E. Alonzi and N. Daly
The sixth meeting of the Irish Isotopes Research Group was held on February 15th, 2020 in the UCD School of Earth Sciences (see schedule below). The aims of the meeting were to: (1) Showcase the research of IIRG members (2) Highlight ongoing and planned research, and (3) Discuss the future of the IIRG. This meeting was organised by IIRG members – Dr Elise Alonzi, Professor Stephen Daly, Dr Jessica Smyth and Dr Niamh Daly. The session chairs were Dr Christophe Snoeck, Dr Saskia Ryan, and Dr Niamh Daly. Funding was attained through the UCD Seed Funding Scheme and UCD School of Earth Sciences, and Fáilte Ireland provided conference materials. UCD School of Earth Sciences generously hosted both the meeting and the tour of the National Centre for Isotope Geochemistry (NCIG).
The meeting was opened by Dr Alonzi who welcomed the speakers and attendees, recorded apologies, thanked funders and supporters, and discussed the agenda of the meeting. Dr Daly provided the group with a brief background to the formation of the IIRG, which was initiated by Dr Jacqueline Cahill Wilson as part of the Late Iron Age and Roman Ireland project at the Discovery Programme in 2013. In three sessions, speakers presented an array of current research in the field, covering Irish archaeological studies and a diversity of other contexts (see schedule below). Prof Stephen Daly gave a talk about the instrumentation and capabilities of the NCIG, and he and Dr David van Acken gave a detailed tour of the laboratories .
This meeting brought together researchers and technicians involved in a broad range of isotope research in Ireland, and several topics were raised in the forum for discussion. These included: (1) best practice in terms of sampling strategies, (2) standardising methodologies, (3) possible avenues for future funding, and (4) planning for the next meeting. Going forward, importantly, the retention of archaeological faunal, soil sampling and archaeobotanical remains will be discussed further by the IIRG meeting organisers/working group, the National Museum of Ireland staff, and members of the Irish Association of Professional Osteoarchaeologists. In order to continue dialogue and collaboration, the attendees agreed that general level of interest to have another IIRG meeting was quite high, perhaps on a 2-yearly cycle. Options were discussed in terms of the future host for next IIRG meeting, such as the possibility of taking over the email list and website from Dr Elise Alonzi and Dr Niamh Daly when another meeting is planned. Details of subsequent working group meetings and the plans for the next IIRG meeting will be communicated once confirmed.
Any further queries or suggestions please contact Irishisotopesresearchgroup@gmail.com. New members are most welcome to get in contact.
IIRG Presentation Abstracts
Research update: The varied application of strontium isotopes to archaeological questions, from an early medieval Irish population to pre-Islamic cotton in Arabia
Saskia E. Ryan1,2,3*, Quentin G. Crowley1, Christophe Snoeck4 Linda M. Reynard3, Charlène Bouchaud2, Antoine Zazzo2, Eric Douville5 & Noreen Tuross3
1Department of Geology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
(*correspondence: ryans22@tcd.ie)
2Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements (AASPE, UMR 7209), Sorbonne Universités, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, CP56, 55 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France.
3 Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, 11 Divinity Avenue, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02130, USA
4 Research Unit: Analytical, Environmental & Geo-Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, AMGC-WE-VUB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
5Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, Av. de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) are a powerful discriminatory tool when used to address archaeological questions of provenance. Here, two distinct case studies are presented which highlight their potential varied application:
The first study uses existing 87Sr/86Sr data from geochemical mapping of contemporary soils, plants and streamwater in combination with measured 87Sr/86Sr of human and animal tooth enamel from three early medieval populations. In doing so, it was possible to identify those unlikely to have lived at the site associated with their place of burial, in this case, two individuals, a man and women buried on top of one another.
The second study presents the use of 87Sr/86Sr from archaeological and modern cotton from two sites in Arabia. Cotton is a plant of tropical origin, that appeared on the Arabian peninsula at the end of the 1st mill. BC – beginning of the 1st mill. AD. To better understand the initial trade/production of cotton in this non-native environment, strontium isotopes are used to determine if the earliest archaeological cotton finds, were local or more likely sourced from further afield.
Whilst the sample media and geographical location of these studies are distinct, the need for local biosphere baseline strontium values is a shared necessity of each study and highlights the importance of having an environmental 87Sr/86Sr dataset for comparison with the archaeological remains under study, be them human, animal or botanical.
Using the strontium Isoscape of Ireland for mobility and landscape use studies – The case of Parknabinnia
Christophe Snoeck1,2,3,*, John Pouncett4, Carleton Jones5, Saskia Ryan6,7 & Rick J. Schulting4
1Research Unit: Analytical, Environmental & Geo-Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, AMGC-WE-VUB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
2G-Time Laboratory, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB, CP 160/02, 50, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
3Maritime Cultures Research Institute, Dept. of Art Sciences & Archaeology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, MARI-LW-VUB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
4 School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 1 South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3TG, UK
5School of Geography and Archaeology, Arts/Science Building, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland
6Department of Geology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
7UMR 7209, Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Universités, CP 56, 55 Rue Buffon, F-75005 Paris, France
A total of 228 strontium isotope measurements of plant material from 140 distinct locations have been used to create an isoscape to enable the better interpretation of strontium isotope ratios obtained on archaeological plant, animal and human remains. The range of observed values is going from 0.7067 for the basalt region in County Antrim, to 0.7164 in the Mourne Mountains. This paper presents this isoscape and discusses its advantages and limitations focusing on the Neolithic court tomb of Parknabinnia, County Clare where both cremated and inhumed human remains have been excavated. The results suggest that, even within a small region, mobility and landscape use may have differed significantly during the Neolithic and also between the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic/Early Bronze Age.
