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The excavation of the Merovingian cemetery of Saint-Linaire (France) was an opportunity to describe the completeness of the tombs preserved from soil erosion. An anthropobiological study was carried out on the osteological material and the different categories of graves. On the basis of a complete archaeo-anthropological corpus we have undertaken an analysis of the differential preservation of the bones according to the different archaeobiological parameters such as the type of bone, the individual age but also the type of grave such as earthen graves, coffin, or sarcophagus. In order to establish whether and how funerary practices had impacted the early diagenesis of the bones, FTIR was used to investigate the carbonate and fluoride content of the bones, and the infra-red splitting factor (SF), while XRD analysis was performed to estimate the crystallinity index (CI). In addition, the micro, macro and total porosity of the bones were measured by water adsorption, and bone carbon and nitrogen amounts were obtained by EA IRMS. These diagenetic variables were analysed with regards to environmental (grave filling: humus, calcareous, clay), cultural (type of grave) and biological (mature versus immature individuals) factors. While there is a tendency of a better preservation of the skeletons in humus, and of juvenile bones to show less post-mortem alteration than the adult skeletons, the most important factor which determines the fate of the skeleton is the type of bone, with a preferential preservation of the ribs at Saint-Linaire.

Trilobites are the most diverse animal phylum in the Cambrian, and are critical stratigraphic markers. Despite their significance, the exact sequence of trilobite appearances across the globe, and their respective ages, are difficult to reconstruct due to a scarcity of radiometric dates. Using visual correlation of carbon isotope (δ13C) excursions and integration of available U-Pb age constraints, Landing et al. (2021) have estimated the age of the first Siberian trilobites at roughly 521 million years ago (Ma), which would make them the world’s oldest trilobites. Here, we aim to provide a more precise date, with uncertainty, using a Bayesian stratigraphic age model that takes the global signature of δ13C excursions to correlate proxy records from multiple locations. Our model integrates radiometric dates across sections, using ages from well-dated sections to inform age estimates in sections with little or no age information. The model works by evaluating the fit of Bayesian splines to different alignments of the sections, using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods to obtain the posterior distributions. This approach provides an objective evaluation of different possible alignments, generating a probabilistic age-depth model. We apply this model to the lower Cambrian sections of the Anti-Atlas mountains in Morocco, and to the Sukharikha River section of the northwestern Siberian platform. The Moroccan sections provide a uniquely detailed δ13C record and multiple radiometric dates, and this age information is transferred to the Siberian section and the emergence of trilobites in the fossil record. Preliminary results indicate that the first appearance of Siberian trilobites is younger than previously estimated, and consequently closer in time to the first trilobites in Morocco and elsewhere.Landing, E., Schmitz, M., Geyer, G., Trayler, R., & Bowring, S. (2021). Precise early Cambrian U–Pb zircon dates bracket the oldest trilobites and archaeocyaths in Moroccan West Gondwana. Geological Magazine, 158(2), 219-238.

This study reports the first dietary stable isotope data from Iron Age in Latvia. Archaeological, osteological, genetic, and stable isotope data from the Lejasbitēni cemetery were used to study gendered differences in childhood diet expressed in stable isotope ratios with social status expressed in grave goods, in this population from the 7th – 10th centuries CE. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis showed significant differences in childhood diet between male and female gendered individuals, indicating that gender might have been a key factor for dietary differences in children. There were no significant dietary differences within the gender groups in adults of differential social status expressed in grave goods, suggesting no link between childhood diet and social status in adulthood, although the sample size was very small. A change towards a more hierarchical society was observed in the later period of the cemetery, expressed in the appearance of more elaborately furnished burials, rare grave goods, and a new burial tradition. All these changes were contemporary with the development of the Viking Age in Northern Europe, and thus possibly signified external cultural influence. Ancient DNA analysis showed that gender as expressed by grave goods corresponded with biological sex in two individuals with the highest quality aDNA, while biological sex could not be confirmed in the other five tested individuals.

Colonial New Zealand was built on the ideal of creating better lives for settlers. Emigrants came looking to escape the shackles of the class-system and poor conditions in Industrial Revolution period Britain. Colonial propaganda claimed that most emigrants achieved their aims, but the lives the colonists actually experienced upon reaching New Zealand remain relatively unexplored from a biosocial perspective. In this paper we present a pilot study of stable isotope results of bone collagen from seven adults interred in the St. John’s Cemetery (SJM), Milton, New Zealand (ca. AD 1860–1900). We interpret the diet at Milton and broadly compare our isotopic results with contemporaneous samples from Britain. We show that, like contemporary Britain, the diet of our studied individuals was focused on C3 crops and terrestrial meat sources. Despite higher ????15N values in contemporary UK populations (which can simplistically be interpreted as indicative of higher meat intake), consideration of different local baselines makes it likely that this New Zealand population had relatively similar levels of meat intake. Interestingly marine resources did not form an important part of the Milton diet, despite the site's proximity to the ocean, hinting at the possible stigmatisation of local resources and the development of a European New Zealand (pākehā) food identity.

Inhumation burials are recorded in Britain and Europe during excavations in a standardized way, especially graves of early medieval date. Just a limited number of attributes are usually foregrounded and these mainly concern skeletal identification, the grave plan and, when a burial is furnished, a list of objects, particularly metalwork, as well as occasional reference to burial structures, if present. In this paper, we argue that concealed within these recorded details are attributes that often receive little attention, but which can provide evidence for community investment in the individual funerary rite. These include grave orientation, grave morphology, the body position and the empty spaces in the grave, as well as categories of material culture. We argue here that these factors enable us to define communal burial profiles and can facilitate the identification of group perceptions and actions in dealing with death. By capitalizing on these additional aspects of funerary ritual, archaeologists can move away from a general dependency on well-furnished burials as the main stepping-off point for discussion of social and cultural issues. This has particular relevance for regions where unfurnished burial rites are the norm and where furnished rites do not rely on a wealth of metalwork.

