The Dutch whalers: a test of a human migration in the oxygen, carbon and nitrogen isotopes of cortical bone collagen

• Published in: World Archaeology
• Main Authors: Koon, Hannah E.C., Tuross, N.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Migration; Oxygen isotopes; Collagen; Dutch whalers; Diet; Cortical bone; Svalbard archipelago; Spitsbergen; REF 2014; Svalbard
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10454/6055; https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2013.823884

No Human migration is a hallmark of the species and there is significant interest in methods that can determine the past migrations of humans and associated fauna. We present a new method that utilizes collagen oxygen, carbon and nitrogen isotopes from histologically informed samples of cortical bone. The utility of this multi-isotopic, life history approach is demonstrated in migrating Dutch whalers, and both the possibilities and limitations of the method are described.