Leveraging Multi-Isotope Systems to Investigate Conflict, Food Insecurity, and Elevated Nitrogen Isotope Values in the Nazca Highlands of Peru During the Late Intermediate Period (1000-1450 CE).
- 1South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
- 2Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- 3Social Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, USA.
Abstract
Objectives
The physical effects of interpersonal violence are well documented in archaeology, but its broader impacts on population health, mobility, and resource access remain less understood. This article assesses how chronic warfare restricted movement and access to critical resources, altering dietary practices and contributing to persistent food insecurity.Materials and methods
We develop a replicable framework for using coupled biological and isotopic data to evaluate elevated δ¹⁵N values in archaeological populations. The framework is applied to the Nazca highlands of Peru during the Late Intermediate Period (LIP; 1000-1450 ce), a context marked by persistent violence and regional instability. We analyze δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C, and δ³⁴S data from 149 radiocarbon-dated individuals alongside osteological evidence, paleoclimatic proxies, and dietary baselines.Results
Nazca highland LIP individuals exhibit elevated δ¹⁵N values (mean = 13.36‰). Carbon isotopes indicate reliance on C4 resources (mean δ¹³Ccollagen = -10.38‰; mean δ¹³Ccarbonate = -6.98‰), while δ³⁴S values are low (mean≈4.1‰). Elevated δ¹⁵N did not vary by age or sex, while LIP individuals exhibited greater skeletal stress and extensive interpersonal violence.Discussion
Persistent conflict and restricted mobility altered Nazca highland food production and access. Dependence on land near fortified settlements may have encouraged intensive cultivation and camelid dung fertilization, raising dietary δ¹⁵N. Reduced mobility also constrained strategies for buffering seasonal shortfalls, increasing recurrent food insecurity and catabolism that may have further enriched human δ¹⁵N. Consistently elevated nitrogen values therefore reflect subsistence changes associated with sustained warfare and constrained access to land and resources.
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BibTeX
@article{noe2026leveraging,
title = {{Leveraging Multi-Isotope Systems to Investigate Conflict, Food Insecurity, and Elevated Nitrogen Isotope Values in the Nazca Highlands of Peru During the Late Intermediate Period (1000-1450 CE).}},
author = {Sarah J Noe and Bridgette Degnan and Emily C Kracht and Weston C McCool},
journal = {American journal of biological anthropology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ajpa.70373},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42963464},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Leveraging Multi-Isotope Systems to Investigate Conflict, Food Insecurity, and Elevated Nitrogen Isotope Values in the Nazca Highlands of Peru During the Late Intermediate Period (1000-1450 CE).
AU - Sarah J Noe
AU - Bridgette Degnan
AU - Emily C Kracht
AU - Weston C McCool
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - American journal of biological anthropology
DO - 10.1002/ajpa.70373
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42963464
AB - Objectives The physical effects of interpersonal violence are well documented in archaeology, but its broader impacts on population health, mobility, and resource access remain less understood. This article assesses how chronic warfare restricted movement and access to critical resources, altering dietary practices and contributing to persistent food insecurity.Materials and methods We develop a replicable framework for using coupled biological and isotopic data to evaluate elevated δ¹⁵N values in archaeological populations. The framework is applied to the Nazca highlands of Peru during the Late Intermediate Period (LIP; 1000-1450 ce), a context marked by persistent violence and regional instability. We analyze δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C, and δ³⁴S data from 149 radiocarbon-dated individuals alongside osteological evidence, paleoclimatic proxies, and dietary baselines.Results Nazca highland LIP individuals exhibit elevated δ¹⁵N values (mean = 13.36‰). Carbon isotopes indicate reliance on C4 resources (mean δ¹³Ccollagen = -10.38‰; mean δ¹³Ccarbonate = -6.98‰), while δ³⁴S values are low (mean≈4.1‰). Elevated δ¹⁵N did not vary by age or sex, while LIP individuals exhibited greater skeletal stress and extensive interpersonal violence.Discussion Persistent conflict and restricted mobility altered Nazca highland food production and access. Dependence on land near fortified settlements may have encouraged intensive cultivation and camelid dung fertilization, raising dietary δ¹⁵N. Reduced mobility also constrained strategies for buffering seasonal shortfalls, increasing recurrent food insecurity and catabolism that may have further enriched human δ¹⁵N. Consistently elevated nitrogen values therefore reflect subsistence changes associated with sustained warfare and constrained access to land and resources.
SN - 2692-7691
ER -