Social, spatial and chronological patterning in marine food use as determined by ä 13 C measurements of Holocene human skeletons from the south‐western Cape, South Africa

Radiocarbon dates, ä13C measurements and observations on the sex and dentition of a series of prehistoric human skeletons from the south‐western Cape coast reveal changes in the utilisation of marine foods during the Holocene. Only a few skeletons date from the early and middle Holocene, but a substantial number date from 3000 to 2000 BP. During life, these people were heavily reliant on marine foods. People whose skeletons post‐date 2000 BP ate more mixed diets with a larger proportion of terrestrial foods.This pattern mirrors that seen in food waste from sites excavated at or near Elands Bay. It seems, however, to be true of a much larger area of the Cape, extending as far south as the Cape Peninsula. Changes in the composition of diet through the Holocene were more marked for men than for women. Tooth wear and the occurrence of dental caries vary according to sex, and to the degree of reliance on marine foods.