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Map of the Caerleon area with geological overlay and the location and values of the analysed plant samples
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Provisioning large concentrations of professional soldiers in Britain after the invasion in AD 43 was a major challenge for the Roman imperial administration. In a distant frontier province such as Britannia, it is generally believed that locally produced agricultural resources must have been vital in feeding and maintaining the occupying army, but...
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... southwest England, discrete parts of the Midlands, and parts of Wales and Scotland (12,20). Biosphere ratios above 0.7132 are observed even more rarely in restricted areas of the landscape such as the Malvern Hills (0.714), other areas close to the English-Welsh border (~0.716), and in the Lake District (15,21,22), with some isolated patches of highly radiogenic geologies producing ratios of up to 0.7165 in Wales (23), between 0.7165 and 0.7182 in Scotland (19,22) and, exceptionally, up to 0.7287 on parts of Dartmoor centered on rubidium-rich granites (24). Further localized areas of highly radiogenic deposits may remain unrecognized in Britain (24); in addition, the so-called forest effect can potentially raise 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios by up to 0.003 to 0.004 in areas of ancient forest, which will have affected larger areas in the medieval period compared with today (25). ...
This paper reports a high-resolution isotopic study of medieval horse mobility, revealing their origins and in-life mobility both regionally and internationally. The animals were found in an unusual horse cemetery site found within the City of Westminster, London, England. Enamel strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope analysis of 15 individuals provides information about likely place of birth, diet, and mobility during the first approximately 5 years of life. Results show that at least seven horses originated outside of Britain in relatively cold climates, potentially in Scandinavia or the Western Alps. Ancient DNA sexing data indicate no consistent sex-specific mobility patterning, although three of the five females came from exceptionally highly radiogenic regions. Another female with low mobility is suggested to be a sedentary broodmare. Our results provide direct and unprecedented evidence for a variety of horse movement and trading practices in the Middle Ages and highlight the importance of international trade in securing high-quality horses for medieval London elites.
... Strontium extraction and isotope analysis methodologies followed procedures described by Madgwick et al. [47], Copeland et al. [48], and Deniel and Pin [49]. The exterior surface of the tooth (enamel) samples was first cleaned with a dental burr removing approximately 10 µm of enamel. ...
... Vials were then centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for five minutes, and , and the strontium purification and extraction procedure followed the method described for tooth enamel/dentine samples, blanks, and the SRM 1400 standard above. Strontium isotope ratios ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) were measured via a Thermo-Finnegan Neptune Multicollector ICP-MS using similar setup and operation parameters as described by Madgwick et al. [47]. In brief, sample, blank, and SRM 1400 solutions in 0.3 M HNO 3 were introduced into the MC-ICP-MS (Thermo Neptune) via an ESI auto-sampler (Elemental Scientific, Nebraska, USA) at a flow rate of ~ 100 μL/minute. ...
Stable isotope methods for provenance of unidentified human remains are relatively a newer field of enquiry in forensic archeology. It is of great interest for forensic experts these days. The application of strontium isotope analyses for estimating geolocation of archeological remains is of great interest in bioarcheology and modern forensics. The strontium (Sr) isotope composition of human bones and teeth has been widely used to reconstruct an individual’s geo-affiliation, residential mobility, and migration history. Thousands of unknown human remains, reportedly belonging to 282 Indian soldiers of 26th Native Bengal regiment and killed in 1857, were exhumed non-scientifically from an abandoned well situated underneath a religious structure at Ajnala (Amritsar, India). Whether these remains belonged to the individuals, local or non-local to the site, was the important forensic archeological question to be answered by doing their thorough forensic anthropological examinations. In the present study, 27 mandibular teeth (18 s molars, 6 first molars, and 3 premolars) collected from the Ajnala skeletal assemblage were processed for strontium isotope analysis, and the measured ratios were compared with published isotope baseline data to estimate the locality status of these remains. The Sr isotopic values were concentrated in the range of 0.7175 to 0.7270. The comparative analysis of isotopic ratios revealed that most individuals buried in the Ajnala well have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values close to the river as well as groundwater of the Gangetic plain (less radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ~ 0.716); most likely originated near Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, India) region, whereas the individuals with higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (~ 0.7200) probably resided in the West Bengal and Bihar areas where the river as well as groundwater of the Gangetic plain is relatively more radiogenic. Thus, the strontium isotope results reveal that the Ajnala individuals did not grow up or live in the Amritsar region during their childhood, and this observation complemented the previous forensic anthropological and molecular findings. There is very little Indian data on the bioavailable strontium, so the inferences from the present study estimating Sr isotope abundances are expected to provide baseline data for future forensic provenance studies that will contribute to the global efforts of mapping Sr isotope variations by the isotope community.
