Multivariate carbon and nitrogen stable isotope model for the reconstruction of prehistoric human diet

Using a sample of published archaeological data, we expand on an earlier bivariate carbon model for diet reconstruction by adding bone collagen nitrogen stable isotope values (δ(15) N), which provide information on trophic level and consumption of terrestrial vs. marine protein. The bivariate carbon model (δ(13) C(apatite) vs. δ(13) C(collagen) ) provides detailed information on the isotopic signatures of whole diet and dietary protein, but is limited in its ability to distinguish between C(4) and marine protein. Here, using cluster analysis and discriminant function analysis, we generate a multivariate diet reconstruction model that incorporates δ(13) C(apatite) , δ(13) C(collagen) , and δ(15) N holistically. Inclusion of the δ(15) N data proves useful in resolving protein-related limitations of the bivariate carbon model, and splits the sample into five distinct dietary clusters. Two significant discriminant functions account for 98.8% of the sample variance, providing a multivariate model for diet reconstruction. Both carbon variables dominate the first function, while δ(15) N most strongly influences the second. Independent support for the functions' ability to accurately classify individuals according to diet comes from a small sample of experimental rats, which cluster as expected from their diets. The new model also provides a statistical basis for distinguishing between food sources with similar isotopic signatures, as in a previously analyzed archaeological population from Saipan (see Ambrose et al.: AJPA 104(1997) 343-361). Our model suggests that the Saipan islanders' (13) C-enriched signal derives mainly from sugarcane, not seaweed. Further development and application of this model can similarly improve dietary reconstructions in archaeological, paleontological, and primatological contexts.