OCR Text |
Show A Comparison of Microwear Analysis & Stable Carbon Isotopes to Reconstruct Prehistoric Fremont Indian Subsistence VI. A. Hatck & A. Nova EL. !>eps rtmenT of Anthn>poJ<^y, U n n tniiy ttf I! tati 'Jhsmigh .sCHnning elec^-on snitrosicopy, ileriJisl tnics-^vveas- iiaittrtiH on the <>oc!usisl surface &i molars are able to lend insight into the subsistence strategies of prehistoric and modern animals and humans, StabJe carbon usatoiw analysis is another technique frequently used to heJp reconstruct diet. Whereas microwear techniques are nondestmctive, isotope analysis requires that a sample be destroyed. This study compares intertooth microwear patterns on individuals with known carbon-13 isotope ratios. The Fremont Complex (21 OOotiO B.P) of the Great Basin has exhibited varying leveJs of nomadic Foraging and maize agriculture depending upon the region and time period under scrutiny. The actual importance of maize, a C4 plant, to their diet has been under debate by many Great Basin researchers (e.g., Berry 1974; Jennings 197S; Madsen 19S9). If a nondestructive technique, such as microwear, can be applied to determine approximate amounts of G4 plant consumption, museum specimens can be preserved for future study. High-resolution epoxy casts are taken from first, second, and third mandibular and maxillary molars from five prehistoric Fremont skeletons. Scanning electron microscope images are coJJected at a magnification of 20TK. Each image is analysed, and the results are graphed and correlated with the individual's known d!3C%* value (Coltrain 1993, 1999). 37 |