Strontium and stable isotope evidence for diet and mobility in Roman Gloucester,UK |
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Authors: | Carolyn Chenery Gundula Müldner Jane Evans Hella Eckardt Mary Lewis |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Archaeology, School of Human and Environmental Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire RG6 6AB, UK;2. NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK |
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Abstract: | This paper presents the results of a multi-isotopic (oxygen, strontium, carbon and nitrogen isotopes) investigation of population and dietary diversity in Roman Gloucester, focusing on individuals found in a late 2nd century AD mass burial pit at London Road, and comparing them to those found in the nearby cemetery. There were no statistical differences in isotopic composition between mass grave and cemetery burials, suggesting, in agreement with the osteological evidence, that the mass burial was the result of a catastrophic event, probably an epidemic disease. Strontium and oxygen isotope analysis demonstrated considerable diversity in the origins of the Gloucester population, with evidence for both UK and non-UK individuals. Diet was predominately terrestrial and similar to that of other Romano-British populations. Elevated δ13Cdentine ratios in some individuals are correlated with raised δ18Op values and are therefore probably due to childhoods spent in warmer climates, rather than dietary variation. |
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Keywords: | Isotopes Mobility Diet Bone Roman Method NBS120C |
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