... Archaeological bone and dentine have proven to be reasonable proxies of the bioavailable strontium isotopic ratio present at archaeological sites (see e.g. Budd et al. 2000, Chiaradia et al. 2003, Viner et al. 2010, Minniti et al. 2014, Madgwick et al. 2019. The reference samples used in the present work for both Can Roqueta and nearby locations are the ones previously published in the pilot study (Albizuri et al. 2019, see also Valenzuela-Lamas et al. 2018, andWillmes et al. 2018 for the supraregional range). ...
Equids played an important role in the development of communication in past societies, and were part of the
exchanges between populations. The multi-isotopic study (strontium, carbon and oxygen isotopes) conducted on
equid teeth from Bronze and Early Iron Age Can Roqueta suggests that animals originate from diverse locations
and their diet was carefully managed. The enriched oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios in equid teeth compared
with other taxa from the same site suggest that equids may have drunk from water troughs, thus creating a 13C
and 18O isotopic enrichment and partial covariance, similar to a “lake” effect. This is the most comprehensive
study on equid mobility in Iberia so far.
... Lastly, this dataset aimed to include the isotopic values of every increment that had been analysed within each study. In some publications, only the mean [14][15]21] or maximum [16] of the isotopic sequence has been published. In these circumstances, instead of the entire incremented sequence being recorded into the dataset, only the mean/max value is included. ...
This paper collates previously published data from incremental isotopic studies performed on faunal remains found within the modern boundaries of the United Kingdom (UK). The dataset represents a complete collection of zooarchaeological incremental data from the UK, consisting of 1,092 data points, obtained from 152 faunal specimens from 20 archaeological sites, dating from 7960 BC to AD 1300. 59 of these values are from incrementally sampled dentine and present stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N). The remaining 1,053 values are from incrementally sampled enamel, and present strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, n= 193), and/or stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O, n= 860). This dataset is a convenient resource for future researchers, enabling comparisons based on faunal species, time, and geographical location. Further, the dataset acts as a mechanism for researchers to investigate the variety of incremental sampling methodologies (enamel and dentine) which have been applied to faunal remains across the United Kingdom. For ease of access, this dataset has been deposited on the open-access platform IsoArcH (https://isoarch.eu/).
... Similar regional differences apply to sheep as well (Maltby 2010;Aniceti and Rizzetto in prep.). The spread of improvements suggests a higher degree of animal mobility relative to the Late Iron Age; this is also supported by isotopic analyses on cattle remains (Stallibrass and Thomas 2008;Minniti et al. 2014;Gan et al. 2018;Madgwick et al. 2019;Rizzetto et al. in prep.). The case-studies of Heybridge and Colchester, Essex, suggest improvement was especially implemented in a small number of Romanized producer sites; the improvement of local stock, through better animal management (feeding, stalling facilities etc.) and selective breeding, was most likely coupled with the import of larger animals from the European mainland (Albarella et al. 2008). ...
