Reassessing the late prehistory of the semiarid north of Chile
Diet, mobility, and chronology of individuals buried at El Olivar
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7365464 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paola González Carvajal (0000-0003-4915-7052, Ministerio de Obras Públicas (Chile), Sociedad Chilena de Arqueología), Aryel Pacheco (0000-0002-5569-2281, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom, OSTeam SpA), Alejandro Clarot (Pelícano Consultores) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 67 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1-11 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-03 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Radiocarbon (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-8222 • E-ISSN: 1945-5755 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/rdc.2025.22 |
| OpenAlex | W4411001894 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 13 |
The recovery of nearly 250 burials at the El Olivar site provided the opportunity to address questions regarding the groups inhabited coastal settings of the semiarid north of Chile between the 800 and 1540 AD. Stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen were analyzed from 60 human samples. Radiocarbon ( 14 C) analyses were conducted in 20 samples from camelids and 42 human samples. Subsequently, a sample of 25 individuals exhibiting diagnostic cultural features of the Las Ánimas Cultural Complex (LACC) and the Chilean Diaguita Culture (CDC) was selected for the purpose of assessing differences in their diet and mobility and clarifying their chronology. The δ 13 C and δ 15 N values obtained revealed the existence of a small group of individuals (n=6) with a diet based on C 3 plants and terrestrial protein, and another major group (n=33) with values compatible with the consumption of C 4 plants and marine resources. Four of the six individuals of the small group presented Ánimas diagnostic features, and in the major group were identified both Ánimas and Diaguita individuals. The δ 18 O values exhibited a similarity between the Ánimas and Diaguita individuals, suggesting coastal-to-inland mobility in both groups. Calibrated 14 C dates indicate that El Olivar was occupied for a period of nearly 380 years, spanning between 1150 and 1536 AD, and that between the 1300 and 1400 AD, Ánimas and Diaguita individuals coexisted at El Olivar. These findings call into question the current thought that the CDC emerged from the LACC around 1000 AD, and that both represent different archaeological entities
Absolute dating · Archaeology · Chronology · Geography · Physical geography · Prehistory · Radiocarbon dating · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Geology
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The oxygen isotope relationship between the phosphate and structural carbonate fractions of human bioapatite
Maize ( Zea mays ) consumption in the southern andes (30°–31° S. Lat)
Isotopes and red herrings
Marine20—The Marine Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curve (0–55,000 cal BP)
Bayesian Analysis of Radiocarbon Dates
SHCal20 Southern Hemisphere Calibration, 0–55,000 Years cal BP
Oxygen isotope fractionation between human phosphate and water revisited
Compound-specific amino acid isotopic proxies for distinguishing between terrestrial and aquatic resource consumption
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |