Stable Isotopes and Animal Movement

The purpose of the project is to advance training in isotopic analysis. This will be achieved by a comparative isotopic pilot study to assess the degree to which techniques used can nuance the origins of modern animals in Australia, in advance of a larger study on the Early Bronze Age Middle East. The objective of the pilot study will be attained by using teeth from modern cattle obtained from locations in the Australian state of New South Wales. The different geographical areas will provide different isotopic profiles that can be compared, while also allowing for refinement of the scientific methodology for a future PhD program on ancient cattle remains. The program will be undertaken collaboratively with Dr Karin Sowada (Dept of Ancient History) and Dr Olivier Alard (Dept of Earth & Planetary Sciences) at Macquarie University, Sydney, under the auspices of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Project (FT170100288). The project is conducted in collaboration with the University of Manitoba (Canada), with student participation funded by a Mitacs Globalink Research Award (Grant IT15493) from Canada.