Stable Isotope Analysis from a Burial at the Pipe Site (41AN67) in Anderson County, Texas

Cite this Record Wilson, Diane E.; Perttula, Timothy K.; and Walters, Mark (2012) "Stable Isotope Analysis from a Burial at the Pipe Site (41AN67) in Anderson County, Texas," Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State: Vol. 2012, Article 15. https://doi.org/10.21112/.ita.2012.1.15 ISSN: 2475-9333 Available at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/vol2012/iss1/15


INTRODUCTION
In this article, we present the findings of stable isotope analysis (carbon, nitrogen. and oxygen) from an analysis of human remains from a burial at the Pipe site (41AN67). The Pipe site is a late 15"'-mid-16'h century Caddo settlement and cemetery in the Lake Palestine area in the upper Neches River basin in East Texas that was investigated by Buddy Calvin Jones in 1968 andSouthern Methodist University in 1969. In 1969, a year after this site had been excavated by Buddy Calvin Jones, Southern Methodist University conducted their own excavations at the Pipe site (which they called the Ferguson site since they were unaware of the Jones excavations) before the construction of Lake Palestine (Anderson et al. 1974: 121-134). Their work was concentrated in a midden deposit near the northeastern extent of the landform (in the same area of the landform depicted in Jones' map, see Figure 1). No Caddo burials were identified during the SMU work, not too surprising given that the cemetery with 21 Caddo burials had been completely excavated a year or more before. No habitation features were documented in the SMU excavations, again not surprising in that the midden was an area of trash deposits and habitation features (i.e., pits and post holes from domestic structures) would be expected to not occur in the midden, but in general proximity to, but outside of, the trash midden itself. SMU's archaeological investigations rarely strayed from the midden (Anderson ct al. 1974: Figure 58).
What was recovered at the Pipe/Ferguson site was an abundance of Frankston phase ceramic vessel sherds (n=7964, including Poynor Engraved, Hume Engraved, Maydelle Incised, Bullard Brushed, Killough Pinched, and LaRue Neck Banded) and ceramic pipe sherds (n=43), mussel shell fragments and animal bones, and a modicum of chipped stone tool artifacts. The latter included 16 arrow points and fragments (of the Perdiz type), 13 flake tools and scrapers, and only 297 pieces of lithic debris.
There are two radiocarbon dates from the Pipe/Ferguson site (Perttula 1997: Table 1), both obtained from the SMU excavations (Anderson et al. 1974), which is believed to be the same site as the Pipe site investigated by Buddy Calvin Jones. Both dates are on a wood post fragment buried in the midden deposits. These dates, using IntCal09 (Reimer et al. 2009) to calibrate their conventional ages, have calibrated age ranges at 2 sigma (95% probability) of A.D. 1529-1683 (Tx-1275) and A.D. 1444-1644 (Tx-1276). If these two calibrated age ranges accurately capture the temporal extent of the Caddo occupation, then it would appear that the site was occupied through most of the 16th and 17th century A.D. The mean calibrated age range of these dates is A.D. 1487-1663.
A seriation of ceramics from Early to Historic Caddo period sites developed for the upper Neches River/ L'1ke Palestine area, indicates that the Pipe/Ferguson site more likely dates to the middle part of the Frankston phase (Perttula 2011a: Table 2). This group of sites has been estimated to date between ca. A.D. 1480-1560 (Perttula 2011b). As mentioned above, the mean age of the two calibrated radiocarbon dates from the Pipe/ Ferguson site is A.D. 1487-1663. This mean age is in agreement regarding the estimated initial occupation of the site taking place armmd the 1480s, but there is a broad divergence on when the end of the Caddo occupation dates to, either A.D. 1560 from the ceramic seriation data or the A.D. 1660s from the calibrated radiocarbon age ranges. Given the absence of Patton Engraved pottery sherds from the Pipe/Ferguson site (Anderson et al. 1974:Table 40), and an abundance of Poynor Engraved fine ware sherds in the assemblage, it is doubtful that the Caddo occupation here could have lasted as late as ca. A.D. 1650 (the beginning of the heyday of Patton Engraved manufacture and use), but how much earlier than that is unknown. Simply on the basis of the seriation results, it is conjectured that the occupation at the Pipe site/Ferguson site ended closer to ca. A.D. 1560 than it did to ca. A.D. 1650.

