Fremont economic diversity: A stable carbon isotope study of formative subsistence practices in the Eastern Great Basi

For the past decade researchers have employed a single model to characterize Fremont economic strategies. Termed "adaptive diversity" the model argues that the Fremont engaged in a "diverse" suite of subsistence activities ranging from heavy emphasis on maize cultivation to complete dependence on native resources. This model has been prominent in the Fremont literature because it appears to explain variation in site structure and settlement pattern evident in the archaeological record. However, little progress has been made with respect to identifying spatio-temporal patterns of economic diversity within the broader framework of the model nor have the implications of such diversity for other features of behavior been explored. Research reported here addresses these issues, examining spatio-temporal variation in dependence on maize among a large collection of human remains from sites across the Fremont study area. Stable carbon isotope analysis is used to estimate maize consumption. Most burials are radiocarbon dated to establish temporal context. Results indicate that Fremont diets were diverse but not randomly so. Strong spatial, temporal and gender patterning indicates that differences in diet were likely the function of a potentially identifiable set of economic and perhaps social constraints, varying across time and space relative to the costs and benefits associated with discrete subsistence options. Here I review the history of research on Fremont subsistence, report and discuss the results of analytical procedures noted above and suggest conditions that may have influenced Fremont economic practices, with attendant implications for future research.