Objectives: Colonial period New Zealand was lauded as a land of plenty, where colonists could improve their station in life and secure a future for their families. Our understanding of colonial experience, however, is often shaped by historical records which communicate a state‐sponsored version of history. This study aims to reconstruct the lives of settlers using isotopic evidence from the colonial skeletons themselves. Materials and methods: We use skeletal remains from recently excavated colonial sites in Otago (South Island, New Zealand) to illustrate the information that can be gleaned from the isotopic analysis of individuals. We use 87Sr/86Sr to identify European settlers, and δ13C and δ15N from collagen and hair keratin, as well as dental enamel carbonate δ13C to trace dietary change over their life‐courses. Results: Strontium isotope analysis shows that all adults in our sample are non‐local. Dietary isotopes show that while most individuals had relatively consistent childhood diet, one individual with more rural origins likely had seasonal use of resources during childhood. While some members of the population seem to have increased their meat intake in the new colony most do not have clear evidence for this. Discussion: We show the diversity of human experience in first‐generation New Zealanders both prior to emigration and in the new colony. Despite colonial propaganda claiming that circumstances in New Zealand were improved for all settlers, we have little evidence for this, aside from among individuals of potentially high status.

Carbon and nitrogen isotope profiles were obtained from incremental dentine analysis of 19 non‐adults from a cemetery in Riga, Latvia. The research compared the life histories and diet between people buried in two mass graves and the general cemetery. The δ13C profiles of several children from the mass graves were similar but did not resemble the patterns seen in children from the general cemetery, suggesting that they probably represented a different population group. The rise in δ15N values towards the end of the life of four individuals from one mass grave suggests they were victims of an historically documented famine.

The aims of this study were to explore the origins of 19 children buried in two mass graves and the general cemetery at the post-medieval St Gertrude Church cemetery in Riga, Latvia, using strontium isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr), and to establish local soil Sr biosphere ranges from faunal samples from two areas of Latvia. The results confirmed the presence of one clear outlier in the population and one child who may have had originated from the region of Vidzeme. The lack of significant differences in 87Sr/86Sr between the other individuals analysed suggested that they were representative of one population. A strong correlation between 87Sr/86Sr ratios and previously obtained mean δ13C and δ15N values in children from mass graves suggested possible short-term dietary changes with increased proportion of marine resources and food sources subject to sea spray. The study has yielded the first comparative 87Sr/86Sr data from archaeological skeletons in Latvia, which will be essential for future research addressing comparative mobility studies in the region.

Experiences of childhood in colonial New Zealand are difficult to reconstruct from the historical record alone. Many of those who came to the colony were illiterate, and the Victorian tendency to avoid discussion of pregnancy and breastfeeding practices restricts our understanding of this important period. Bioarchaeological investigation, however, has the potential to illuminate the life stories of these first-generation Pākehā (European) settlers. Here we use isotopic evidence combined with dental pathology from children interred in a historic cemetery from Otago, New Zealand, to examine colonial childhood. We show how weaning practices in the colony differ from those experienced by their emigrant parents, highlight periods of illness likely associated with the weaning process, and bring to light the potential problems caused by maternal Vitamin D deficiency in the colony.

Human mobility and migration are thought to have played essential roles in the consolidation and expansion of sedentary villages, long-distance exchanges and transmission of ideas and practices during the Neolithic transition of the Near East. Few isotopic studies of human remains dating to this early complex transition offer direct evidence of mobility and migration. The aim of this study is to identify first-generation non-local individuals from Natufian to Pre-Pottery Neolithic C periods to explore the scope of human mobility and migration during the Neolithic transition in the Southern Levant, an area that is central to this historical process. The study adopted a multi-approach resorting to strontium (87Sr/86Sr), oxygen (δ18OVSMOW) and carbon (δ13C) isotope ratio analyses of tooth enamel of 67 human individuals from five sites in Jordan, Syria, and Israel. The isotope ratios point both to a significant level of human migration and/or mobility in the Final Natufian which is compatible with early sedentarism and seasonal mobility and with population aggregation in early sedentary hamlets. The current findings, in turn, offer evidence that most individuals dating to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic were local to their respective settlements despite certain evidence of non-locals. Interestingly, isotopic data suggest that two possible non-local individuals benefitted from particular burial practices. The results underscore a decrease in human mobility and migration as farming became increasingly dominant among the subsistence strategies throughout the Neolithic transition of the Southern Levant., The study was supported by a grant from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (European Commission, no. GA 750460; H2020-MSCA-IF-2016). In addition, this research was supported by the European Commission (Grant ERC-2019-StG 851733), the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Grant RTI2018-101923-J-I00, Grant RYC2019-028346-I and Grant HAR2016-74999-P), and Palarq Foundation. We would like to warmly thank François Valla and Hamoudi Khalaily who have given us permission to work on the anthropological collections of Mallaha.