This study contributes to reconstruct the socio-economic dynamics of change at the Roman-Early Anglo-Saxon transition in Britain through zooarchaeological analysis. Contemporary assemblages from the nearby European mainland are used to provide a term of comparison. The results indicate that typical Roman husbandry practices survived into fourth century Britain: the animal economy focussed on cattle, livestock improvements, and surplus production, which allowed to feed the taxation cycle and to supply the army and town dwellers; on the other hand, the zooarchaeological evidence highlights substantial changes in the aims and scale of animal exploitation in the post-Roman period. Such discontinuity demonstrates the key role formerly played by the Roman state in shaping local animal economies and in integrating food production practices throughout the north-western provinces. At the same time, the more generalized animal husbandry strategies of post-Roman settlements respond well to the needs of self-sufficient communities. Cattle decreased in size, as large, robust animals were no longer needed; on the other hand, the large size of sheep and other domesticates, improved in Roman times, benefitted Early Anglo-Saxon herders, and were often maintained. This evidence suggests that post-Roman communities did not simply cope with adverse economic conditions but reacted appropriately to the new circumstances.
... This information helps reconstruct interactions between groups and the building of social and economic networks (Ericson 1985;Montgomery 2010;Szostek et al. 2015). Archeologists analyze various materials to answer these questions, e.g., human enamel and bone (Ericson 1985;Killgrove & Montgomery 2016;Price et al. 1994a), faunal bone and enamel Madgwick et al. 2017Madgwick et al. , 2019Schulting et al. 2019;Sillen and LeGeros 1991), cereal grains (Benson 2010;Larsson et al. 2020), wood (English et al. 2001;Ostapkowicz et al. 2017), and textiles (woolen, hair, leather) (Frei 2014;Frei et al. 2009Frei et al. , 2017von Carnap-Bornheim et al. 2007). ...
... There are issues associated with each of these materials, for instance, bone is problematic as there is potential for the biogenic and diagenetic strontium values mixing (Madgwick et al. 2019). In addition, when using faunal remains as a proxy, there are discussions as to which type is optimal as wild vs. domesticated (Madgwick et al. 2017; 2019), small vs. large home ranges (Hedman et al. 2009;Eriksson et al. 2018), and archeological vs. modern (Maurer et al. 2012;Price et al. 2002Price et al. , 2004, as each produces different data interpretations. For instance, modern environmental materials may yield problematic data due to contamination through anthropogenic or industrial activities (Christian et al. 2011;Maurer et al. 2012). ...
Strontium isotopic and concentration results from archeological skeletons have proved useful in demonstrating human and animal mobility patterns, and dietary life-history. This initiated the movement from proxies to answer these questions. However, there remains an issue as to whether the produced isotopic and concentration values are those accumulated by an individual during life and not an analytical artifact or the result of remaining diagenetic material or other forms of contamination. Over the last 40 years, there have been a variety of protocols used with varying success to remove contaminants prior to analysis, as well as a movement from bone analysis to solely enamel. This review covers the evolution of pretreatment protocols, the role of technological advances in producing accurate and precise results, and a discussion of best practices. Archeological case studies will demonstrate the evolution of these topics as well as their limitations and potential.
... Each specimen was thoroughly cleaned and dried prior to preparation (see Appendix A for details). Bone collagen was extracted following standard procedures (Honch et al. 2006;Nehlich and Richards 2009;Rand et al. 2015a), details of which can Strontium was extracted from one faunal and three human teeth samples using ionexchange chromatography (Copeland et al. 2008;Madgwick et al. 2017), and details can be found in Appendix A. Enamel was sampled because it is resilient against postmortem chemical alteration (i.e., diagenesis) and so will accurately reflect the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values during life. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values of tooth dentine were also analyzed as proxies for the local range of values because dentine is more susceptible to diagenetic uptake of soil-derived strontium and therefore is assumed to reflect local soluble strontium in the burial environment (Montgomery et al. 2007) . ...
... Four teeth from Nakum (3 human and 1 dog) were prepared for strontium isotope analysis following standard procedures (Copeland et al. 2008;Madgwick et al. 2017). ...
