Evidence of early medieval trade and migration between Wales and the Mediterranean Sea region

Hemer, Katie A.; Evans, Jane; Chenery, Carolyn; Lamb, Angela L.

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2013.01.014

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Today, isotopic studies on Early medieval skeletal remains are of growing interest (e.g. Hakenbeck et al 2010Hakenbeck et al , 2017Hemer et al 2013;Knipper et al 2012;Lösch 2009;McGlynn 2007;Iacumin et al 2014;Reitsema and Vercellotti 2012). With the Copper Age Iceman being an exception (Hoogewerff and Papesch 2001;Macko et al 1999), in South Tyrol, there is a lack of comparative framework, and almost no isotope analyses on human bones have been performed.…”

Section: Stable Isotope Measurements: Reconstructing Diet and Mobilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Early medieval Italian Alps: reconstructing diet and mobility in the valleys

Paladin

Moghaddam

Stawinoga

et al. 2020

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In Early Middle Ages (sixth-eleventh centuries AD), South Tyrol (Italian Alps) played a key role for geographical and military reasons. Historical sources document that allochthonous groups (germani) entered the territory, and the material culture shows mutual cultural exchanges between autochthonous and germani. Besides the nature of the migration, the demographic and socio-cultural impacts on the local population are still unknown. Stable isotope analyses were performed to provide insights into dietary patterns, subsistence strategies, changes in socio-economic structures, and mobility, according to spatial (e.g. valleys, altitudes) and chronological (centuries) parameters. Bone collagen of 32 faunal and 91 human bone samples from nine sites, located at different altitudes, was extracted for stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur isotope analyses. In total, 94% (30/32) of the faunal remains were of good quality, while the humans displayed 93% (85/91) of good quality samples for δ 13 C and δ 15 N and 44% (40/91) for δ 34 S stable isotopes. The isotopic results of the animals reflected a terrestrial-based diet. Statistical differences were observed within and among the humans of the different valleys. The δ 13 C values of individuals sampled from higher altitudes indicated a mainly C 3 plant-based diet compared to areas at lower altitudes, where more positive δ 13 C values showed an intake of C 4 plants. The δ 15 N values suggested a terrestrial-based diet with a greater consumption of animal proteins at higher altitudes. The data revealed higher variability in δ 34 S values in the Adige valley, with individuals probably migrating and/or changing dietary habits.

show abstract

Section: Stable Isotope Measurements: Reconstructing Diet and Mobilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Early medieval Italian Alps: reconstructing diet and mobility in the valleys

Paladin

Moghaddam

Stawinoga

et al. 2020

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The use of seaweed as a fertilizer is also known to introduce marine sulphates to the soil resulting in high sulphur isotope values. Published strontium isotope data for individuals within the same study sample, including those from Pembrokeshire, reveals a number of individuals with high strontium concentrations (>100 ppm) (Hemer et al, ; Hemer et al, ), comparable to the strontium concentrations noted for populations from the Outer Hebrides where seaweed was used as a fertiliser (Montgomery & Evans, ; Montgomery, Evans, & Cooper, , p. 1509). Indeed, other coastal farming communities from around the British Isles (e.g., Cornwall) and Ireland are known to have relied on seaweed for agricultural practices until the mid‐20th century (Amorosi et al, ; Balasse, Tresset, Dobney, & Ambrose, ; Hallsson, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Since Llandough was an important religious foundation in southeast Wales during the early medieval period, it is also necessary to consider the possibility that the cemetery served communities who did not live in the immediate vicinity of the coast. Indeed, a previous investigation of population mobility in Wales identified individuals buried at Llandough who may have grown up in other parts of Wales and the borders with England suggesting some degree of movement to the Llandough region (Hemer et al, , p. 2356). As such, the low mean sulphur isotope value for individuals buried at Llandough may reflect the fact that this monastery was well‐connected to populations from further inland, and that the cemetery was a foci of burial for a far‐reaching Christian community.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the collection of dentine, each tooth was cut in half using a diamond‐edged rotary dental saw, and any secondary dentine was removed using a tungsten carbide dental burr. Remaining primary dentine was separated from the enamel surface and collected for analysis; the remaining enamel was retained for strontium and oxygen analysis (Hemer, Evans, Chenery, & Lamb, ; Hemer et al, ). Approximately 0.5–1 g of clean rib bone or 30–100 mg of dentine was immersed in 8 ml of cold 0.5 M HCL to demineralise.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A multi‐isotope investigation of diet and subsistence amongst island and mainland populations from early medieval western Britain