Objectives: To identify and characterize anthropogenic lead sources on a 17th/18th century Barbadian plantation and to test if lead isotope analyses can be used to identify the geographic origins of first‐generation African captives. Materials and Methods: We carried out lead (Pb) isotope analyses on dental enamel samples from 24 individuals from the Newton Plantation Cemetery in Barbados, which had previously been analyzed for strontium (Sr) and oxygen (O) isotope composition (Schroeder et al., American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2009, 139:547–557) and Pb concentrations (Schroeder et al., American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2013, 150:203–209. Results: We are able to identify British Pb sources, and more specifically Bristol/Mendips Pb, as the most likely source of anthropogenic Pb on the plantation, highlighting the impact of the British Atlantic economy on the lives of enslaved peoples in Barbados during the period of plantation slavery. Furthermore, we find that there is only one clear outlier among seven individuals who had previously been identified as African‐born based on their enamel Sr isotope composition (Schroeder et al., American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2009, 139:547–557). All other individuals present a very homogenous Pb isotope composition, which overlaps with that of British Pb sources. Conclusion: Our results indicate that while Pb isotope analyses can help identify and further characterize the sources of anthropogenic Pb in plantation settings, they might not be suited for identifying the origins of African‐born individuals in diasporic contexts.

Background: The population of Roman Britain are renowned for having elevated nitrogen (δ15) stable isotope values, which have been interpreted as evidence for the increased consumption of marine products. However, such results are now understood to also reflect episodes of stress and disease, suggesting that new interpretations are warranted. Aim: To test our novel approach which combines hazard mortality analysis and stable isotope data to determine whether there is a relationship between age-at-death, elevated δ15N values and mortality risk. Subjects and methods: We used published osteological and dietary stable isotope data for nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) of 659 1st-5th century AD individuals aged >12 years old excavated from Roman cemeteries in Britain. The relationship between diet and mortality risk was assessed using the Gompertz hazard model, and differences in median reported isotope values between the sexes was determined using a Mann Whitney test. Results: We discovered that higher δ15N are associated with elevated risks of mortality, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for δ13C, and males had higher median δ13C and δ15N values. Conclusion: We successfully demonstrated that stable isotope data can be integrated in to hazard models, allowing us to connect diet and mortality in past populations. It supports the findings of other isotope studies, which have established that individuals with childhood stress/trauma will have different isotope patterns.

A rescue excavation in the Chapel of the Presbyterian Church of Soly, explored a grave of two men in an unusual position among 20 other child burials in 2008–2009. The burial is dated to the early modern (16–17th century CE) Period. The 45–50-year-old males showed signs of poor health condition and both had healed fractures and perimortem sharp force traumas including also injuries due to decapitation. Craniometric and morphological features suggested the two men of non-Hungarian origin but show similar characteristics to incoming populations from South Slavic areas during the Ottoman Period of Hungary (16–17th centuries). Strontium and oxygen isotope analyses were conducted, with O isotope ratios suggested that Skeleton 12 had a non-local childhood, with a ratio consistent with an origin further east in Europe. The ratio of the sample from Skeleton 11 was consistent with a local origin but also with a wide range of other places in Central and Eastern Europe. The two men are inferred to be non-local victims of murder or extra-judicial punishment and exemplify the high level of local conflicts in this troubled Period of Hungarian history.

Fine-resolution sampling of pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and microcharcoal as well as sedimentological data in a 6-m sediment core were used to reconstruct both natural conditions and human impacts in the late fifth and early fourth millennia cal bc in the environs of the Nebelivka megasite in Kirovograd Oblast, Central Ukraine. This 238-ha site, dating to the Middle (or BII) Phase of the Trypillia culture, represents one of the first low-density urban establishments in Europe. Despite what was believed to be a sizable population, local human impacts reconstructed from the multi-proxy palaeo-ecological record were moderate in character. There was no positive evidence to indicate a depositional hiatus in the P1 core and no sign of a major ecological impact at any stage in the high-resolution record. The palaeo-ecological record indicates modest settlement agglomeration with less permanent populations rather than permanent populations of tens of thousands of people.

The human skeleton reflects an individual’s biocultural life-course, recording information on diet, health, and stress. Using new methods for inferring phys-iological stress during the foetal, infant, and childhood periods, this chapter investigates the early lives of two subadult individuals through the lens of the maternal-infant nexus from the Neolithic site of Man Bac in Vietnam. We apply a novel approach that incorporates stable isotopic evidence for weaning and diet, with a quantitative method of identifying and measuring linear enamel hypoplasia to assess physiological stress during development. These case studies are interpreted within a bioarchaeology of infant- and child-care theoretical model approach that focuses on the maternal-infant nexus, and incorporates information on fertility, palaeopathological data, archaeological data on the natural and social environment, and social organisation.

The lower Cambrian successions of Southern Morocco (West Gondwana) feature some of the oldest trilobites and archaeocyaths fossil remains in the world, as well as some of the largest carbon isotope excursions of the Phanerozoic. Combined with multiple state-of-the-art U-Pb radio-isotopic constraints, these sections are key references for lower Cambrian stratigraphy. We suggest that some of the regularly alternating lithological sequences, which show various orders of nested cyclicity, carry a signal of astronomical climate forcing. In agreement with a U-Pb Bayesian age model, the primary lithological alternation corresponds with the precession astronomical cycle while clear amplitude modulation patterns reflect a short-term eccentricity imprint. Both small- and large-scale features are laterally continuous at great distances. Changes in lithology may have been primary controlled by changes in terrigenous input. This integrated astrochronological age model has the potential to result in unprecedented early Cambrian timescales for major paleoenvironmental changes like the appearance of key fossils and large carbon isotope excursions. Often, lower Cambrian and Precambrian strata lack classical stratigraphical tools like good index fossils or magnetostratigraphy. In comparison with younger strata, the combined use of high-quality radio-isotopic dating and high-precision astrochronology might be even more crucial to disentangle important events in the early evolution of life and climate on our planet.

