ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the use of isotopes in human palaeoecology. It considers the importance of isotope palaeoclimatology in archaeology, as a means of establishing the ‘backdrop’ against which human society has developed, although most would say that environment and society have been far more interactive than is implied by this in the recent past. The chapter reviews the dietary interpretation of isotopic measurements made on human bone collagen, bone mineral and dental enamel-a large area of research, from which it is only possible to select certain key features. The chapter ends with some more recent studies aimed at reconstructing human migration patterns using stable isotopes plus the measurement of 87Strontium/86Strontium in bone mineral and dental enamel.
