A Comparative Stable Isotope Analysis of Two Archaeological Sites in Broward County

Understanding people through the foods eaten has proven a formidable method to uncover subsistence
patterns and infer lifestyle of the earliest inhabitants of an area. With previously examined paleodiet
from East Okeechobee Area, Tatham Mound, and Fort Center, particular areas of Florida’s prehistory
have begun to resurrect thorough the eye of the scientist. When we understand the foods consumed,
we also corroborate that with the environment where the individual resided. Reconstructing foods eaten
not only helps researchers understand the ecology of the habitat, but also the social structure of the
group the person belonged to. The conglomeration of these factors enables investigators to understand
the people, culture, and environment of a region when photographs and written records are unavailable
and unaccountable. Using the stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, a molecular analysis of
the collagen and apatite of bones and tooth enamel signifies the quantities and
qualities of proteins and carbohydrates eaten by an individual. This method will be utilized and
highlighted in the paleodietary analysis of two sites from the inland zone of southeastern Florida. Two
South Florida archaeological sites were discovered housing human remains in the early 1970s.
Markham Park and Lauderhill Mound are the two sites used for this analysis. Because of the pottery
sherds associated in chronological stratigraphic layers, the date range for each site has been shown to
differ by about 500 years. This is significant to assess if the diet
compares or contrasts throughout the different time periods.