Following a mid twelfth-century BC demographic crisis, Frattesina, in northern Italy, arose as a prominent hub linking continental Europe and the Mediterranean, as evidenced by the remarkable variety of exotic materials and commodities discovered at the site. Debate persists, however, about the extent to which migrants influenced the foundation and development of Frattesina. The authors present the results of strontium isotope analyses, which suggest significant migration to the site, particularly of elites, mostly from within a 50km radius. Among these non-indigenous people, the authors identify a ‘warrior-chief’, whom they interpret as representing a new, more hierarchical society.

Londinium (48–410 CE) was the focus for Roman administration and trade in Britain; it was established and inhabited by people from across the Empire who continued to practice their diverse food-ways. Roman London was a unique settlement, whose fluctuating economic and political fortunes throughout Roman occupation are clearly evidenced in the archaeological and historical records. This study conducts stable isotope analysis of the diet of a large sample of subadults (0–20 years old) dating from the 1st to 4th centuries AD in London. It includes an assessment of breastfeeding and weaning practices, but aims to focus more on the diets of older children and the transition to ‘adult’ dietary behaviours. The rib bones of 100 subadults and 20 adults were sampled for carbon and nitrogen isotopes. Using these data, we identified an infant feeding pattern that differed from contemporaneous sites in Italy and which remained unchanged over time, a special diet for nursing females, and temporal changes in diet, whereby subadults consumed greater quantities of freshwater resources compared to adults during periods of economic instability.

The site of Tepe Hissar (Iran) experienced widespread cultural and economic changes during the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages (5th to the 2nd millennium B.C.). The discovery of evidence of burning, including charred human remains, the destruction of buildings (Periods II and III), and the presence of several mass-burials with comingling of human skeletal remains consisting of ten or more individuals (Period III), suggests interpersonal violence during these periods. The original excavator of Tepe Hissar, Erich Schmidt, suggested that phenomena such as war, massacres, epidemics, or similar catastrophes, may have been responsible for the excavated archaeological evidence. This study tests the hypothesis that interpersonal violence was responsible for this evidence. Patterns of violence related head injury are explored among 129 adult men and women from the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages. Sixty of the 129 (46.5%) crania examined presented with cranial trauma, with 25 (19.3%) having evidence of perimortem injury, and four (3.1%) and 31 (24%) individuals with signs of healing and healed head/facial trauma, respectively. Most of the injuries were located on the frontal or parietal bones of the cranium. Such findings may be interpreted as a result of the population experiencing a rise in social complexity and population increase that accompanied violence related to intra- or inter-group competition, often leading to lethal outcomes. These data support the hypothesis that the cultural and economic transitions and population changes that occurred at Tepe Hissar, and particularly in the Hissar II and III periods, were accompanied by tension and interpersonal violence.

This study investigated subsistence economy and dietary changes during the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages (the 5th to 2nd millennium BCE) in the Central Iranian Plateau through a study of skeletal remains buried at Tepe Hissar, Iran. Tepe Hissar experienced widespread socio-cultural and economic transitions during this period. These changes were accompanied by conflict, site abandonment, and reoccupation. This research hypothesised that these socio-cultural and economic changes impacted the subsistence economy and diet of the population. δ13C and δ15N was analysed in human bone collagen from 69 adult male and female skeletons from Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Tepe Hissar (Hissar I, II, and III Period). The data showed no significant change in diet during this time, with both sexes from different age-categories having a similar diet. This data did not support the working hypothesis stating that some dietary changes, probably, had occurred in this long period. The isotopic evidences suggested a mixed diet based on C3 terrestrial plants, animal protein, and a small proportion of fresh water resources. Thus the Tepe Hissar population may have had access to similar food resources during the three millennia of its existence, possibly due to climate continuity in this region. However, the remarkable cultural changes evidenced at this site appear not to have had a significant impact on the diet of people during this time.

Early life is associated with high vulnerability to morbidity and mortality – risks which can be reduced in infancy and early childhood through strategically high levels of parental or alloparental investment, particularly through maternal breastfeeding. Recent evidence has supported links between early life health and care patterns and long-term population health. This growing body of research regarding the broader impacts of infant-parent interactions transcends a traditional partitioning of research into discrete life stages. It also highlights implications of childhood data for our understanding of population health and behaviour. Skeletal and environmental data indicate that the fifth- to seventh-century cemeteries at Littleport and Edix Hill (Barrington A), Cambridgeshire, represent populations of similar material culture but contrasting environments and health. The high prevalence of skeletal stress markers at Littleport indicates a community coping with unusual levels of biological stress, potentially a consequence of endemic malaria present in the marshy Fen environs. In contrast, Edix Hill was an inland site which exhibited lower skeletal stress marker prevalence comparable to wider British data for the early medieval period. Early life patterns relating to diet and physiological stress at Littleport (n = 5) and Edix Hill (n = 8) were investigated through analyses of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes from incrementally sampled deciduous dentine. Meaningful variation in isotopic values within and between populations was observed and should be a focus of future interdisciplinary archaeological childhood studies.

