A new study published in Science Advances reveals that early Indigenous Americans relied heavily on meat from mammoths to survive. The findings are based on chemical analyses of the bones of an 18-month-old boy who lived almost 13,000 years ago in Montana. Radioisotopes in the boy’s bones indicate that his mother ate mostly mammoths, which were a crucial source of food for her family group.
The study’s authors analyzed stable radioisotopes in the boy’s bones to reconstruct his mother’s diet. The results show that about 40% of her diet came from mammoth meat, while other large animals like elk and bison made up most of the rest. The discovery suggests that Western Clovis people were expert hunters of mammoths, contrary to theories they mainly hunted smaller game.
The findings have significant implications for our understanding of ancient American diets and mobility. They also shed light on the demise of giant beasts in the Americas at the end of the last ice age. The study’s authors believe that the preference for mammoth meat may have played a part in their extinction.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/early-americans-ate-tons-of-mammoth-13-000-year-old-bones-from-clovis-culture-baby-reveal