Phase Two of a Stable and Radioisotope Study of Eastern Arctic Economies

在古典北极时期（约公元900-1200年），北极东部的人们似乎以弓头鲸为生。住宅由半地下的住宅组成，有石头地基，用鲸骨、兽皮和草皮做墙和屋顶。这样的地点通常位于低矮的山脊上，可以看到弓头鲸海上航线的广阔视野，周围有许多食物贮藏地和广阔的花园。一些研究人员认为，随着新北方变冷的开始，捕鲸的条件恶化了。无冰季节的缩短和开阔水域的减少降低了捕鲸的利润，而封闭呼吸孔的经济回报率提高了。因此，饮食从强调弓头鲸转向依赖环斑海豹，北极东部进入了修正图勒时期，这是历史上因纽特人经济的前身。这项研究使用稳定同位素来跟踪早期的试点研究，并验证了一个假设，即在经典图勒时期结束时发生了经济转型，从严重依赖弓头鲸到依赖环斑海豹。研究结果将填补北极东部人口研究的重大空白。

AbstractOPP-9977931Coltrain, Joan B.University of UtahDuring the Classic Thule period (ca. AD 900-1200) the people of the Eastern Arctic appear to have subsisted on bowhead whales. Residences consisted of semi-subterranean dwellings, with stone foundations, walled and roofed with whale bone, skins, and sod. Such sites are frequently located on low ridges with expansive views of bowhead sea lanes, surrounded by numerous food caches and extensive midden. Some researchers argue that with the onset of neo-boreal cooling, conditions worsened for whaling. A shorter ice-free season and less open water reduced the profitability of taking whales, while economic return rates from breathing-hole sealing improved. As a consequence, diets shifted from an emphasis on bowheads to reliance on ringed seal, and the Eastern Arctic entered the Modified Thule Period, the precursor to historic Inuit economies. This study uses stable isotopes to follow up on an earlier pilot study and test the hypothesis that an economic transition took place at the end of the Classic Thule period, from heavy dependence on bowhead whaling to reliance on the ringed seal. Results will fill significant gaps in the research on the peopling of the Eastern Arctic.