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Dear colleagues and friends,

Abstract submissions are invited for the session “What have isotopes done for archaeology lately?” (session ID: SA24) to be held during the 21st annual meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists in Glasgow from 2 to 5 September 2015. Submission deadline: 16 February 2015.

Session topics:

•       Case studies demonstrating the application of stable and radiogenic isotopes to address relevant archaeological questions (particularly welcomed are interdisciplinary and multi-proxy contributions). These include among other:
o       Reconstruction of mobility patterns and subsistence strategies
o       Detection of ancient diseases
o       Identifying productive activities (e.g. farming, past pollution)
o       Palaeo-environmental reconstruction

•       Radiometric dating and potential relationships with other isotopic proxies (e.g. radiocarbon reservoir effects)
•       Suitable statistical methodologies to treat and interpret isotopic data
•       Novel scientific developments in stable and radiogenic isotopes relevant to archaeological research


Session description

Stable and radiogenic isotope analyses provide increasingly important contributions to archaeological research. These include the establishment of chronologies, the description of past environmental and climatic conditions, and the reconstruction of human subsistence strategies and mobility patterns. These aspects are often interrelated and an optimal approach to archaeological research is one that integrates multiple sources of isotopic and archaeological data. For example, isotope-based human diet reconstruction requires a careful characterization of the isotopic composition of potential food groups. However, such an isotopic baseline will be influenced by environmental (e.g. climate) and anthropogenic (e.g. agricultural techniques) parameters. Furthermore, populations with high levels of mobility or that engaged in food trade could potentially have access to food groups having diverse isotopic signatures. Thus, a reliable isotope-based diet reconstruction requires the study of multiple facets using a combination of archaeological and isotopic data. Conversely, dietary information is crucial when chronologies are based on the radiocarbon dating of human remains given the potential for radiocarbon dietary reservoir effects resulting from the intake of aquatic food groups. These examples illustrate the need for an integrated approach to archaeological research.The main goal of this session is to demonstrate how isotopic data can be usefully employed to answer relevant archaeological questions. The session will especially welcome interdisciplinary contributions that integrate multiple sources of isotopic and archaeological data to put forward reliable interpretations of past human behaviour and of its development through time. Also welcomed are contributions that address methodological aspects of the use of isotopic data in archaeological research. These include discussions on adequate interpretations of isotopic data, reporting of the potentialities and limitations of different isotopic proxies, and the introduction of novel isotopic proxies relevant to archaeological research.

Session conveners:
Ricardo Fernandes (Kiel & Cambridge Universities)
Klervia Jaouen (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)

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