human tooth enamel, bulk tooth enamel, and bone to resolve mobility patterns. Sequential and bulk sampling techniques elucidate seasonal and residential mobility behaviors. Extensive environmental isotope samples of plant and water were collected through regional survey and establish local and regional isotopic baselines, which are compared to human isotope analysis results. RESULTS: O values display erratic patterns, but correspond to seasonal variability with fluctuations between highland and lowland altitudinal zone baseline values. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that isotopic analysis of multiple elements and sequential enamel samples offers finer resolution on the complexities of human mobility strategies and elucidate the daily lives of often overlooked mobile populations. Higher resolution of individual mobility reveals shared routine behaviors that underscore the importance of diverse social collaborations in forming complex polities in the South Caucasus

Archaeology · Bronze · Bronze Age · Economics · Geography · Livestock · Pastoralism · Settlement (finance) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forestry · Geology · Marine and environmental studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology