Diversity aboard a Tudor warship: investigating the origins of theMary Rosecrew using multi-isotope analysis

Abstract

The great Tudor warship, the Mary Rose , which sank tragically in the Solent in 1545 AD, presents a rare archaeological opportunity to research individuals for whom the precise timing and nature of death are known. A long-standing question surrounds the composition of the Tudor navy and whether the crew were largely British or had more diverse origins. This study takes a multi-isotope approach, combining strontium ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr), oxygen (δ 18 O), sulfur (δ 34 S), carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope analysis of dental samples to reconstruct the childhood diet and origins of eight of the Mary Rose crew. Forensic ancestry estimation was also employed on a subsample. Provenancing isotope data tentatively suggests as many as three of the crew may have originated from warmer, more southerly climates than Britain. Five have isotope values indicative of childhoods spent in western Britain, one of which had cranial morphology suggestive of African ancestry. The general trend of relatively high δ 15 N and low δ 13 C values suggests a broadly comparable diet to contemporaneous British and European communities. This multi-isotope approach and the nature of the archaeological context has allowed the reconstruction of the biographies of eight Tudor individuals to a higher resolution than is usually possible.

Isotopic biographies reveal horse rearing and trading networks in medieval London

“…This method introduces extra unavoidable uncertainties regarding the relevance of modern isoscapes to archeological contexts, given the potential for changing climates, atmospheric circulation patterns, shifting moisture sources, shifting seasonality of precipitation, and other such factors which could all affect the local meteoric baseline, as well as the uncertainties associated with calibration from δ 18 O enamel to δ 18 O drinking water itself. We note, however, that previous studies researching migration to London and Britain more generally (13,(40)(41)(42)(43)(44) all consistently identify a local London δ 18 O drinking water value of around −7‰ and a Britishwide lower limit of around −9‰, collectively spanning from the prehistoric to the medieval era. This strongly suggests that these reference values are also appropriate when considering the Elverton horses.…”

“…Given these points, it is appropriate to consider migration when interpreting the δ 18 O enamel data. δ 18 O enamel data has routinely been used in humans to identify potential migrants to Britain throughout the prehistoric and historic periods [for example, see, (40)(41)(42)(43)], including analyses of immigration to London in the Roman period (44) and medieval period (13), respectively. These studies have typically used relatively large reference datasets to identify expected local population-level δ 18 O enamel ranges and used outlier analysis to identify potential migrants; calibration from δ 18 O enamel to estimated δ 18 O drinking water followed by comparison to contemporary isoscape base maps is either not undertaken or is used as supporting analysis to further interpret the data.…”

Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe

“…The sample was spun down using a microcentrifuge to isolate residue and the supernatant was transferred into Savillex beakers. Following preparation, enamel and plant samples followed the strontium extraction protocol in ( 84 ). Approximately 100 μl of pre-cleaned Eichrom Sr-Spec resin is loaded into extraction columns.…”

Silver Linings at the Dawn of a “Golden Age”

“…Significantly, such studies also lead us to question preconceived notions of whom might be considered "non-local" on the basis of either geographical provenance or biogeographical ancestry in the past, and to examine our own biases. The recent isotopic, genetic and forensic evidence for ethnic diversity in both Roman and Tudor Britain (Leach et al, 2009(Leach et al, , 2015Martiniano et al, 2016;Scorrer et al, 2021), and the negative reception of these findings by some (largely anti-immigration) factions of the British media and public, highlights the value of such studies in illuminating past societies, and also the part such research can play in helping to dispel dangerous myths of racial or cultural homogeneity in past populations. The field must, however, also acknowledge, anticipate, and challenge narratives that attempt to draw on isotopic studies that may show a lack of past population mobility, for example, to support nationalist agendas, as recently called for with ancient DNA studies (e.g., Hakenbeck, 2019).…”