Hemer

Lamb

Chenery

et al. 2016

American J Phys Anthropol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectivesThis is the first investigation of dietary practices amongst multiple early medieval populations (AD 500–1000) from Wales and the Isle of Man using carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur isotope analysis. The analysis will illuminate similarities or differences between the diets and subsistence strategies of populations occupying different geographical regions, specifically those living in marginal coastal regions in comparison to inland populations well‐connected to ecclesiastical centres and high‐status settlements.Materials and MethodsOne hundred and two human skeletons were sampled for carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis, and 69 human skeletons were sampled for sulphur isotope analysis from nine cemetery sites from western Britain (Isle of Man = 3, southwest Wales = 4, southeast Wales = 2). Thirteen faunal skeletons from St Patrick's Chapel (southwest Wales) were sampled for carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur isotope analysis.ResultsHuman δ13C values range from −19.4‰ to −21.2‰ (δ13C mean=−20.4 ±0.4‰, 1σ, n = 86), and δ15N values range from 9.1‰ to 13.8‰ (δ15N mean = 10.8 ± 0.9‰, 1σ, n = 86). δ34S values range from 1.2‰ to 18.4‰ (δ34S mean = 11.6 ± 4.5‰, 1σ, n = 66). Significant differences were noted between the mean δ13C, δ15N and δ34S values according to geographic region: Isle of Man (δ13C = −20.7 ± 0.4‰, δ15N = 11.4 ±0.6‰, n = 13/86; δ34S mean = 17.1 ±0.6, n = 4/66), southwest Wales (δ13C = −20.5 ± 0.4‰, δ15N = 11.0 ±1‰, n = 32/86; δ34S = 16.1 ± 2.1, n = 21/66), and southeast Wales (δ13C =−20.3 ±0.4‰, δ15N = 10.4 ±0.7‰, n = 41/86; δ34S= 8.8 ±3‰, n = 41/66). Faunal δ13C values range from −23.1‰ to −21.2‰ (δ13C mean= −22.1 ±0.5‰, 1σ, n = 13), and δ15N values range from 6.3‰ to 9.8‰ (δ15N mean = 7.3 ± 1.1‰, 1σ, n = 13). δ34S values range from 4.7‰ to 18.4‰ (δ34S mean= 16.3 ± 3.6‰, 1σ, n = 13).ConclusionsThe data reveal a reliance on terrestrial protein, however differences are observed between the resource consumption of populations from southwest Wales and the Isle of Man in comparison to the populations from southeast Wales. Populations from the west coast have a marine sulphur signature that reflects their coastal proximity and may also include a reliance on seaweed as a fertiliser/food source. Populations in the southeast were connected to ecclesiastical centres and high‐status settlements and had access to inland‐grown produce. The data add support to the suggestion that δ34S can be used as a mobility indicator.

show abstract

“…Esmonde Cleary 1989). That fallacy begs questions about the numbers of early medieval immigrants against a continuous background of migratory flow into Britain since the last Ice Age, for whom assimilation was the norm (Eckardt et al 2014;Hemer et al 2013;Leslie et al 2015; see discussion below). The question about what was special about post--Roman migration into Britain either in terms of numbers or in other terms still requires an answer.…”

Section: Fallacies Reviewedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recognizing and Moving on from a Failed Paradigm: The Case of Agricultural Landscapes in Anglo-Saxon England c. AD 400–800

Oosthuizen

2015

J Archaeol Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding how and why material culture changes is a central preoccupation for archaeologists. One of the most intractable examples of this problem can be found between 400 and 800 AD in the enigmatic transformation of sub Roman into Anglo-Saxon England. That example lies at the heart of this review, explored through the case of the agricultural economy. Although the ideas critically examined below relate specifically to early medieval England, they represent themes of universal interest: the role of migration in the transformation of material culture; politics and economy in a post-imperial world; the significance of "core" and "periphery" in evolving polities; ethnogenesis as a strategy in kingdom building; property rights as a lens for investigating cultural change; and the relationship between hierarchical political structures and collective forms of governance. The first part of the argument presented below proposes a structured response to paradigmatic stalemate by identifying and testing each underlying assumption, premise and interpretative framework. The recognition of any fallacies, false premises and flawed arguments might assist with an overall evaluation of the continuing utility of a discourse-whether it has life in it yet, or should be set aside. In either case, the recognition of its structure should enable arguments to be developed that do not lead into a disciplinary cul-de-sac, prevented by the orthodoxy from exploring new avenues for research. The second part of the review deliberately adopts a starting point outside the limits of the current discourse. Freed from the confines of the conventional consensus, it experiments with an alternative "bottom up" approach to change in early medieval England that contrasts with conventional "top down" arguments. It focuses in particular on how rights over agricultural property-especially collective rights-and the forms of governance implied by them may assist in illuminating the roles of tradition and transformation in effecting cultural change.

show abstract

Evidence of early medieval trade and migration between Wales and the Mediterranean Sea region

Cited by 21 publications

References 30 publications

Early medieval Italian Alps: reconstructing diet and mobility in the valleys

Early medieval Italian Alps: reconstructing diet and mobility in the valleys

A multi‐isotope investigation of diet and subsistence amongst island and mainland populations from early medieval western Britain

Recognizing and Moving on from a Failed Paradigm: The Case of Agricultural Landscapes in Anglo-Saxon England c. AD 400–800

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About