Baseline bioavailable strontium isotope values for the investigation of residential mobility and resource-acquisition strategies in prehistoric Cambodia

Abstract

Strontium (Sr) isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) measured in human skeletal material can increase one's understanding of the residential behaviour and resource-acquisition strategies of past populations. The paper maps bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr variation in 183 plant and soil samples across Cambodia. Bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr, as measured in plants, differs significantly between four major geological units. The data set will support future investigations of skeletal material from Cambodian archaeological sites. Baseline 87Sr/86Sr data should be applied judiciously to skeletal populations, and in concert with other lines of evidence, to identify potential geographical outliers rather than to ascribe speci..