Thesis Title
Extricating the importance of freshwater resource use within prehistoric diets: an evaluation of compound-specific stable isotope analysis
Research Interests
Stable isotope analysis, radiocarbon dating, freshwater resource use, freshwater reservoir effect
My PhD research aims to provide more accurate calculations for the amount of freshwater resources consumed by early hunter-gatherers that will reduce the errors in radiocarbon dating of human remains caused by the freshwater reservoir effect. Human remains will be analysed from archaeological sites with known freshwater reservoir effects, using a wide range of bulk and compound-specific stable isotope analyses that account for each site's unique freshwater environment. The amount of freshwater resources in the diet provided by stable isotope analysis will be compared to the offset radiocarbon dates as a means of evaluating the power of the stable isotope analyses to address freshwater resource consumption.
