Important debates in isotopic analysis

The provenance problem

• Pollard (2011)

• Strontium isotopes can show someone is consistent with a specific location but can never rule out that identical values exist elsewhere.

• Media pressure to produce clear findings converts probabilistic statements into false certainties. 

Oversimplification of environmental controls

• Pollard (2001)

• Bentley (2006)

• A bedrock geology map is not sufficient to predict local strontium signatures. The likes od Sea spray and river chemistry pull values away from values of underlying rock

• Environmental baseline sampling and mixing models are essential

Globalisation

• Bartelink et al (2018)

• As food supply chains globalise, dietary differences between nations are eroding, which will progressively reduce the discriminatory power of carbon isotopes for provenance work.

Overlapping signals

• Perderzani & Britton (2019)

•  Oxygen isotopes respond to temperature, altitude, cooking practices, and breastfeeding etc

• Its greatest strength (sensitivity to many behaviours) is also its greatest interpretive challenge.