The Maya who inhabited southeastern Mesoamerica from the Preclassic to Colonial periods (1000 BCE to 1821 CE) have been the focus of intensive archaeological study for
over a century. Recent theoretical and methodological developments have contributed to
nuanced understandings of Maya migration and subsistence practices. Stable sulfur isotope (δ34S) analysis of bone collagen is a novel technique that has been applied to Maya skeletal collections, although the variation in environmental δ34S values throughout the Maya region has yet to be systematically characterized. This research presents the first Maya faunal sulfur isotope baseline based on the δ34S values of 148 archaeological faunal remains from 13 sites in the Northern and Southern Lowlands. As expected, terrestrial animals in coastal areas had elevated δ34S due to sea spray. However, those from inland sites had unexpectedly high δ34S values that varied depending on the age of the underlying limestone. Although the δ34S values of marine animals were lower than expected, similarly low values in freshwater animals permits the differentiation of freshwater and terrestrial animals at inland sites. These data demonstrate that sufficient variation in δ34S values exists in the Maya region to identify sources of protein and nonlocal animals, which speaks to prehispanic Maya animal exchange and interregional interaction. The δ34S values of 49 humans from seven Maya sites ranging from the Preclassic to Colonial periods were also interpreted using the faunal baseline. The spatial distribution of human δ34S values differed from that of the terrestrial fauna, demonstrating sociocultural variation in Maya resource procurement in addition to underlying environmental influences. A comparison of carbon and nitrogen data from the same individuals also revealed the consumption of protein from different catchments. Nonlocal δ34S values show three individuals migrated near the end of their lives, and when integrated with childhood strontium and oxygen isotope data from
tooth enamel, demonstrate a more robust means of investigating the length of residence and potentially the extent of integration into the receiving community. Finally, a case study of the prehispanic Maya from Nakum, Guatemala, demonstrates the contributions of stable sulfur isotope analysis to the interpretation of Maya subsistence strategies and migration when integrated into a multi-isotopic approach.
... • They were not all raised on/near the Chalklands upon which the four henge complexes stand. • There is more diversity in the strontium data from these Neolithic pigs than is seen in animal data from any other site or phase in Britain, including the Roman period where there is evidence for animal mobility on a large scale (Madgwick et al. 2019b;Minniti et al. 2014; see Figure 1). • Some of the pigs in the dataset have radiogenic strontium values (five with Sr values >0.714) that are very rare or absent from England and Wales on the basis of current mapping. ...
The expansion of isotope analyses has transformed the study of past migration and mobility, sometimes providing unexpected and intriguing results. This has, in turn, led to media attention (and concomitant misrepresentation) and scepticism from some archaeologists. Such scepticism is healthy and not always without foundation. Isotope analysis is yet to reach full maturity and challenging issues remain, concerning diagenesis, biosphere mapping resolution and knowledge of the drivers of variation. Bold and over-simplistic interpretations have been presented, especially when relying on single isotope proxies, and researchers have at times been accused of following specific agendas. It is therefore vital to integrate archaeological and environmental evidence to support interpretation. Most importantly, the use of multiple isotope proxies is key: isotope analysis is an exclusive approach and therefore single analyses provide only limited resolution. The growth in isotope research has led to a growth in rebuttals and counter-narratives. Such rebuttals warrant the same critical appraisal that is applied to original research, both of evidence for their assertions and the potential for underlying agendas. This paper takes a case study-based approach focusing on pig movements to Neolithic henge complexes to explore the dangers encountered in secondary use of isotope data.
... Strontium isotope analyses ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios) are now well-established for assessing whether animals were raised locally or in other geological areas, as they provide direct evidence of geological origin during the period of enamel mineralisation (e.g. Balasse et al. 2002;Evans et al. 2007;Bendrey, Hayes, and Palmer 2009;Viner et al. 2010;Minniti et al. 2014;Brönnimann et al. 2018;Madgwick et al. 2019). In order to explore the degree of livestock mobility and the possible arrival of domestic animals from overseas, strontium isotopic analyses were performed on 57 caprine teeth (sheep and goats) from seven Bronze Age sites of different functionalities from Mallorca and Menorca. ...
