Strontium isoscape of sub-Saharan Africa allows tracing origins of victims of the transatlantic slave trade

Strontium isotope (<sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr) analysis with reference to strontium isotope landscapes (Sr isoscapes) allows reconstructing mobility and migration in archaeology, ecology, and forensics. However, despite the vast potential of research involving <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr analysis particularly in Africa, Sr isoscapes remain unavailable for the largest parts of the continent. Here, we measure the <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr ratios in 778 environmental samples from 24 African countries and combine this data with published data to model a bioavailable Sr isoscape for sub-Saharan Africa using random forest regression. We demonstrate the efficacy of this Sr isoscape, in combination with other lines of evidence, to trace the African roots of individuals from historic slavery contexts, particularly those with highly radiogenic <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr ratios uncommon in the African Diaspora. Our study provides an extensive African <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr dataset which includes scientifically marginalized regions of Africa, with significant implications for the archaeology of the transatlantic slave trade, wildlife ecology, conservation, and forensics.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2024-12-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55256-0
Citations
16
Primary Topic
Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
25.41

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article

Strontium isoscape of sub-Saharan Africa allows tracing origins of victims of the transatlantic slave trade

Chloe Cipoletta, Brynn Lowry, Luc Roscelin Dongmo Tédonzong, Nikki Tagg et al.
16 citations
Nature Communications
Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
25.41
article

Strontium isoscape of sub-Saharan Africa allows tracing origins of victims of the transatlantic slave trade

Chloe Cipoletta, Brynn Lowry, Luc Roscelin Dongmo Tédonzong, Nikki Tagg, Sandi R. Copeland, Michael P. Richards, Gregory Brazzola, Amanda L. Logan, Juan Lapuente, Susana Carvalho, Erin G. Wessling, Emmanuel Ayuk Ayimisin, F. Richard, Rui Gomes Coelho, A. Piel, Charlotte Coupland, Mimi Arandjelovic, Matt Sponheimer, Emmanuelle Normand, Gottfried Hohmann, Fiona A. Stewart, Kyle Yurkiw, Anne Haour, Aaron Rundus, R. Adriana Hernández‐Aguilar, Ana Maria Costa, Joost van Schijndel, Felix Mulindahabi, Floris Aubert, Petrus le Roux, Villard Ebot Egbe, Hjalmar S. Kühl, Christophe Boesch, Tina Lüdecke, Rumen Fernandez, Patricia J. McNeill, Bryan Curran, Klaus Zuberbühler, Paulina Meller, René Bobe, Roman M. Wittig, Lucy Jayne Ormsby, Emily Neil, Crickette Sanz, Alexander Tickle, Kelly J. Knudson, David Morgan, Kevin E. Langergraber, Veerle Hermans, Mattia Bessone, Emmanuel Dilambaka, Daniela Hedwig, Emma Bailey, Bradley Larson, Protais Niyigaba, Barbara Fruth, Rebecca Chancellor, Dervla Dowd, Samuel Angedakin, Sorrel Jones, Virginie Vergnes, Sébastien Regnaut, Jacob Willie, Annemarie Goedmakers, Teresa E. Steele, Mizuki Murai, Vera Leinert, Vicky M. Oelze, Inaoyom Imong, Cameron Gokee, Katherine Corogenes, Amelia Meier, Donatienne Barubiyo, Mohamed Kambi, Parag Kadam, Darryl J. de Ruiter, Cyril C. Grueter, Anthony Agbor, Liza Gijanto, Vaughan Grimes, Ivonne Kienast, Jodie Preece, Liliana Pacheco, Simon Brewer, Tobias Deschner, Mbangi Kambere, Sonia Nicholl, Renee D. Boucher, Yisa Ginath Yuh, Manfred Finckh, Sergio Marrocoli, Orume Diotoh, Anne‐Céline Granjon, Gaëlle Bocksberger, Manuel Llana, Heather Cohen, Giovanna Maretti, Thea Lautenschläger, Paula Dieguez, Andrew M. Zipkin, Vincent Lapeyre, Karsten Dierks, J. Cameron Monroe, Lassané Toubga, Kevin Lee, Andrew Dunn, Jessica Junker, Volker Sommer, Xueye Wang, Matthieu Bonnet, Kathryn J. Jeffery, Nadege Wangue Njomen, Alan H. Goodman
article en
16 citations

Abstract

Strontium isotope (<sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr) analysis with reference to strontium isotope landscapes (Sr isoscapes) allows reconstructing mobility and migration in archaeology, ecology, and forensics. However, despite the vast potential of research involving <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr analysis particularly in Africa, Sr isoscapes remain unavailable for the largest parts of the continent. Here, we measure the <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr ratios in 778 environmental samples from 24 African countries and combine this data with published data to model a bioavailable Sr isoscape for sub-Saharan Africa using random forest regression. We demonstrate the efficacy of this Sr isoscape, in combination with other lines of evidence, to trace the African roots of individuals from historic slavery contexts, particularly those with highly radiogenic <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr ratios uncommon in the African Diaspora. Our study provides an extensive African <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr dataset which includes scientifically marginalized regions of Africa, with significant implications for the archaeology of the transatlantic slave trade, wildlife ecology, conservation, and forensics.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 15(1)
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (FR), University of East Anglia (GB), Northwestern University (US), University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US), University of Stirling (GB), Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo (BF), Memorial University of Newfoundland (CA), Wildlife Conservation Society (US), Los Alamos National Laboratory (US), Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (GB), Harvard University (US), University of Lisbon (PT), University of Cape Town (ZA), Universität Hamburg (DE), West Chester University (US), University of Georgia (US), University of St Andrews (GB), Osnabrück University (DE), The University of Western Australia (AU), Simon Fraser University (CA), University of California, Santa Cruz (US), University of Colorado Boulder (US), Durham University (GB), Washington University in St. Louis (US), Cornell University (US), University of Utah (US), Sichuan University (CN), German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (DE), Lincoln Park Zoo (US), Center for Environmental Health (US), University of Oxford (GB), University of Chicago (US), Gorongosa National Park (MZ), Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp (BE), Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (DE), Gashaka Primate Project (NG), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (DE), Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (DE), Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (DE), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (DE), Wildlife Conservation Society Congo (CG), Swiss Centre for Scientific Research (CI), WWF Cameroon (CM), Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz (DE), International University Institute (IHI) Zittau (DE), Institut des Sciences Cognitives (FR), Hersenstichting (NL), Appalachian State University (US), University College London (GB), Hampshire College (US), Arizona State University (US), University of Neuchâtel (CH), Universitat de Barcelona (ES), Technische Universität Dresden (DE), St. Mary's College of Maryland (US), University of California, Davis (US), Texas A&M University (US)
Wildlife Conservation Society, Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, Agence Nationale Des Parcs Nationaux, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, National Park Service
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
25.41
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