Bioarchaeology of the Near East, 6:53-59 (2012)

Technical Note: Light stable isotope analysis of human remains from Nemrik 9, Iraq

Holger Schutkowski
School of Applied Sciences, Bournemouth University,
Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB, United Kingdom
email: hschutkowski@bournemouth.ac.uk

Abstract: Human remains from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A are rare and therefore present a precious source for elucidating human lifestyle during a crucial period of subsistence transition. Human bone samples from Nemrik 9, Iraq, were analysed to test their suitability for light stable isotope analysis from collagen. None of the samples yielded signatures that conform to the agreed international standards of quality control applied to the analysis of carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios. The results are discussed in the context of comparable studies from the Near and Middle East considering the thermal and depositional history at the Nemrik site.

Key words: stable isotopes; human remains; Nemrik; Iraq; PPNA

Received 19 December 2012; accepted 17 January 2013; published online 30 January 2013.

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