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Dogs as Analogs in Stable Isotope-Based Human Paleodietary Reconstructions: A Review and Considerations for Future Use

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Abstract

In contexts where human remains are scarce, poorly preserved, or otherwise unavailable for stable isotope-based paleodietary reconstruction, dog bone collagen as well as other tissues may provide a suitable proxy material for addressing questions relating to human dietary practices. Inferences drawn from applications of this “canine surrogacy approach” (CSA) must be made with caution to ensure the accuracy and transparency of conclusions. This paper shows that CSA applications are essentially analogical inferences which can be divided into two groups that provide specific types of information and may require different levels of substantiation. A framework of three categories of factors is outlined to aid in establishing positive, negative, and neutral elements of comparison of dog and human diets. CSA applications may benefit from explicitly detailing the type and nature of the analogical reasoning employed and from providing a systematic assessment of the degree to which stable isotope values of dogs and humans under comparison are thought to be like, unlike, or of unknown likeness.

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Acknowledgments

This paper developed from the author’s M.A. research and has benefited from the editorial and other support of several people including thesis supervisor Dr. Vaughan Grimes as well as Dr. Oscar Moro, Dr. Tamara Varney, Jill Malivoire, and Robert Anstey. Financial support has been provided by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Institute of Social and Economic Research at Memorial University, and the Provincial Archaeology Office of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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  1. Department of Archaeology, Queen’s College, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 210 Prince Philip Drive, St. John’s, NL, Canada, A1C 5S7

    Eric J. Guiry

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Guiry, E.J. Dogs as Analogs in Stable Isotope-Based Human Paleodietary Reconstructions: A Review and Considerations for Future Use. J Archaeol Method Theory 19, 351–376 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-011-9118-z

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