This paper explores the impact of changing religious political rule on subsistence within a single city through time using stable isotope analysis of human and animal bone collagen. The diet and economy of the medieval city of Valencia (Spain) are examined over a 1000-year period during successive periods of Visigothic, Muslim and Christian rule. Bulk stable isotope analysis of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) was carried out on 67 humans and 47 animals sampled from several archaeological sites dating between the fifth and fifteenth centuries AD. Terrestrial C3 resources dominated the diet in all periods. However, an increase in consumption of C4 plants (e.g. millet, sorghum) and/or marine resources is detected among individuals dating to the Islamic period. Differences in the isotopic values of humans and animals between the three periods indicate a significant dietary diversity during the Islamic phases (eleventh to thirteenth century), compared with the earlier Visigothic phase (fifth–seventh century) and the later Christian phase (fourteenth and fifteenth century). Observed diachronic changes in isotopic results provide evidence for a shift in diet and subsistence, particularly during the Muslim and later Christian periods. This is linked with change in population and economic focus. Dietary diversity among Muslim individuals is hypothesised to indicate the polyculture that was reflected in varied Islamic agricultural practices and the presence of potential migrants from elsewhere in the Islamic world.

During the 12th and 13th centuries, numerous leprosy hospitals were founded in Europe. Given that leprosy was not considered infectious, this may reflect social dimensions of the disease. Aiming at exploring the impact of leprosy on medieval people and the organisation of the Danish leprosarium at Næstved, we reconstructed the diet of twenty patients using stable isotopes, and compared our results with relevant historical data. The isotope results revealed a terrestrial C3 diet with a small contribution of aquatic foods. Contrary to historical evidence of daily fish consumption in the leprosy hospital, only six individuals consumed relatively large amounts of freshwater fish. Leprosaria have been considered monastic institutions, and thus a varied diet, poor in aquatic protein, questions the monastic nature of the hospital and points to a social stratification. A multi-isotope analysis of a larger sample set would add to our understanding of the diet of the leprosy patients, as well as their treatment in the leprosarium.

After the Battle Dunbar between English and Scottish forces in 1650, captured Scottish soldiers were imprisoned in Durham and many hundreds died there within a few weeks. The partial skeletal remains of 28 of these men were discovered in 2013. Building on previous osteological work, here we report wide-ranging scientific studies of the remains to address the following questions: Did they have comparable diet, health and disease throughout their lives? Did they have common histories of movement (or lack of movement) during their childhoods? Can we create a collective biography of these men? Strontium and oxygen isotope analysis of tooth enamel investigated childhood movement. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of incrementally sampled dentine addressed childhood diet and nutrition. Metaproteomic analysis of dental calculus investigated oral microbiomes and food residues; this was complemented by microscopic analysis of debris in calculus from ingested materials. Selected individuals were examined for dental microwear. The extent of hydroxylation of proline in collagen was examined as a potential biomarker for scurvy. An osteobiography for each man was created using the full range of data generated about him, and these were synthesised using an approach based on the historical method for a collective biography or prosopography. The childhood residences of the men were primarily within the Midland Valley of Scotland, though some spent parts of their childhood outside the British Isles. This is concordant with the known recruitment areas of the Scottish army in 1650. Their diets included oats, brassicas and milk but little seafood, as expected for lowland rather than highland diets of the period. Childhood periods of starvation or illness were almost ubiquitous, but not simultaneous, suggesting regionally variable food shortages in the 1620s and 1630s. It is likely there was widespread low-level scurvy, ameliorating in later years of life, which suggests historically unrecorded shortages of fruit and vegetables in the early 1640s. Almost all men were exposed to burnt plant matter, probably as inhaled soot, and this may relate to the high proportion of them with of sinusitis. Interpersonal violence causing skeletal trauma was rare. Based on commonalities in their osteobiographies, we argue that these men were drawn from the same stratum of society. This study is perhaps the most extensive to date of individuals from 17thcentury Scotland. Combined with a precise historical context it allows the lives of these men to be investigated and compared to the historical record with unprecedented precision. It illustrates the power of archaeological science methods to confirm, challenge and complement historical evidence.

Interpreting early life experience in the past is of considerable interest to archaeologists, yet remains fraught with difficulty. Children are sensitive barometers of population health in general. In addition, infant feeding practices, and stresses experienced during infancy and childhood, have important effects on adult health and demographic changes. Understanding how diet and physiological stress interact is therefore of significance, but most bony indicators of stress have non‐specific etiologies that cannot be tied to events during childhood. The recent advent of incremental isotopic techniques means we now have the potential to identify periods of stress and dietary change during childhood through changes to stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios during tissue formation. Being able to establish these individual weaning trajectories allows us to consider individuality in past weaning choices, giving the bioarchaeologist a more nuanced picture of the past. Here, we investigate whether combining paleopathological and isotopic data can give insight into the synergy between infant feeding and stress. We present a case study of a 5‐year‐old child from an early agricultural period archaeological site in the northern Atacama Desert, Chile. We show that, despite physiological stress likely affecting isotopic ratios in this individual, a weaning curve is visible and the interpretation of weaning behaviour is possible. In addition, we suggest that there is isotopic evidence for a micronutrient deficient weaning diet that may be correlated with bony evidence for pathology.

