Related Papers
Diet and Mobility in Late Antique Sicily Isotopic Data from the Catacombs of Santa Lucia, Siracusa (Italy)
Ilenia Gradante
The Crypt People from the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Stanislaus and Vladislaus, Vilnius, Lithuania: Reconstruction of Life Histories using Stable Isotope Analysis
2015 •
Lana Williams
Population Dynamics in Prehistory and Early History
Mobility in Thuringia or mobile Thuringians: A strontium isotope study from early medieval Central Germany
Daniel Winger
Deviant burials and social identity in a postmedieval polish cemetery: An analysis of stable oxygen and carbon isotopes from the " vampires " of Drawsko
Amy Scott, Tracy Betsinger
Objectives: Deviant burials can reveal important information about both social and individual identity, particularly when the mortuary record is supplemented by an examination of skeletal remains. At the postmedieval (17th to 18th c. AD) cemetery of Drawsko (Site 1), Poland, six individuals (of n 5 285) received deviant, anti-vampiristic mortuary treatment. A previous study using radiogenic strontium isotope ratios (x5 0.7112 6 0.0006, 1r, n 5 60) found that these " vampires " were in fact locals, not migrants to the region targeted for deviant burial due to their status as immigrant outsiders. However, considerable geologic overlap in strontium isotope ratios across the North European Plain may have masked the identification of at least some nonlocal individuals. This study further contextualizes strontium isotope ratios using additional biogeochemical data to test the hypothesis that additional nonlocals were present in the Drawsko cemetery. Methods: Stable oxygen and carbon isotopes from the dental enamel of 58 individuals interred in both normative and atypical burials at Drawsko were analyzed. Results: Both d 18 O c(VPDB) (x5 24.5 6 0.7&) and d 13 C ap isotope values (x5 213.6 6 0.8&) displayed little variability and were not significantly different between vampire and normative burials, supporting prior strontium results of a largely local population. Nevertheless, hom*ogeneity in oxygen isotope values across other northern European sites makes it difficult to speculate about isotopic regional diversity, leaving open the possibility that additional migrants to the region remain undetected. Additionally, carbon isotope values point to a locally sourced diet dominated by C 3 resources but with some supplementation by C 4 goods that likely included millet, fitting with historic descriptions of postmedieval diet in Poland. Conclusions: Those interred as vampires appear local to the region and thus likely underwent deviant funerary treatment due to some other social stigma not apparent from the skeleton.
Dietary reconstruction in Migration Period Central Germany: a carbon and nitrogen isotope study.
Christian Meyer
This study presents bone collagen carbon and nitrogen isotope data from the Migration Period cemeteries (fifth/sixth century AD) of Obermöllern and Rathewitz in Central Germany. The human average δ 13C ratios of −19.8 ± 0.3 ‰ and δ 15N ratios of 9.6 ± 0.9 ‰ (n = 43) reflect a mixed diet in a temperate C3-based ecosystem without significant difference between the two sites. The average offset between human and faunal δ 13C and δ 15N values indicates a significant contribution of plant food to the human diet that has different isotope ratios from the forage of the animals. It furthermore suggests the influence of land management on the δ 15N values. One adult male from Obermöllern stands out due to his elevated nitrogen isotope ratio, body height, grave goods, and burial position. The collagen isotope data of this study are comparable with data from other central European sites and confirm rather stable communities with moderate variation in the environmental conditions of arable land.
Childhood Diet and Mobility at Medieval (1240s AD) Solt-Tételhegy, Hungary as Reconstructed from Stable Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen Isotope Analysis
Ariana Gugora
Between 2005 and 2009, archaeologists excavated more than 100 skeletons from the medieval (1240s AD) Hungarian site of Solt-Tételhegy. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses were conducted on dental enamel and dentin from 24 individuals to examine their childhood diet. Although previous stable isotopic research has described the diet of medieval European peoples, this is the first such study on a medieval Hungarian population. The enamel δ13C values range from -14.4‰ to -8.6‰, with a mean of -11.1‰, while the dentin δ13C values range from -19.4‰ to -14.9‰, with an average of -17.4‰. These data indicate that C3 plants were the main plant type consumed by the majority of this population, with the exception of a few individuals, who appear to have included C4 plants in their diet. These results are to be expected, given the dominance of C3 over C4 plants in medieval Central Europe. Thus, based on historical and isotopic evidence, the outliers may have spent their childhoods elsewhere and later migrated into the Solt-Tételhegy area. The δ15N values range from 9.5‰ to 11.6‰, with a mean of 10.6‰, indicating that animal protein was prevalent in the diets of the sample population. Despite clear signs of status differences indicated by burial location, stable nitrogen values also point to relatively egalitarian access to animal protein amongst the individuals. The enamel δ18Op values range from 23.6‰ to 27.2‰, with an average of 25.1‰, suggesting that multiple migrations occurred into the study site. The results of this study show that the dietary and mobility information gleaned from stable isotope analysis can be used to interpret the lifeways of archaeological peoples.
BENEATH BERLIN: INTERPRETING DIETARY RESPONSES TO THE BLACK DEATH IN MEDIEVAL BERLIN USING STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS
Mariana Zechini
Historical documents from medieval European cities tend to provide useful information on people living during this time. However, due to a lack of surviving documents, little is known about the people of medieval Berlin. Therefore, bioarchaeology is crucial in understanding the history of this major European capital city. Historians have suggested a dietary shift and increased economic opportunities for women following the Black Death, and this project uses stable isotopes to explore these questions. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes were analyzed from 66 skeletons from the Petriplatz cemetery in Berlin, Germany, to understand adult diet. Results indicate a similar diet for males and females but show there is a significant increase in nitrogen after the Black Death, indicating an increased consumption of animal protein. Results also indicate some freshwater fish consumption, and potential cultural reasons for this are explored. Finally, more evidence is needed to understand women’s occupations in medieval Berlin. This project provides the first isotopic study of skeletons from Petriplatz and contributes to the body of isotope work on medieval Germany. It also sheds light on how the inhabitants of the city responded to one of the worst pandemics in history.
PLOS ONE
All Roads Lead to Rome: Exploring Human Migration to the Eternal City through Biochemistry of Skeletons from Two Imperial-Era Cemeteries (1st-3rd c AD)
2016 •
Janet Montgomery
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Diet and collapse: A stable isotope study of Imperial-era Gabii (1st–3rd centuries AD)
Robert Tykot
C 4 -Consumers in Southern Europe: The Case of Friuli V.G. (NE-Italy) During Early and Central Middle Ages
Fabio Cavalli
Isotope variations were studied in necro-polises of the early (6th to 7th century CE) and central (10th to 11th century CE) medieval period located in Fruili-Venezia Giulia (Northeastern Italy). The two periods each shortly followed two great barbarian invasions that changed the politics and economy of Italy: the arrivals of Langobards in 578 CE and the Hungarian incursions from the end of the 9th to the first half of the 10th century. These events had a tragic effect on the economy of Friuli-Venezia Giulia: severe depopulation and the partial abandonment of the countryside with fall of agricultural production. Am J Phys Anthropol 154:561–574, 2014. V C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
