Mobility and the Landscape: Investigating mobility of individuals at Wadi Faynan 100 using minimally invasive strontium isotope analysis

Abstract

In comparison to other sites in Jordan, life at the Early Bronze Age (~3600-3000BC) site of Wadi Faynan 100 (WF100) is still largely a mystery. To better understand the use of this site in relation to the EBA transformation of social organization toward urbanism, this study explores strontium isotopic variation using laser ablation-multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) to observe movement to and from the local area. Strontium (Sr) isotope ratios throughout the developmental periods of human enamel were used to indicate locality and patterns of mobility at WF100. Thirty-one samples consisting of a collection of permanent incisors, premolars, and first and third molars, in addition to two deciduous molars were analyzed alongside eleven local faunal samples. Initial results indicate variable patterns of mobility throughout the individual’s childhood development, with some increased instances of consistent locality in later childhood. This supports arguments for a more diversified and regionally specific social organization in EBA Jordan and Wadi Faynan, that may embrace a spectrum of sedentism and transhumance in childhood. These results highlight both the potential for, and challenges of conducting further LA-MC-ICP-MS analysis of Sr in the broader Jordan landscape and provide novel insights into EBA mobility using sequential dental sampling.