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The most widely studied and used isotopes in archaeology are carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, strontium and calcium. [2] An isotope is an atom of an element with an abnormal number of neutrons, changing their atomic mass. [2] Isotopes can be subdivided into stable and unstable or radioactive. Unstable isotopes decay at a predictable rate over time. [2]
In 2009 and 2010, strontium analysis was applied to 18 skeletons from the cemetery. This process compares background radiation an individual was exposed to over the course of their lifetime stored in their bones and teeth to the known background radiation of specific areas. [6] Based on this analysis, 11 of this sample were born and raised in ...
This generated questions about whether the individual was originally from Birka or had settled there later. The conclusion of the study was that "the individual in grave Bj 581 is the first confirmed female high-ranking Viking warrior". [5] An analysis of the weapons indicated the weapons had been used by a trained warrior and were not ceremonial.
Janet was awarded a PhD in 2002. Her thesis was the first application of radiogenic lead and strontium isotope analysis to human remains from archaeological sites in Britain, in order to investigate diet and mobility. [1] From 2003 to 2007, Montgomery was a NERC postdoctoral fellow at the University of Bradford.
Archaeological materials, such as bone, organic residues, hair, or sea shells, can serve as substrates for isotopic analysis. Carbon, nitrogen and zinc isotope ratios are used to investigate the diets of past people; these isotopic systems can be used with others, such as strontium or oxygen, to answer questions about population movements and cultural interactions, such as trade.
It had already been shown [20] from strontium and oxygen isotope analysis of the Archer's 2nd premolar and 3rd molar teeth (which mineralise at different ages) that the Archer spent his childhood in Central Europe, probably in the Western Alps. By contrast the Companion appears to have been born in Wessex, but spent part of his childhood in ...
Strontium isotope analysis was also done on the remains in Scaloria Cave in an effort to extract information from the dental enamel on the origin of the remains and how close their relationship is to the cave itself. The greater range at the cave suggested that the cave was used ritualistically by people not of the area, suggesting a funerary site.
The nitrogen stable isotope system is based on the relative enrichment/depletion of 15 N in comparison to 14 N in δ15N. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses are complementary in paleodiet studies. Nitrogen isotopes in bone collagen are ultimately derived from dietary protein, while carbon can be contributed by protein, carbohydrate, or fat.