RESUJ..,TS OF THE STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS
The human remains sampled from the Pipe site were described in a previous study (Wilson 2006). They represented the remains of an adult male described in the Buddy Jones collection as Lot 29, B-11 Skull No 2, suggesting it was part of a multiple burial in the cemetery. Because the individual was represented by only a right femur, dietary reconstruction was not possible at the time of initial analysis.
This study uses stable isotopes as a means to reconstruct the diet for the individual recovered from the Pipe site in the Buddy Jones collection. A sample of the right femur was sent to the Bone Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, at the University of Florida, Gainesville, where the sample was prepared and processed. Results were provided for b 13 C on collagen and apatite, b 15 N on collagen, and b 1~ on apatite.
Carbon stable isotopes are used to examine dietary sourcing. ultimately for plants that utilize different photosynthetic pathways: C 3 C 4 and CAM. All trees, woody shmbs, herbs,and temperate shade-loving grasses are C 3 plants. Prior to the introduction of maize, Caddo food resources were C 3 -based. The b 13 C values of C 3 plant resources have an assumed average of -26.5o/oo, while C 4 plants average -12.5o/oo (Tieszen 1991 ;Ambrose 1993). CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) plants are mostly succulents and have b 13 C values that overlap C 3 and C 4 plants. They are not discussed in this article due to their lack of dietary contribution to Caddo diets. Nitrogen isotope ratios provide information about the trophic level and protein sources in the diet. Nitrogen isotopes are useful in discerning aquatic versus terrestrial components of the diet. Hmnans in terrestrial-based food webs typically have b 15 N values of6-ID%c, whereas consumers of fish may have b 15 N values that range as high as 15-20o/'oo (DcNiro and Schoeninger 1983;Hard and Katzenberg 2011). Ry convention, stable isotope ratios are expressed in the b notation, in parts per thousand, read as %o, relative to an international standard.
For carbon the standard is the marine limestone PDB and for nitrogen it is what we refer to as AIR.
Collagen is the main protein in bone and dentin that provides the source for organic carbon. It is less subject to isotopic substitution than apatite, the mineral portion of bone. Controlled diet studies on animals show that bone collagen primarily reflects the protein dietary carbon source while apatite reflects the whole diet (Ambrose and Norr 1993;Tiesl:en and Fagre 1993;Jim et at. 2004). The collagen enriclunent factor is the difference between the dietary and bone signature for carbon and is approximately 5%(1 (van der Merwe and Vogell978; Sullivan and Kmegcr 1981;Lee-Thorpe et al. 1989). Apatite enrichment is assumed to be arow1d 9.5%(1 (Sullivan and Krueger 1981;DeNiro and Schoeninger 1983).
Oxygen isoto pes are useu for geographic origin determination and are affected by latitude, regional topography, and weather patterns. Delta 18 0 decreases with distance to the earth's poles anu increases with humidity in the local environment. To date, little use of oxygen isotopes has occurred in the Caddo archaeological region.
The results of the stable isotope testing are presented in Table 1. The b 13 C collagen result is higher than the mean for Late Caddo period sites in the Neches and Angelina River basins presented in Perttula eta!. (20 ll) and raises the regional mean slightly (Table 2). This indicates a significant contribution of C 4 to the protein portion of the diet in the Pipe site male tested. During the Late Caddo period, there is significant variability in D 13 C cou"gen values within and between sites. The Pipe site result falls within the standard deviation for the region and periou.  Like b 13C collagen, the 6 l3C apatite value is higher than the mean for the Late Caddo period in the Neches and Angelina River basins , but falls within the standard deviation for the time period. This result indicates that the individual from the Pipe site consumed more C4 dietary resource.s than the average for the region. Using Ambrose et al.'s ( 1997Ambrose et al.'s ( , 2003 formula, C4 contributed an estimated 62% of the dietary resources consumed by the tested individual at the Pipe site. In comparison, the average consumption of C 4 for Caddo individuals in the Neches and Angelina River basins from the Late Caddo period is 50%. Nitrogen isotope values from the Pipe site individual were low compared to the mean for the region and time period (see Table 2). The 0 15 N values for the region in the Late Caddo period are highly variable, indicating differences in protein resoun.:es, ranging from primarily beans to fish. The relatively low trophic value indic:ated by the 0 15 N value combined with the relatively high 6 13 C collagen and apatite values indicate a higher contribution of maize to the diet of the Pipe site individual than seen in most other Caddo individuals from the region.

CONCLUSIONS
In this study stable isotope testing has been used to reconstruct the diet for a Late Caddo period individual from whom only postcranial remains were present. In cases such as this, where teeth are lacking, stable isotope studies provide the only, as well as the mosl direcl, method for determinations of diet.
With the use of stable isotope analysis we have been able Lo place the individual from Lhe Pipe sile into a regional context that shows a relatively varied diet, particularly in terms of protein sources. While the individual tested had a reasonably high contribution of maize to his diet, Figure 2 shows that he fits well within a small cluster of other individuals from the Late Caddo Neches and Angelina River basins. This cluster of four consists of adults from different sites: two males, one female, and one of indeterminate sex. Results are wmistent with an intensified maize agricultural diet.