Land use and mobility during the Neolithic in Wales explored using isotope analysis of tooth enamel

Abstract

ObjectivesThe nature of land use and mobility during the transition to agriculture has often been debated. Here, we use isotope analysis of tooth enamel from human populations buried in two different Neolithic burial monuments, Penywyrlod and Ty Isaf, in south‐east Wales, to examine patterns of land use and to evaluate where individuals obtained their childhood diet.Materials and MethodsWe employ strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13C) isotope analysis of enamel from adjacent molars. We compare strontium isotope values measured in enamel to locally bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr values. We combine discussion of these results with evaluation of new radiocarbon dates obtained from both sites.ResultsThe majority of enamel samples from Penywyrlod have strontium isotope ratios above 0.7140. In contrast, the majority of those from Ty Isaf have 87Sr/86Sr values below 0.7140. At Penywyrlod oxygen isotope ratios range between 25.9 and 28.2 ‰ (mean 26.7 ± 0.6 ‰, 1σ, n = 15) and enamel δ13Ccarbonate values range between −18.0 and −15.0 ‰ (mean −16.0 ± 0.8 ‰, 1σ, n = 15). At Ty Isaf oxygen isotope ratios exhibited by Neolithic individuals range between 25.4 and 27.7 ‰ (mean 26.7 ± 0.6 ‰, 1σ, n = 15) and enamel δ13Ccarbonate values range between −16.9 and −14.9 ‰ (mean −16.0 ± 0.6 ‰, 1σ, n = 15).DiscussionThe strontium isotope results suggest that the majority of individuals buried at Penywyrlod did not source their childhood diet locally. One individual in this group has strontium isotope ratios that exceed all current known biosphere values within England and Wales. This individual is radiocarbon dated to the first few centuries of the 4th millennium BC, consistent with the period in which agriculture was initiated in Wales: the results therefore provide evidence for migration during the transition to farming in Wales. In contrast, all individuals sampled from Ty Isaf post‐date the period in which agriculture is considered to have been initiated and could have sourced their childhood diet from the local region in which they were buried.

Multi-isotope evidence for cattle droving at Roman Worcester

“…δ 13 C values are reported relative to the Vienna Peedee belemnite (VPDB) 35 international reference standard. 36 37 Oxygen in cattle molar enamel is ingested primarily from drinking water the source of 38 which, whether ground or surface water, is typically local rainwater (Longinelli 39 1984). The δ 18 O values are thus ultimately controlled by the topographical and 40 climatic factors (e.g.…”

Rites of Passage: Mortuary Practice, Population Dynamics, and Chronology at the Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Complex, Co. Sligo, Ireland

“…This appears to be broadly comparable, both chronologically and in terms of mixing of cremated and unburnt remains, with other elaborate Irish passage tombs (Cooney 2017). From the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC there seems to be a shift towards a focus on the deposition of unburnt skull bone, a practice that may present similarities to the evidence from the Mound of the Hostages, Tara [H2]Isotope analyses The principles of archaeological isotope analysis (of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium) have seen considerable discussion in the recent archaeological literature (Bentley 2006;Montgomery 2010;Schulting 2011;Chenery et al 2012;Evans et al 2012;Klein 2013;Ditchfield 2014;Snoek et al 2016;Neil et al 2017). In brief and simplified terms, the ratio between the strontium isotopes 87 Sr and 86 Sr found in human and animal remains relates to the composition and, especially, the age, of the underlying bedrock geology and the resulting strontium composition in the biosphere (Bentley 2006;Montgomery 2010).…”

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“…; Neil et al . ; Montgomery et al . ), but there are still no human populations with values > 0.7165 that are deemed to be of local origin and can be explained by the local geology or biosphere.…”