At the world's edge: Reconstructing diet and geographic origins in medieval Iceland using isotope and trace element analyses
OBJECTIVES: A multi‐isotope study was conducted on individuals buried at Skriðuklaustur monastery (AD 1493–1554) to investigate their geographic origins and dietary composition. Comparative material from individuals excavated from Skeljastaðir, an inland farm site was also analyzed. MATERIALS AND ME...
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Online Access: | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6973133/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31837015 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23973 |
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:6973133 2023-05-15T16:49:05+02:00 At the world's edge: Reconstructing diet and geographic origins in medieval Iceland using isotope and trace element analyses Walser, Joe W. Kristjánsdóttir, Steinunn Gröcke, Darren R. Gowland, Rebecca L. Jakob, Tina Nowell, Geoff M. Ottley, Chris J. Montgomery, Janet 2019-12-13 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6973133/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31837015 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23973 en eng John Wiley & Sons, Inc. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6973133/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31837015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23973 © 2019 The Authors. American Journal of Physical Anthropology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. CC-BY Research Articles Text 2019 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23973 2020-02-02T01:28:55Z OBJECTIVES: A multi‐isotope study was conducted on individuals buried at Skriðuklaustur monastery (AD 1493–1554) to investigate their geographic origins and dietary composition. Comparative material from individuals excavated from Skeljastaðir, an inland farm site was also analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bone collagen was extracted from 50 humans (Skriðuklaustur and Skeljastaðir) and 25 animals (Skriðuklaustur) and analyzed for δ(13)C, δ(15)N, and δ(34)S. Dental enamel samples from 31 individuals (Skriðuklaustur) were also analyzed for (87)Sr/(86)Sr, δ(18)O, δ(13)C, and trace elements (Pb, Sr, Zn, Ba). RESULTS: The mean value determined from individuals from Skriðuklaustur (n = 36) was δ(13)C = −18.7 ± 0.8‰, δ(15)N = 12.8 ± 1.1‰, and δ(34)S = 9.0 ± 1.6‰, whereas at Skeljastaðir (n = 14), it was δ(13)C = −20.5 ± 0.8‰, δ(15)N = 7.8 ± 0.9‰, and δ(34)S = 9.4 ± 1.6‰. At Skriðuklaustur, human dental enamel samples (n = 31) provided a (87)Sr/(86)Sr range of 0.7060–0.7088, δ(18)O(phosphate) from 13.9 to 16.1‰ and δ(13)C(carbonate) from −16.6 to −12.9‰. Inferred drinking water (δ(18)O(dw)) values range from −12.3 to −8.9‰. Sr concentrations range from 25.8 to 156.7 ppm, Ba from 0.11 to 0.81 ppm, Zn from 43.8 to 145.8 ppm, and Pb from 0.13 to 9.40 ppm. DISCUSSION: A combination of results indicates that the people from Skriðuklaustur were born in Iceland, but some lived inland during childhood while others lived closer to the coast. Since Skriðuklaustur was a hospital, these individuals may have sought medical treatment at the monastery. The δ(13)C and δ(15)N values determined from bone collagen indicate that the people residing at Skriðuklaustur consumed a diet high in marine protein, while those residing at Skeljastaðir exhibit values more consistent with terrestrial resources. Text Iceland PubMed Central (PMC) Skriðuklaustur ENVELOPE(-14.979,-14.979,65.044,65.044) American Journal of Physical Anthropology 171 1 142 163 |
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Research Articles Walser, Joe W. Kristjánsdóttir, Steinunn Gröcke, Darren R. Gowland, Rebecca L. Jakob, Tina Nowell, Geoff M. Ottley, Chris J. Montgomery, Janet At the world's edge: Reconstructing diet and geographic origins in medieval Iceland using isotope and trace element analyses |
topic_facet |
Research Articles |
description |
OBJECTIVES: A multi‐isotope study was conducted on individuals buried at Skriðuklaustur monastery (AD 1493–1554) to investigate their geographic origins and dietary composition. Comparative material from individuals excavated from Skeljastaðir, an inland farm site was also analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bone collagen was extracted from 50 humans (Skriðuklaustur and Skeljastaðir) and 25 animals (Skriðuklaustur) and analyzed for δ(13)C, δ(15)N, and δ(34)S. Dental enamel samples from 31 individuals (Skriðuklaustur) were also analyzed for (87)Sr/(86)Sr, δ(18)O, δ(13)C, and trace elements (Pb, Sr, Zn, Ba). RESULTS: The mean value determined from individuals from Skriðuklaustur (n = 36) was δ(13)C = −18.7 ± 0.8‰, δ(15)N = 12.8 ± 1.1‰, and δ(34)S = 9.0 ± 1.6‰, whereas at Skeljastaðir (n = 14), it was δ(13)C = −20.5 ± 0.8‰, δ(15)N = 7.8 ± 0.9‰, and δ(34)S = 9.4 ± 1.6‰. At Skriðuklaustur, human dental enamel samples (n = 31) provided a (87)Sr/(86)Sr range of 0.7060–0.7088, δ(18)O(phosphate) from 13.9 to 16.1‰ and δ(13)C(carbonate) from −16.6 to −12.9‰. Inferred drinking water (δ(18)O(dw)) values range from −12.3 to −8.9‰. Sr concentrations range from 25.8 to 156.7 ppm, Ba from 0.11 to 0.81 ppm, Zn from 43.8 to 145.8 ppm, and Pb from 0.13 to 9.40 ppm. DISCUSSION: A combination of results indicates that the people from Skriðuklaustur were born in Iceland, but some lived inland during childhood while others lived closer to the coast. Since Skriðuklaustur was a hospital, these individuals may have sought medical treatment at the monastery. The δ(13)C and δ(15)N values determined from bone collagen indicate that the people residing at Skriðuklaustur consumed a diet high in marine protein, while those residing at Skeljastaðir exhibit values more consistent with terrestrial resources. |
format |
Text |
author |
Walser, Joe W. Kristjánsdóttir, Steinunn Gröcke, Darren R. Gowland, Rebecca L. Jakob, Tina Nowell, Geoff M. Ottley, Chris J. Montgomery, Janet |
author_facet |
Walser, Joe W. Kristjánsdóttir, Steinunn Gröcke, Darren R. Gowland, Rebecca L. Jakob, Tina Nowell, Geoff M. Ottley, Chris J. Montgomery, Janet |
author_sort |
Walser, Joe W. |
title |
At the world's edge: Reconstructing diet and geographic origins in medieval Iceland using isotope and trace element analyses |
title_short |
At the world's edge: Reconstructing diet and geographic origins in medieval Iceland using isotope and trace element analyses |
title_full |
At the world's edge: Reconstructing diet and geographic origins in medieval Iceland using isotope and trace element analyses |
title_fullStr |
At the world's edge: Reconstructing diet and geographic origins in medieval Iceland using isotope and trace element analyses |
title_full_unstemmed |
At the world's edge: Reconstructing diet and geographic origins in medieval Iceland using isotope and trace element analyses |
title_sort |
at the world's edge: reconstructing diet and geographic origins in medieval iceland using isotope and trace element analyses |
publisher |
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6973133/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31837015 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23973 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-14.979,-14.979,65.044,65.044) |
geographic |
Skriðuklaustur |
geographic_facet |
Skriðuklaustur |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6973133/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31837015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23973 |
op_rights |
© 2019 The Authors. American Journal of Physical Anthropology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
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CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23973 |
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American Journal of Physical Anthropology |
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171 |
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1 |
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142 |
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163 |
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1766039163225767936 |