The Atacama Desert is one of the most inhospitable terrestrial environments on Earth, yet the upwelling of the Humboldt Current off the coast has resulted in the presence of a rich marine biota. It is this marine environment which first enabled the human settlement of the northern Atacama Desert, and continues to form the basis of regional economies today. In this paper we explore how the desert has shaped human dietary choices throughout prehistory, using carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of human bone collagen (n = 80) to reconstruct the diets of the inhabitants of the Arica region of the northern Atacama. This area is one of the driest parts of the desert, but has been generally understudied in terms of dietary adaptation. Statistical analysis using FRUITS has allowed deconvolution of isotopic signals to create dietary reconstructions and highlight the continued importance of marine resources throughout the archaeological sequence. Location also appears to have played a role in dietary choices, with inland sites having 10–20% less calories from marine foods than coastal sites. We also highlight evidence for the increasing importance of maize consumption, coinciding with contact with highland polities. In all periods apart from the earliest Archaic, however, there is significant variability between individuals in terms of dietary resource use. We conclude that marine resource use, and broad-spectrum economies persisted throughout prehistory. We interpret these results as reflecting a deliberate choice to retain dietary diversity as a buffer against resource instability.

Este trabajo explora desde una perspectiva diacronica la dieta de las poblaciones prehispanicas de la region de Arica mediante analisis isotopicos de δ13C y δ15N, con el proposito de evaluar si hubieron cambios en los patrones dietarios desde los primeros agricultores (periodo Formativo, 3500-1500 AP) hasta la ocupacion Inka (periodo Tardio, 550-400 AP). En particular, examina el impacto del consumo del maiz en esta area, durante los periodos de mayor interaccion social con los centros politicos del altiplano. Nuestros resultados muestran una continuidad en el tiempo del consumo de recursos marinos de amplio espectro, mas que un giro hacia la dependencia del consumo del maiz. Ademas, se comparan y contrastan nuestros resultados con otros previamente publicados para otras regiones andinas, demostrando variaciones biogeograficas en el uso de los recursos, probablemente influenciados por los centros politicos Wari, Tiwanaku y luego el imperio Inka. Finalmente, el analisis isotopico incremental del colageno de la dentina en las muestras de infantes de las poblaciones de la region de Arica, indican que el maiz fue un recurso alimenticio durante la fase del destete, demostrando asi un consumo mas marcado durante la infancia que en la adultez. = This paper presents the results of isotopic analysis of prehistoric diet in the Arica region. Using δ13C and δ15N values obtained from human collagen we evaluate changes in dietary patterns from the early agricultural period (Formative 3500-1500 BP) through to Inka occupation (Late period 550-400 BP). In particular, we examine the impact of maize consumption in the area during periods of major social interaction with the political centres of the Andean highlands. Our results show the continuation of broadspectrum and marine resource use, rather than a shift to maize-reliance during prehistory. In addition, we compare and contrast our data with previously published work from other Andean regions. We demonstrate biogeographical variation in resource use, probably influenced by the political centres of Wari, Tiwanaku and later the Inka Empire. Contrastingly, results from incremental isotopic analysis of dentine collagen from the Arica infant populations indicate that maize was an important resource for infantweaning, and comprises a more obvious portion of childhood diet than that of adults.

The transition from Roman Britain to early Anglo-Saxon England, traditionally described as the Adventus Saxonum and associated with a large-scale invasion by Germanic peoples, has been the subject of much debate. The archaeological record does not support a replacement of the local Romano-British population with Germanic incomers, and alternative explanations for the transition argue for a much smaller contribution of Germanic immigrants. As a contribution to this debate and to address the question of the number of immigrants, we have applied strontium and oxygen isotope analysis to study residential mobility in a sample of 19 individuals from the early Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Eastbourne, Sussex, on the southern English coast. Local variation in bio-available strontium isotope ratios was established by sampling soils from different geological substrates within 19 km of the cemetery and from a small sample of domestic animals recovered from the graves. Four individuals are likely continental immigrants, three others could be, but could also originate elsewhere in the British Isles, and two women are likely immigrants from nearby communities. The identified immigrants at Eastbourne show a temporal spread and lack of wealth expressed as grave goods. This pattern is not consistent with simple models of mass invasion, elite takeover or acculturation. Our results, together with other recent findings, imply that the Adventus Saxonum involved diverse migratory and demographic processes.

Carbon isotope measurements of individual fatty acids (C16:0 and C18:0) recovered from archaeological pottery vessels are widely used in archaeology to investigate past culinary and economic practices. Typically, such isotope measurements are matched with reference to food sources for straightforward source identification, or simple linear models are used to investigate mixing of contents. However, in cases where multiple food sources were processed in the same vessel, these approaches result in equivocal solutions. To address this issue, we tested the use of a Bayesian mixing model to determine the proportional contribution of different food sources to a series of different mixed food compositions, using data generated both by simulation and by experiment. The model was then applied to previously published fatty acid isotope datasets from pottery from two prehistoric sites: Durrington Walls, near Stonehenge in southern Britain and Neustadt in northern Germany. We show that the Bayesian approach to the reconstruction of pottery use offers a reliable probabilistic interpretation of source contributions although the analysis also highlights the relatively low precision achievable in quantifying pottery contents from datasets of this nature. We suggest that, with some refinement, the approach outlined should become standard practice in organic residue analysis, and also has potential application to a wide range of geological and geochemical investigations.

This research explores oral health indicators and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data to explore diet, and differences in diet, between people buried in the four different contexts of the St Gertrude Church cemetery (15th– 17th centuries AD): the general cemetery, two mass graves, and a collective mass burial pit within the general cemetery. The main aim is to assess whether people buried in the mass graves were rural immigrants, or if they were more likely to be the victims of plague (or another epidemic) who lived in Riga and its suburbs. The data produced (from dental disease assessments and isotope analyses) were compared within, as well as between, the contexts. Most differences emerged when comparing the prevalence rates of dental diseases and other oral health indicators in males and females between the contexts, while isotope analysis revealed more individual, rather than context-specific, differences. The data suggested that the populations buried in the mass graves were different from those buried in the general cemetery, and support the theory that rural immigrants were buried in both mass graves. Significant differences were observed in some aspects of the data between the mass graves, however, possibly indicating that the people buried in them do not represent the same community.

