Superior in Life—Superior in Death

Knipper, Corina; Held, Petra; Fecher, Marc; Nicklisch, Nicole; Meyer, Christian; Schreiber, Hildrun; Zich, Bernd; Metzner-Nebelsick, Carola; Hubensack, Vera; Hansen, Leif; Nieveler, Elke; Alt, Kurt W.

doi:10.1086/682083

Cited by 38 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…Given the distance of Potočani from any marine environments, enriched nitrogen in males likely signifies increased meat or dairy consumption in this case (Hedges & Reynard, 2007). Males with elevated δ 15 N isotope values are not restricted to any age group, suggesting other considerations such as social status may have affected meat or dairy consumption (Knipper et al, 2015;Moghaddam et al, 2016). Although Neolithic and Copper Age European farming populations were lactose intolerant, i.e., they did not possess the lactose tolerance allele that is found after ca.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Paleodiet and health in a mass burial population: The stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes from Potočani, a 6,200‐year‐old massacre site in Croatia

McClure

Zavodny

Novak

et al. 2020

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Paleodiet and health in a mass burial population: The stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes from Potočani, a 6,200‐year‐old massacre site in Croatia

McClure

Zavodny

Novak

et al. 2020

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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“…This may have happened locally due to special circumstances (e.g., several years of continuous crop failure or exclusive consumption of traded food), or due to a previous residency in an area where the consumption of C4 plants was more common practice. Given the uneven distribution of millet consumption in Europe during this time, the latter is the most common interpretation of increased δ 13 C values in bones of isolated individuals in Early Medieval central European cemeteries (e.g., [ 124 , 130 , 146 , 147 ]). Although extremely deviant dietary practice of individuals, which may have a cultural, religious, or pragmatic background, cannot entirely be excluded, there is little evidence for it in this time and region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between Raetia Secunda and the dutchy of Bavaria: Exploring patterns of human movement and diet

et al. 2023

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During the transition from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages, the Roman Empire dissolved in the West and medieval empires were founded. There has been much discussion about the role that migration played in this transition. This is especially true for the formation of the Baiuvariian tribe and the founding of this tribal dukedom, which took place from the 5th to the 6th century in what is now Southern Bavaria (Germany). In this study, we aimed to determine the extent of immigration during the beginning of this transformation and to shed further light on its character. To achieve this goal, we analyzed stable isotope values of strontium, carbon, and nitrogen from the teeth and bones of over 150 human remains from Southern Germany, dating from around 500 AD. This group of individuals included women with cranial modifications (ACD) which can be found sporadically in the burial grounds of this period. Our results showed an above-average migration rate for both men and women in the second half of the 5th century. They also indicate that a foreign background may also be assumed for the women with ACD. The demonstrably different origins of the immigrants from isotopically diverse regions, and the identification of local differences in detectable migration rate, as well as indication for different timing of residential changes, highlight the complexity of immigration processes and the need for more studies at the regional level.

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“…Several studies analysing carbon and nitrogen isotopes in human bone collagen have shown that certain groups of people particularly interred in elaborated burials consumed more foods from higher trophic levels (e.g. containing a higher proportion of animal proteins) in comparison to contemporaneous "normally" buried groups of people (Le Huray and Schutkowski 2005;Kinaston et al 2013;Knipper et al 2015). The reconstruction of diet proves in the mentioned cases that there were enduringly different lifestyles and privileges for the representatives of the respective highest social class, despite very different prehistoric and historic contexts.…”

Section: Network Corporatementioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into Social Inequality. A Quantitative Study of Neolithic to Early Medieval Societies in Southwest Germany

Grossmann¹

2021

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Social inequality is a subject of contemporary concerns. Life capabilities and the access to resources vary significantly in rich and poor countries, between elites and others. Furthermore, inequalities based on bio-anthropological and non-bio-anthropological causes are almost universal. Accordingly, inequality was also inherent in past societies and archaeologists have continually examined and interpreted social inequalities in sources such as burial grounds. This book continues such analyses with a new multi-proxy approach. It reveals social inequalities in selected past burial grounds from Southwestern Germany. The burial grounds date to the Early Neolithic (Schwetzingen), the Final Neolithic (Lauda-Königshofen), the Early Bronze Age (Singen), the Early Iron Age (Magdalenenbergle), and the Early Medieval period (Horb-Altheim). The challenge was to identify hierarchical and heterarchical differences and inequalities within the burial grounds based on a multitude of different proxies. The examination encompasses variations in the distribution of grave goods, burial pit sizes, as well as bio-anthropological and isotope data. Furthermore, spatial analyses of burial grounds and, in particular, on the distances between the graves play an essential role in this examination. The results reveal social inequalities among and within genders and age cohorts that are differently pronounced in the respective cemeteries. Furthermore, the results of multi-proxy analyses lead to the interpretation that the sites differ concerning the respective degrees of inequality and power strategy modes. In detail, it can be observed that the Early Iron Age and the Early Bronze Age sites demonstrate a relatively high degree of inequality as compared to the other sites. More specifically, the investigation of sites from the Early Iron Age and the Final Neolithic rather reveal a network-based power strategy, whereas sites from the Early Neolithic, the Early Bronze Age and the Early Medieval period tend to show a corporate-based power strategy.

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Superior in Life—Superior in Death

Cited by 38 publications

References 32 publications

Paleodiet and health in a mass burial population: The stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes from Potočani, a 6,200‐year‐old massacre site in Croatia

Paleodiet and health in a mass burial population: The stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes from Potočani, a 6,200‐year‐old massacre site in Croatia

Between Raetia Secunda and the dutchy of Bavaria: Exploring patterns of human movement and diet

Insights into Social Inequality. A Quantitative Study of Neolithic to Early Medieval Societies in Southwest Germany

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