By studying the hair’s-breadth of mummy excavated from South America closely a century ago , researchers have put together the staples of their paleodiets . And it looks something like seafood , maize , and beans . Thefindingswere published in the March issue of theJournal of Archaeological Science .
First excavate in the 1920s , the Paracas Necropolis of Wari Kayan is one of the most famous archaeological burying ground in Peru . When they were first discovered , each mummy was adhere in a seated view and envelop in a big money of ornate textiles such as embroidered garments . They were also see with a variety of burial items ranging from baskets to weapons . The region ’s ancient fabric ( an example is pictured above ) and geoglyphs are well take , though thebioarchaeologyof the Paracas culture has been overlooked . This field researches past masses ’ experiences with wellness and disease .
Now , combining bioarchaeology and biogeochemistry glide path , an international triad chair byKelly Knudson of Arizona State Universityexamined the diets of 14 of these mummies , some of whom live most 2,000 years ago . “ By using small samples of haircloth from these mummies , we can learn what they eat up in the calendar month and weeks before they expire , which is a very internal look at the past , ” Knudson explains in anews release . In addition to two to 10 hair samples from each mummy obtain through museums , the team also looked at two artifacts made of human hair .
Based on their nitrogen and carbon paper isotope analysis of keratin , during the last months of their life , these Paracas individuals primarily corrode marine products and a mix of C4 and C3 plants like gamboge and beans , respectively .
In addition to health , diet also indicates where people subsist and how they go about their daily life — farming , fishing , hunting , or gathering . Based on the isotopic hair data , the ( mostly male ) individuals were geographically stable and living along the coast ; or if they did move into the highland , they continued to wipe out marine product .
Future research might regard more female person and youths , and Knudson ’s team contrive to study artefact and mortuary grounds to build some context of use for their isotopic whisker datum .
figure : Arizona State ( top ) , K.J. Knudson et al . , 2015 Elsevier
