23 research outputs found
Commercial competence: comparing test results of paper-and-pencil versus computer-based assessments
In search of homelands: using strontium isotopes to identify biological markers of mobility in late prehistoric Portugal
This study uses strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) in dental enamel from burial populations related to the
fortified Chalcolithic settlement site of Zambujal (c. 2800e1800 BC) to distinguish the presence of nonlocal
individuals. Zambujal is located in the Estremadura region of Portugal near the Atlantic coast and
has long been considered a central location of population aggregation, craft production, and trade
during a time of increasing political centralization and social stratification until its eventually abandonment
during the Bronze Age. While it is assumed that population migration and long distance trade
played an important role in the region’s development, little is known about the migration patterns of
individuals or groups. The results of this study find that nine percent (5 out of 55) of the total surveyed
individuals can be classified as non-local (based on 87Sr/86Sr values distinct from the local bioavailable
range of 0.7090e0.7115 as defined by 2sd of the sampled human mean), the majority of which come
from one burial site, Cova da Moura. Comparisons with other regional data suggest the possibility that
some of these non-locals come from the Alentejo region of the Portuguese interior, corresponding with
known exchange patterns.Funds
for this project were provided by the Archaeological Institute of
America Archaeology of Portugal Fellowship and the T. Anne Cleary
Dissertation Fellowship