Abstract
Samples of human bone from six individuals from the Lapita burial ground at Reber-Rakival on Watom Island in New Britain were analysed for {delta}{sup 13}C, {delta}{sup 15}N, and {delta}{sup 34}/S. The mean values obtained were -18.1, 11.6 and 9.9 respectively. From existing knowledge of isotope values, calorific content and protein yields for the main Pacific food types, computer simulation was used to randomly generate a large number of possible food compositions, in order to find the type of diet which could have produced the isotope pattern at Watom. The simulation produced solutions which are within acceptable limits of the Watom isotope signature. The mean food composition per day was then estimated. This analysis shows that approximately 64% of the diet at Watom came from land-based foods and 36% from the sea. Plant foods contributed 53% per weight. It is notable that C4 plants were present in the diet. There are two possible sources of this - sugar cane, Saccharum officinarum, and/or a herbivore which browsed on the C4 grasslands of Papua New Guinea, such as Saccharum spontaneum (pit-pit) and Imperata cylindrica (kunai). Fish and land herbivores are the main sources of protein in the Watom diet, while plant foods contributed
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Leach, B F;
[1]
Quinn, C J;
[2]
Lyon, G L;
[3]
Haystead, A;
[4]
Myers, D B
[5]
- Archaeozoology Laboratory, Museum of New Zealand, Wellington (New Zealand)
- 178 Queen Street North, Dunedin (New Zealand)
- Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Ltd., Lower Hutt (New Zealand)
- Auckland Institute of Technology, Auckland (New Zealand)
- Wellcome Medical Research Institute, Otago Medical School, Dunedin (New Zealand)
Citation Formats
Leach, B F, Quinn, C J, Lyon, G L, Haystead, A, and Myers, D B.
Evidence of prehistoric Lapita diet at Watom Island, Papua New Guinea, using stable isotopes.
New Zealand: N. p.,
1998.
Web.
Leach, B F, Quinn, C J, Lyon, G L, Haystead, A, & Myers, D B.
Evidence of prehistoric Lapita diet at Watom Island, Papua New Guinea, using stable isotopes.
New Zealand.
Leach, B F, Quinn, C J, Lyon, G L, Haystead, A, and Myers, D B.
1998.
"Evidence of prehistoric Lapita diet at Watom Island, Papua New Guinea, using stable isotopes."
New Zealand.
@misc{etde_20236559,
title = {Evidence of prehistoric Lapita diet at Watom Island, Papua New Guinea, using stable isotopes}
author = {Leach, B F, Quinn, C J, Lyon, G L, Haystead, A, and Myers, D B}
abstractNote = {Samples of human bone from six individuals from the Lapita burial ground at Reber-Rakival on Watom Island in New Britain were analysed for {delta}{sup 13}C, {delta}{sup 15}N, and {delta}{sup 34}/S. The mean values obtained were -18.1, 11.6 and 9.9 respectively. From existing knowledge of isotope values, calorific content and protein yields for the main Pacific food types, computer simulation was used to randomly generate a large number of possible food compositions, in order to find the type of diet which could have produced the isotope pattern at Watom. The simulation produced solutions which are within acceptable limits of the Watom isotope signature. The mean food composition per day was then estimated. This analysis shows that approximately 64% of the diet at Watom came from land-based foods and 36% from the sea. Plant foods contributed 53% per weight. It is notable that C4 plants were present in the diet. There are two possible sources of this - sugar cane, Saccharum officinarum, and/or a herbivore which browsed on the C4 grasslands of Papua New Guinea, such as Saccharum spontaneum (pit-pit) and Imperata cylindrica (kunai). Fish and land herbivores are the main sources of protein in the Watom diet, while plant foods contributed by far the most food energy. (author). 20 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.}
journal = []
volume = {20}
journal type = {AC}
place = {New Zealand}
year = {1998}
month = {Jul}
}
title = {Evidence of prehistoric Lapita diet at Watom Island, Papua New Guinea, using stable isotopes}
author = {Leach, B F, Quinn, C J, Lyon, G L, Haystead, A, and Myers, D B}
abstractNote = {Samples of human bone from six individuals from the Lapita burial ground at Reber-Rakival on Watom Island in New Britain were analysed for {delta}{sup 13}C, {delta}{sup 15}N, and {delta}{sup 34}/S. The mean values obtained were -18.1, 11.6 and 9.9 respectively. From existing knowledge of isotope values, calorific content and protein yields for the main Pacific food types, computer simulation was used to randomly generate a large number of possible food compositions, in order to find the type of diet which could have produced the isotope pattern at Watom. The simulation produced solutions which are within acceptable limits of the Watom isotope signature. The mean food composition per day was then estimated. This analysis shows that approximately 64% of the diet at Watom came from land-based foods and 36% from the sea. Plant foods contributed 53% per weight. It is notable that C4 plants were present in the diet. There are two possible sources of this - sugar cane, Saccharum officinarum, and/or a herbivore which browsed on the C4 grasslands of Papua New Guinea, such as Saccharum spontaneum (pit-pit) and Imperata cylindrica (kunai). Fish and land herbivores are the main sources of protein in the Watom diet, while plant foods contributed by far the most food energy. (author). 20 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.}
journal = []
volume = {20}
journal type = {AC}
place = {New Zealand}
year = {1998}
month = {Jul}
}