... Whether equilibration is complete depends on the conditions of the burial environment and also on how different the original (biogenic) 87 Sr/ 86 Sr is from that of the burial soil; on the whole, however, untreated bone and dentine have proven to be reasonable proxies of the bioavailable strontium isotopic ratio present at the archaeological site (Nelson et al. 1986;Budd et al. 2000;Chiaradia, Gallay, and Todt 2003; see e.g. Viner et al. 2010;Minniti et al. 2014;Madgwick et al. 2019). Previous comprehensive studies characterising biogenic strontium isotopic ratios (e.g. ...
This study presents the 87Sr/86Sr ratios from the tooth enamel of 57 sheep and goat specimens, in order to explore animal mobility in the Middle and Late Bronze Age society of the Balearic Islands (Naviform period). Seven archaeological sites from Mallorca and Menorca located in different biotopes and with different functionalities were selected. The results provide some of the first data on the geographic range of meat provisioning at each site. In addition, several present-day leaves, as well as tooth dentine and bones were analysed to assess local strontium isotopic ratios in different geological layers existing in the Balearic Islands. The results suggest that most caprines were sourced from the neighbouring areas of each site, but also suggest a correlation between strontium isotope variability and site function: domestic settlements and sites related with maritime exchanges had significantly more variability compared to fortified sites. In addition, the ritual cave of Cova del Camp del Bisbe had the highest diversity of strontium isotopic ratios, thus suggesting that caprines were brought here from a variety of different locations.
... Some studies have sought to use dentine and bone to establish local strontium ratios on the argument that diagenetic change means that these more porous tissues will reflect the strontium ratios of the sediment where they are buried (Stantis et al. 2019). However, there is some evidence that dentine and bone do not always fully re-equilibrate with diagenetic strontium from the burial environment (Madgwick et al. 2019b), meaning that how closely they reflect the local strontium ratio depends on postdepositional factors and the original biogenic composition. Because these factors cannot be determined a priori, it is advisable to use only enamel for strontium analysis. ...
... Recent attempts to build broad strontium isoscapes, often employing machine learning, have (Maurer et al. 2012). Diagenetically affected dentine, for example, has been shown to differ from plants from the same area due to the equilibration process (Madgwick et al. 2019b). In addition, a wide-ranging study by Bataille et al. (2018) found that the 87 provenance. ...
... Lithological boundaries are sharp rather than graduated and primary analysis has demonstrated that very different value can be produced in close proximity as a result (e.g. Evans et al. 2018a;Madgwick et al. 2019b). As a consequence of these issues Adams et al (2019, p. 247) ultimately conclude that their unmodeled isotope data rather than any of the geostatistical methods they tried would provide more reliable outcomes for provenancing human remains for their area of study. ...
The use of bioavailable strontium in different environments to provenance biological materials has become increasingly common since its first applications in ecology and archaeology almost four decades ago. Provenancing biological materials using strontium isotope ratios requires a map of bioavailable strontium, commonly known as an isoscape, to compare results with. Both producing the isoscape and using it to interpret results present methodological challenges that researchers must carefully consider. A review of current research indicates that, while many archives can be analyzed to produce isoscapes, modern plant materials usually provide the best approximation of bioavailable strontium and can be used alone or combined with other archives if applying machine learning. Domain mapping currently produces the most accurate, most interpretable isoscapes for most research questions; however, machine learning approaches promise to provide more accurate and geographically wide-ranging isoscapes over time. Using strontium isotope analysis for provenancing is most successful when combined with other isotopes and/or trace elements as part of a likelihood approach. Strontium isoscapes that are both appropriate and sufficiently high resolution to answer specific research questions do not exist for most parts of the world. Researchers intending to incorporate strontium analysis into their research designs should expect to conduct primary sampling and analysis to create appropriate isoscapes or refine existing ones, which should themselves not be uncritically utilized. When sampling, it is essential to collect appropriate metadata; these metadata and the results of the analyses should be archived in one of several online databases to maximize their usefulness. With increasing amounts of primary data and the likely increased availability of machine learning approaches to mapping, strontium analysis will continue to improve as a method of provenancing.