Aims and objectives: The transition to an agricultural economy is often presumed to involve an increase in female fertility related to changes in weaning practice. In particular, the availability of staple crops as complementary foods is hypothesized to allow earlier weaning in agricultural populations. In this study, our primary aim is to explore whether this model fits the agricultural transition in the Atacama Desert using incremental isotopic analysis. A secondary aim of this study is to identify isotopic patterns relating to weaning, and assess how these may be differentiated from those relating to early life stress. Materials and methods: We use incremental isotopic analysis of dentine to examine changes in δ15N and δ13C values from infancy and childhood in sites of the Arica region (n = 30). We compare individuals from pre‐agricultural and agricultural phases to establish isotopic patterns and relate these patterns to maternal diet, weaning trajectory and physiological stress. Results We find that there is no evidence for systematic temporal or geographic variation in incremental isotopic results. Instead, results from all time periods are highly variable, with weaning completed between 1.5 and 3.5 years. Characteristics of the incremental profiles indicate that both in utero and postnatal stress were a common part of the infant experience in the Atacama. Discussion: In the Atacama Desert it appears that the arrival of agricultural crops did not result in uniform shifts in weaning behavior. Instead, infant and child diet seems to have been dictated by the broad‐spectrum diets of the mothers, perhaps as a way of mitigating the stresses of the harsh desert environment.

This article investigates the diets of neighboring Christians and Muslims in late medieval Spain (here 13th–16th centuries) through the analysis of the stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in adult human and animal bone collagen. Twenty-four Christians and 20 Muslims are sampled from two adjacent and contemporaneous settlements in the township of Gandia on the Mediterranean coast, together with the remains of 24 animals. Statistical differences in both δ13C and δ15N reveal that the diets of the two faith communities differed, despite living side-by-side. These differences may relate to inequalities in their access to foodstuffs, particularly to C3/C4 grain and/or possibly terrestrial meat sources, though cultural preferences are also highlighted. Isotopic values for animals were also found to vary widely, both between and within species, and this provides a window into the local livestock economy. Am J Phys Anthropol 156:263–273, 2015. © 2014 The Authors. American Journal of physical Anthropology published by Wiley Periodicals,Inc.

The early fifth century transition from Roman Britain to Anglo-Saxon England is a poorly understood period in British history. Historical narratives describe a brutal conquest by Anglo-Saxon invaders with nearly complete replacement of the indigenous population, but aspects of the archaeological record contradict this interpretation leading to competing hypotheses. Rather than replacement, a smaller group of Germanic immigrants may have settled in England as part of the social, religious, and political turmoil happening in western Europe at this time (Dark, 2000; Henig, 2002; Higham, 1992) or rapid acculturation with little contribution from Germanic immigrants may have occurred in the vacuum of Roman abandonment. As the number of Anglo-Saxon immigrants arriving in Britain is one of the focal issues of this debate, strontium and oxygen isotopic ratios, with their ability to identify immigrants in a burial population, offer a technique to test competing hypotheses. We employ oxygen and strontium isotope ratios in tooth enamel to identify the number of continental immigrants in a sample of 19 individuals from the early Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Wally Corner, Berinsfield in the Upper Thames Valley, Oxfordshire, UK. Local variation in bio-available strontium isotope ratios is established using faunal remains from the site and by sampling soils on geological formations within 8 km of the site. The oxygen isotope results show a homogeneous sample that is slightly enriched when calibrated to local meteoric water. One individual with a significantly depleted value may be a continental immigrant. Three others are strontium outliers. With only 5.3% of the sample originating from Europe, the isotopic data support the hypothesis of acculturation. In addition, the isotopic data shows no temporal patterning, although females show a statistically significant enrichment in the oxygen isotope ratio.

Current conventions for reporting radiocarbon determinations do not cover the reporting of calibrated dates. This article proposes revised conventions that have been endorsed by many 14C scientists. For every determination included in a scientific paper, the following should apply: (1) the laboratory measurement should be reported as a conventional radiocarbon age in 14C yr BP or a fractionation-corrected fraction modern (F14C) value; (2) the laboratory code for the determination should be included; and (3) the sample material dated, the pretreatment method applied, and quality control measurements should be reported. In addition, for every calibrated determination or modeled date, the following should be reported: (4) the calibration curve and any reservoir offset used; (5) the software used for calibration, including version number, the options and/or models used, and wherever possible a citation of a published description of the software; and (6) the calibrated date given as a range (or ranges) with an associated probability on a clearly identifiable calendar timescale.

Treponematosis has been one of the most studied and debated infectious diseases in paleopathology, particularly from the standpoint of its origin, evolution, and transmission. This study links evidence for treponematosis in skeletons from the 14th-16th century AD cemetery of the Augustinian friary of Hull Magistrates Court, England, with data from stable isotope analysis to test the hypothesis that the people with treponemal disease buried at this site were not locally born and raised. The objective is to explore the potential of using stable isotope data to track the place of origin and extent of mobility of individuals with an infectious disease. Dental enamel samples of 12 skeletons were selected for strontium ((87) Sr/(86) Sr ratio) and oxygen (δ(18) O) stable isotope analysis based on the presence (six - diseased) or absence (six - controls) of bone changes associated with treponemal disease. The oxygen isotope ratios of all but three individuals (1047, 1121, 823) overlapped at two standard deviations with the inferred local precipitation range, and only one individual (1216) had a strontium isotope ratio outside the regional range. Two of the four had probable/possible treponemal bone changes. Those with treponemal bone changes were not demonstrably more likely to be migrants than those without such lesions. However, because of extensive documentary evidence for trade with the Baltic Sea area, and for merchants from towns such as Stralsund, Danzig and Elbing being in Hull, it is very plausible that the four migrants came from the Baltic area or even southern Sweden.

