Mummies’ hair reveals ancient last meal: Braids on 2,000-year-old skeletons in Peru suggest a diet o

[Judi Lynn]

Mummies’ hair reveals ancient last meal: Braids on 2,000-year-old skeletons in Peru suggest a diet of fish, corn and beans

Scientists studied diets of 14 mummies found at the Paracas Necropolis

They focused on carbon and nitrogen analysis of keratin in hair strands

Nitrogen isotope values in seawater tend to be greater than those on land

They discovered that culture loved fish and probably didn't travel much

Carbon analysis helped reveal the types of plants the people consumed

By Ellie Zolfagharifard For Dailymail.com

Published: 15:46 EST, 24 February 2015 | Updated: 15:47 EST, 24 February 2015

Professor Kelly Knudson at Arizona State University made the discovery after focusing on carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of keratin in the hair.

Animals that are high on the food chain tend to have high nitrogen isotope values, according to a report in Live Science.

Nitrogen isotope values in seawater and sea plants tend to be greater than those on land.

The scientists also looked at the type and number of carbon isotopes. Most plants, such as legumes and fruits, make C3, while a corn produces C4.

The numbers indicate different ways plants photosynthesise energy from the sun. The research conclude the mummies ate a mixed diet of both C3 and C4 plants.

'By using small samples of hair from these mummies, we can learn what they ate in the months and weeks before they died, which is a very intimate look at the past,' said Professor Knudson.

Human hair grows slowly and around 0.4 inches (1cm) represents four weeks of a person's life, the researchers claim.

The team said their diet not only provides insight into health, but also indicates where people lived and travelled, as well as offer clues about their daily lives.

They were also either geographically stable or, if they travelled between the inland highlands and coastal regions, continued to consume fish.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2967445/Mummies-hair-reveals-ancient-meal-Braids-2-000-year-old-skeletons-Peru-suggest-diet-fish-corn-beans.html#ixzz3ShXZcyys