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Diet, Status, and incipient social Inequality : Stable isotope data from three complex Fisher-Hunter-Gatherer sites in southern California

Fauvelle, Mikael LU orcid and Somerville, Andrew (2024) In Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 73(2024).
Abstract
How different were the lives of elites and commoners in early complex societies? This paper examines this question using data from three fisher-hunter-gatherer sites in southern California. Using shell bead counts from burials as proxies for social status and previously published human stable isotope values as indicators of dietary practices, we examine the relationship between diet and status across a period of major sociopolitical change. Our results found no significant relationships between the quantity of beads and stable isotope values, indicating that differential access to foods was not a significant way in which status was manifested in these communities. Instead, we suggest that activities including ownership of sea-going canoes,... (More)
How different were the lives of elites and commoners in early complex societies? This paper examines this question using data from three fisher-hunter-gatherer sites in southern California. Using shell bead counts from burials as proxies for social status and previously published human stable isotope values as indicators of dietary practices, we examine the relationship between diet and status across a period of major sociopolitical change. Our results found no significant relationships between the quantity of beads and stable isotope values, indicating that differential access to foods was not a significant way in which status was manifested in these communities. Instead, we suggest that activities including ownership of sea-going canoes, access to imported goods, and the provisioning of community feasts were likely venues for elite status signaling. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Social Inequality, Hunter-Gatherers, Political-Economy, Stable Isotopes, Paleodiet, North America
in
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology
volume
73
issue
2024
article number
101554
pages
12 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85183726430
ISSN
0278-4165
DOI
10.1016/j.jaa.2023.101554
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6bb42650-07d8-431d-b720-34d7176b3602
date added to LUP
2023-12-03 09:06:30
date last changed
2024-02-27 09:37:12
@article{6bb42650-07d8-431d-b720-34d7176b3602,
  abstract     = {{How different were the lives of elites and commoners in early complex societies? This paper examines this question using data from three fisher-hunter-gatherer sites in southern California. Using shell bead counts from burials as proxies for social status and previously published human stable isotope values as indicators of dietary practices, we examine the relationship between diet and status across a period of major sociopolitical change. Our results found no significant relationships between the quantity of beads and stable isotope values, indicating that differential access to foods was not a significant way in which status was manifested in these communities. Instead, we suggest that activities including ownership of sea-going canoes, access to imported goods, and the provisioning of community feasts were likely venues for elite status signaling.}},
  author       = {{Fauvelle, Mikael and Somerville, Andrew}},
  issn         = {{0278-4165}},
  keywords     = {{Social Inequality; Hunter-Gatherers; Political-Economy; Stable Isotopes; Paleodiet; North America}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2024}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Anthropological Archaeology}},
  title        = {{Diet, Status, and incipient social Inequality : Stable isotope data from three complex Fisher-Hunter-Gatherer sites in southern California}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2023.101554}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jaa.2023.101554}},
  volume       = {{73}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}