Dietary Reconstruction and Reservoir Correction of 14 C Dates on Bones from Pagan and Early Christian Graves in Iceland
In this study, δ 13 C and δ 15 N of bone samples from 83 skeletons (79 humans, 2 horses, and 2 dogs) excavated from pagan and early Christian graves from 21 localities in Iceland are used to reconstruct diet of the early settlers in Iceland and possible differences in diet depending on the distance...
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Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2010
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0033822200045707 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033822200045707 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0033822200045707 2024-06-23T07:53:56+00:00 Dietary Reconstruction and Reservoir Correction of 14 C Dates on Bones from Pagan and Early Christian Graves in Iceland Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Árný E Heinemeier, Jan Arneborg, Jette Lynnerup, Niels Ólafsson, Gudmundur Zoëga, Gudný 2010 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0033822200045707 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033822200045707 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Radiocarbon volume 52, issue 2, page 682-696 ISSN 0033-8222 1945-5755 journal-article 2010 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033822200045707 2024-06-05T04:04:19Z In this study, δ 13 C and δ 15 N of bone samples from 83 skeletons (79 humans, 2 horses, and 2 dogs) excavated from pagan and early Christian graves from 21 localities in Iceland are used to reconstruct diet of the early settlers in Iceland and possible differences in diet depending on the distance between the excavation site and the seashore. We have radiocarbon dated 47 of these skeletons and used the carbon isotopic composition (δ 13 C) to estimate and correct for the marine reservoir effect (the 14 C difference between terrestrial and mixed marine organisms). The reservoir-corrected ages lie in the range of AD 780–1270 (68.2% probability). Reservoir age corrections were checked by comparing 14 C dates of a horse (terrestrial diet), a dog (highly marine diet), and a human (mixed diet) from the same burial. The range in measured marine protein percentage in individual diet is from about 10% up to 55%, mostly depending on the geographical position (distance from the sea) of the excavation site. We had access to the skeleton (AAR-5908) of the Skálholt bishop Páll Jónsson whose remains are enshrined at the Episcopal residence in Skálholt, southern Iceland. According to written sources, the bishop died in AD 1211. Using our dietary reconstruction, his bones were about 17% marine, which is within the range of human skeletons from the same area, and the reservoir-corrected calibrated 14 C age of the skeleton is in accord with the historical date. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland Cambridge University Press Skálholt ENVELOPE(-20.525,-20.525,64.126,64.126) Radiocarbon 52 2 682 696 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
In this study, δ 13 C and δ 15 N of bone samples from 83 skeletons (79 humans, 2 horses, and 2 dogs) excavated from pagan and early Christian graves from 21 localities in Iceland are used to reconstruct diet of the early settlers in Iceland and possible differences in diet depending on the distance between the excavation site and the seashore. We have radiocarbon dated 47 of these skeletons and used the carbon isotopic composition (δ 13 C) to estimate and correct for the marine reservoir effect (the 14 C difference between terrestrial and mixed marine organisms). The reservoir-corrected ages lie in the range of AD 780–1270 (68.2% probability). Reservoir age corrections were checked by comparing 14 C dates of a horse (terrestrial diet), a dog (highly marine diet), and a human (mixed diet) from the same burial. The range in measured marine protein percentage in individual diet is from about 10% up to 55%, mostly depending on the geographical position (distance from the sea) of the excavation site. We had access to the skeleton (AAR-5908) of the Skálholt bishop Páll Jónsson whose remains are enshrined at the Episcopal residence in Skálholt, southern Iceland. According to written sources, the bishop died in AD 1211. Using our dietary reconstruction, his bones were about 17% marine, which is within the range of human skeletons from the same area, and the reservoir-corrected calibrated 14 C age of the skeleton is in accord with the historical date. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Árný E Heinemeier, Jan Arneborg, Jette Lynnerup, Niels Ólafsson, Gudmundur Zoëga, Gudný |
spellingShingle |
Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Árný E Heinemeier, Jan Arneborg, Jette Lynnerup, Niels Ólafsson, Gudmundur Zoëga, Gudný Dietary Reconstruction and Reservoir Correction of 14 C Dates on Bones from Pagan and Early Christian Graves in Iceland |
author_facet |
Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Árný E Heinemeier, Jan Arneborg, Jette Lynnerup, Niels Ólafsson, Gudmundur Zoëga, Gudný |
author_sort |
Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Árný E |
title |
Dietary Reconstruction and Reservoir Correction of 14 C Dates on Bones from Pagan and Early Christian Graves in Iceland |
title_short |
Dietary Reconstruction and Reservoir Correction of 14 C Dates on Bones from Pagan and Early Christian Graves in Iceland |
title_full |
Dietary Reconstruction and Reservoir Correction of 14 C Dates on Bones from Pagan and Early Christian Graves in Iceland |
title_fullStr |
Dietary Reconstruction and Reservoir Correction of 14 C Dates on Bones from Pagan and Early Christian Graves in Iceland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Dietary Reconstruction and Reservoir Correction of 14 C Dates on Bones from Pagan and Early Christian Graves in Iceland |
title_sort |
dietary reconstruction and reservoir correction of 14 c dates on bones from pagan and early christian graves in iceland |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0033822200045707 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033822200045707 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-20.525,-20.525,64.126,64.126) |
geographic |
Skálholt |
geographic_facet |
Skálholt |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_source |
Radiocarbon volume 52, issue 2, page 682-696 ISSN 0033-8222 1945-5755 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033822200045707 |
container_title |
Radiocarbon |
container_volume |
52 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
682 |
op_container_end_page |
696 |
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1802645837809975296 |