Integrating isotopes and documentary evidence: dietary patterns in a late medieval and early modern mining community, Sweden

Ylva  Bäckström; Jan  Mispelaere; Anne  Ingvarsson; Markus Fjellstrom; Kate Britton

doi:10.1007/s12520-017-0518-1

Integrating isotopes and documentary evidence: dietary patterns in a late medieval and early modern mining community, Sweden

Ylva Bäckström (Corresponding Author), Jan Mispelaere, Anne Ingvarsson, Markus Fjellstrom, Kate Britton

Archaeology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

8 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between dietary patterns and social structure in a pre-industrial mining community in Salberget, Sweden c. 1470 to 1600 A.D. using a combination of different research approaches and tools, including archaeology, osteology, bone chemistry and history. The correlation between demographic criteria (sex and age) and archaeological variables (burial type and burial location) shows that Salberget was a highly stratified community. Group diets were investigated through analyses of stable isotopes (carbon, δ13C, and nitrogen, δ15N) of bone collagen from a sub-sample of individuals buried at the site (n = 67), interpreted alongside data from human dental lesions and deficiencies, animal bone waste and information on eating habits extracted from the extensive historical documents regarding mining activities at Salberget. These integrated analyses provide a clear association between social status and diet and confirm that social status, and to a lesser extent sex, gender and age, likely governed food choice and opportunity in this diverse community.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2075-2094
Number of pages	20
Journal	Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
Volume	10
Issue number	8
Early online date	12 Jul 2017
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-017-0518-1
Publication status	Published - Dec 2018

Bibliographical note

We would like to thank the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University, Sweden and the Tandem Laboratory (Ångström Laboratory), Uppsala University, Sweden, for undertaking the analyses of stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes in both human and animal collagen samples. Also, thanks to Elin Ahlin Sundman for providing the δ13C and δ15N values for animal references from Västerås.

This research (Bäckström’s PhD employment at Lund University, Sweden) was supported by the Berit Wallenberg Foundation (BWS 2010.0176) and Jakob and Johan Söderberg’s foundation. The ‘Sala project’ (excavations and analyses) has been funded by Riksens Clenodium, Jernkontoret, Birgit and Gad Rausing’s Foundation, SAU’s Research Foundation, the Royal Physiographic Society of Lund, Berit Wallenbergs Foundation, Åke Wibergs Foundation, Lars Hiertas Memory, Helge Ax:son Johnson’s Foundation and The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Keywords

Late medieval/early modern
Preindustrial
Identities
Diet
Documentary sources
Bioarchaeology
Isotopes
Zooarchaeology
Dental palaeopathology

Access to Document

10.1007/s12520-017-0518-1Licence: CC BY

Bäckström2018_Article_IntegratingIsotopesAndDocument
© The Author(s) 2017 This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Final published version, 2.41 MBLicence: CC BY

Kate Britton
- School of Geosciences, Archaeology - Personal Chair
Person: Academic

Cite this

@article{651c47d905d5491181ffce22db06024a,

title = "Integrating isotopes and documentary evidence: dietary patterns in a late medieval and early modern mining community, Sweden ",

abstract = "This study explores the relationship between dietary patterns and social structure in a pre-industrial mining community in Salberget, Sweden c. 1470 to 1600 A.D. using a combination of different research approaches and tools, including archaeology, osteology, bone chemistry and history. The correlation between demographic criteria (sex and age) and archaeological variables (burial type and burial location) shows that Salberget was a highly stratified community. Group diets were investigated through analyses of stable isotopes (carbon, δ13C, and nitrogen, δ15N) of bone collagen from a sub-sample of individuals buried at the site (n = 67), interpreted alongside data from human dental lesions and deficiencies, animal bone waste and information on eating habits extracted from the extensive historical documents regarding mining activities at Salberget. These integrated analyses provide a clear association between social status and diet and confirm that social status, and to a lesser extent sex, gender and age, likely governed food choice and opportunity in this diverse community.",

keywords = "Late medieval/early modern, Preindustrial, Identities, Diet, Documentary sources, Bioarchaeology, Isotopes, Zooarchaeology, Dental palaeopathology",

author = "Ylva B{\"a}ckstr{\"o}m and Jan Mispelaere and Anne Ingvarsson and Markus Fjellstrom and Kate Britton",

