Keywords

Agriculture -- Indonesia -- Flores Island, Carbon -- Isotopes, Collagen, Flores Island (Indonesia), Nitrogen -- Isotopes, Rats -- Food -- Indonesia -- Flores Island, Rats -- Indonesia -- Flores Island, Stable isotopes

Abstract

This research study investigated the level of bone collagen preservation of rat femora from Liang Bua cave on the island of Flores, Indonesia, as well as conducted carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic analyses on well preserved samples. Although Flores is located in a hot intermediate tropical zone and the burial environment of the bone samples within the cave is considered less than optimal for collagen preservation, significant preservation of the bone collagen was found. Collagen yields, C:N ratio and carbon and nitrogen concentrations were investigated. However, this research study argues that carbon and nitrogen concentrations are an appropriate means to determine preservation on its own. According to the carbon and nitrogen concentration data 32 samples were considered well preserved. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic analyses were conducted on the 32 preserved samples. According to the carbon data a significant shift in the δ13C values from a C3 signature to a C4 signature occurred prior to 2,750 years ago. This shift is indicative of the introduction of a non-endemic C4 plant, which is believed to be either foxtail millet or sugarcane. Since this shift occurs abruptly it indicates that the introduction of agriculture to Flores occurred at one time and has continued to present day

Notes

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Graduation Date

2011

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Dupras, Tosha

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Anthropology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0003894

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0003894

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences, Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

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Included in

Anthropology Commons

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