This study investigated the ancestry, childhood residency and diet of 22 individuals buried at an A.D. 2nd and 4th century cemetery at Lant Street, in the southern burial area of Roman London. The possible presence of migrants was investigated using macromorphoscopics to assess ancestry, carbon and nitrogen isotopes to study diet, and oxygen isotopes to examine migration. Diets were found to be primarily C3-based with limited input of aquatic resources, in contrast to some other populations in Roman Britain and proximity to the River Thames. The skeletal morphology showed the likely African ancestry of four individuals, and Asian ancestry of two individuals, with oxygen isotopes indicating a circum-Mediterranean origin for five individuals. Our data suggests that the population of the southern suburb had an ongoing connection with immigrants, especially those from the southern Mediterranean.

The growth of proteomics-based methods in archaeology prompted an investigation of the survival of non-collagenous proteins, specifically immunoglobulin G (IgG), in archaeological human bone and dentine. Over a decade ago reports were published on extracted, immunoreactive archaeological IgG, and the variable yields of IgG molecules detected by Western blots of 1D and 2D SDS-PAGE gels. If IgG can indeed be recovered from archaeological skeletal material, it offers remarkable opportunities for exploring the history of disease - for example in applying functional anti-malarial IgGs to study past patterns of malaria. More recently, the field has seen a move away from immunological approaches and towards the use of shotgun proteomics via mass spectrometry. Using previously published techniques, this study attempted to extract and characterize archaeological IgG proteins. In only one extraction method were immunoglobulin derived peptides identified, and these displayed extensive evidence of degradation. The failure to extract immunoglobulins by all but one method, along with observed patterns of protein degradation, suggests that IgG may be an unsuitable target for detecting disease-associated antigens. This research highlights the importance of revisiting previously ‘successful’ biomolecular methodologies using emerging technologies.

Identified skeletal collections have been widely used to test methods for recording entheseal changes (EC). These studies have all used the occupation provided with the death certificate or equivalent as the occupation during life. However, the variety of tasks undertaken within occupations, the range of occupational tasks and how these changed over the life course is rarely discussed. The aim of this paper is to highlight the value of using historical data to improve the interpretation of skeletal data. Materials and methods: Identified adult skeletons (n = 18) from the churchyard of St. Michael and St. Lawrence, Fewston, North Yorkshire, England, were recorded for EC and degenerative joint changes (DJC). The individuals were born and died between 1791 and 1921 (only one individual was buried after the churchyard's closure in 1896). All individuals have at least one census record that includes their occupation. Published sections of a diary coinciding with the cemetery's use and written by the son of two of the identified individuals were used to record the frequency and range of activities. Results: Men (54.5% of them) and women (29% of them) changed their occupations, and those who changed occupation were found to be older than those who did not. The latter were found to have a lower frequency of DJC and EC, but this is likely due to the difference in age profile between the two groups. However, the detailed pattern of EC did not match that of DJC for the three occupation categories used. The diary demonstrated that a stonemason undertook a wide variety of occupational tasks as well as enjoying hobbies. Discussion: The results demonstrate that occupations in 19th century rural England were not stable and demonstrated a wide variety of everyday and infrequent activities. This demonstrates that using occupation listed at death does not provide sufficiently detailed information for testing methods of recording EC or for interpreting the relationship between occupation and health. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This is the first regional analysis of the impact of Romanisation on subadult dietary patterns and related health parameters in Britain. A sample of 200 subadults from late Iron Age (LIA) and Romano-British (RB) Dorset were examined for dental health and specific metabolic diseases, and a sub-sample of 29 individuals were selected for nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis. The results showed that dental health declined in the Romano-British period and the incidence of scurvy and rickets rose. Increased consumption of marine foods in the RB period is indicated by an increase in δ 13 C between the LIA and RB subadults. After early childhood, there was no age-dependent variation in dietary protein in the RB and LIA populations from Dorset. We propose that these changes related to the introduction of urban living, Romanised diets and population migration.

Dryslwyn Castle in southwest Wales was founded by a Welsh lord in the AD 1220s, captured by the English in 1287, and declined from c.1407 until it was abandoned c.1450. In contrast to historical evidence for changes in procurement of meat, previous zooarchaeological work has suggested that throughout these three periods, there was no change in the supply of animals. We have analysed the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of 20 cattle and 25 pigs from the Castle to further test this hypothesis. Our results show that there was no detectable change in the source of supply of cattle to the Castle when it passed from Welsh to English control, though differences in isotope ratios compared to cattle from York suggest that such changes might well be detectable. For pigs, there was an increase in carbon isotope ratios in the English period and a reversion to the previous values in the decline period, which is interpreted as reflecting a change in diet of the pigs from woodland to more open environments. Such a change is anticipated locally due to human population pressure in the English period, but could also reflect a change in the region of supply. This paper shows that there is potential for developing isotope analyses as part of the study of medieval husbandry. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.