note = "We would like to thank the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University, Sweden and the Tandem Laboratory ({\AA}ngstr{\"o}m Laboratory), Uppsala University, Sweden, for undertaking the analyses of stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes in both human and animal collagen samples. Also, thanks to Elin Ahlin Sundman for providing the δ13C and δ15N values for animal references from V{\"a}ster{\aa}s. This research (B{\"a}ckstr{\"o}m{\textquoteright}s PhD employment at Lund University, Sweden) was supported by the Berit Wallenberg Foundation (BWS 2010.0176) and Jakob and Johan S{\"o}derberg{\textquoteright}s foundation. The {\textquoteleft}Sala project{\textquoteright} (excavations and analyses) has been funded by Riksens Clenodium, Jernkontoret, Birgit and Gad Rausing{\textquoteright}s Foundation, SAU{\textquoteright}s Research Foundation, the Royal Physiographic Society of Lund, Berit Wallenbergs Foundation, {\AA}ke Wibergs Foundation, Lars Hiertas Memory, Helge Ax:son Johnson{\textquoteright}s Foundation and The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.",

year = "2018",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1007/s12520-017-0518-1",

language = "English",

volume = "10",

pages = "2075--2094",

journal = "Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences",

issn = "1866-9557",

publisher = "Springer ",

number = "8",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Integrating isotopes and documentary evidence

T2 - dietary patterns in a late medieval and early modern mining community, Sweden

AU - Bäckström, Ylva

AU - Mispelaere, Jan

AU - Ingvarsson, Anne

AU - Fjellstrom, Markus

AU - Britton, Kate

N1 - We would like to thank the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University, Sweden and the Tandem Laboratory (Ångström Laboratory), Uppsala University, Sweden, for undertaking the analyses of stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes in both human and animal collagen samples. Also, thanks to Elin Ahlin Sundman for providing the δ13C and δ15N values for animal references from Västerås. This research (Bäckström’s PhD employment at Lund University, Sweden) was supported by the Berit Wallenberg Foundation (BWS 2010.0176) and Jakob and Johan Söderberg’s foundation. The ‘Sala project’ (excavations and analyses) has been funded by Riksens Clenodium, Jernkontoret, Birgit and Gad Rausing’s Foundation, SAU’s Research Foundation, the Royal Physiographic Society of Lund, Berit Wallenbergs Foundation, Åke Wibergs Foundation, Lars Hiertas Memory, Helge Ax:son Johnson’s Foundation and The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

PY - 2018/12

Y1 - 2018/12

N2 - This study explores the relationship between dietary patterns and social structure in a pre-industrial mining community in Salberget, Sweden c. 1470 to 1600 A.D. using a combination of different research approaches and tools, including archaeology, osteology, bone chemistry and history. The correlation between demographic criteria (sex and age) and archaeological variables (burial type and burial location) shows that Salberget was a highly stratified community. Group diets were investigated through analyses of stable isotopes (carbon, δ13C, and nitrogen, δ15N) of bone collagen from a sub-sample of individuals buried at the site (n = 67), interpreted alongside data from human dental lesions and deficiencies, animal bone waste and information on eating habits extracted from the extensive historical documents regarding mining activities at Salberget. These integrated analyses provide a clear association between social status and diet and confirm that social status, and to a lesser extent sex, gender and age, likely governed food choice and opportunity in this diverse community.

AB - This study explores the relationship between dietary patterns and social structure in a pre-industrial mining community in Salberget, Sweden c. 1470 to 1600 A.D. using a combination of different research approaches and tools, including archaeology, osteology, bone chemistry and history. The correlation between demographic criteria (sex and age) and archaeological variables (burial type and burial location) shows that Salberget was a highly stratified community. Group diets were investigated through analyses of stable isotopes (carbon, δ13C, and nitrogen, δ15N) of bone collagen from a sub-sample of individuals buried at the site (n = 67), interpreted alongside data from human dental lesions and deficiencies, animal bone waste and information on eating habits extracted from the extensive historical documents regarding mining activities at Salberget. These integrated analyses provide a clear association between social status and diet and confirm that social status, and to a lesser extent sex, gender and age, likely governed food choice and opportunity in this diverse community.

KW - Late medieval/early modern

KW - Preindustrial

KW - Identities

KW - Diet

KW - Documentary sources

KW - Bioarchaeology

KW - Isotopes

KW - Zooarchaeology

KW - Dental palaeopathology

U2 - 10.1007/s12520-017-0518-1

DO - 10.1007/s12520-017-0518-1

M3 - Article

SN - 1866-9557

VL - 10

SP - 2075

EP - 2094

JO - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

JF - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

IS - 8

ER -

Integrating isotopes and documentary evidence: dietary patterns in a late medieval and early modern mining community, Sweden

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Profiles

Kate Britton

Cite this