How different were the lives of elites and commoners in early complex societies? This paper examines this question using data from three fisher-hunter-gatherer sites in southern California. Using shell bead counts from burials as proxies for social status and previously published human stable isotope values as indicators of dietary practices, we examine the relationship between diet and status across a period of major sociopolitical change. Our results found no significant relationships between the quantity of beads and stable isotope values, indicating that differential access to foods was not a significant way in which status was manifested in these communities. Instead, we suggest that activities including ownership of sea-going canoes, access to imported goods, and the provisioning of community feasts were likely venues for elite status signaling.

早期复杂社会中精英和平民的生活有何不同？本文使用来自南加州三个渔猎采集点的数据来研究这个问题。我们使用墓葬中的贝珠计数作为社会地位的代表，并使用之前发布的人类稳定同位素值作为饮食习惯的指标，研究了在重大社会政治变革时期饮食与地位之间的关系。我们的结果发现珠子的数量和稳定同位素值之间没有显着关系，这表明食物获取的差异并不是这些社区中体现地位的重要方式。相反，我们认为，包括拥有航海独木舟、获得进口商品以及提供社区盛宴等活动可能是精英地位信号的场所。