Multi-isotope analysis of Mesolithic and Neolithic Sus
Jonathan Small1, Paula Reimer1, Janet Montgomery2, Laura Basell3, Geoff Nowell2
1Queen’s University, Belfast
2Durham University
3University of Leicester
This presentation will communicate the results from a multi-isotope investigation of Irish Mesolithic and Early Neolithic Sus remains from five archaeological sites. This study investigated the role of wild and domestic pig during these periods, particularly their relationship with Mesolithic and Neolithic populations. Despite the prevalence of Sus remains in the archaeological record of these periods, they have received relatively little research focus. Carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) were analysed to determine their dietary structure. Oxygen (δ18O), strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and sulphur (δ34S) analyses were used to assess their landscape mobility and origins. The research has elucidated the ecological position of Sus during the Mesolithic and Neolithic, has provided insights into Irish Mesolithic hunting strategies, and has also shed light on Early Neolithic livestock rearing. Ultimately this research has moved beyond conceptualisations of Sus as an economic resource, and considered their diets, mobility and broader ecological niche.
Investigating Metal Circulation in the Late Bronze Age South Pannonian Plain using Lead Isotope data
Authors: Caroline Bruyère (UCD), Stephen Daly (UCD), David van Acken (UCD), Dragan Jovanović (Towm Museum of Vršac), and Barry Molloy (UCD)
Metalwork has long been recognised as an important resource for measuring interaction and the movement of people. Lead Isotope analysis has successfully been used in archaeology to evaluate and characterise the mobility of copper as a raw material. Contextually, this study focuses on the Late Bronze Age of the South Pannonian plain where we see the emergence and development of a horizon of mega-forts along important river networks that would have acted as communication corridors: the Danube, Tisza and Mures. At the same time, there is substantial evidence for changes in metal consumption such as hoarding. The dynamic mobility of metal can provide a supra-regional perspective to these important social changes during the Late Bronze Age. New lead isotope data, presented here, have provided important avenues for further inquiry, contextually and methodologically.
The Passage Tomb People project – multi-isotope research on animal and human remains
Jessica Smyth & Fabienne Pigière
School of Archaeology, University College Dublin
The ‘Passage Tomb People’ project (IRC Laureate Consolidator 2018-2022) drills down into the archaeology of three key Atlantic passage tomb regions – Ireland, Orkney and North Wales – to provide the first systematic, integrated attempt to document the nature and structure of the prehistoric communities that raised these monuments. The economic conditions under which passage tombs were constructed and the extent and timing of later Neolithic social networks are the main questions investigated. The research programme targets two main themes, sustainability and connectedness, both crucial to enhance our understanding of the drivers behind this cultural phenomenon. We outline a multi-isotope program of analyses, complemented by other biomolecular methods such as lipid and protein analysis, that will generate important new information on human diet, mobility, husbandry strategies, seasonal resource exploitation and birth seasonality in passage tomb populations.
Long-standing archaeological questions and new science-based methodologies: clarifying population dynamics and mobility in Pre-Roman Italy through the application of isotopic analyses.
The case study of Fermo in the Marche region (Italy, 9th-6th century BC)
Carmen Esposito (a,b)*, Melania Gigante (b,c), Caroline Malone (a), Wolfgang Müller (f), Marco Pacciarelli (d), Paula Reimer (a), Alessandra Sperduti(b, e), Claudio Cavazzuti (b), Luca Bondioli (b)
(a) School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University, Belfast (United Kingdom)
(b) Servizio di Bioarcheologia, Museo delle Civiltà, Roma (Italy)
(c) Dipartimento Storia Culture Civiltà, Università di Bologna “Alma Mater Studiorum” (Italy)
(d) Dipartimento Studi umanistici, Università degli Studi di Napoli, “Federico II” (Italy)
(e) Dipartimento Asia Africa e Mediterraneo, Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale” (Italy)
(f)Goethe-Universität, Institut für Geowissenschaften Altenhöferallee Frankfurt am Main (Germany)
The site of Fermo (9th-6th century BC; Marche, Italy) has been identified as a Proto-Etruscan enclave in Picene territory through traditional archaeological interpretations (Fig. 1; Bartoloni 2002). Nonetheless, some scholars (Peroni 1992) firmly rejected this hypothesis, denying the presence of non-local individuals in Fermo.
The aim of this study is to explore through a biogeochemical approach the possible dynamics of mobility in the community of Fermo. Strontium isotopic analyses (87Sr/86Sr) were performed on 60 samples among cremations (pars petrosa of the temporal bone) and inhumations (tooth enamel). Burials were selected based on the chronology of the site as well as funerary ritual and grave goods ascribable either to the Villanovan or the Picene material culture.
The local 87Sr/86Sr baseline was assessed through archaeological and modern environmental sources from sites nearby Fermo: 1. soil; 2. water; 3. grass; 4. snail shells; 5. archaeological fauna from a medieval site; 6. infants and juveniles (1-15 yrs) from the Fermo necropolises.
Figure 1. Villanovan sites and enclaves (9th-8th century BC)
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References
Bartoloni, G., 2002. La cultura Villanoviana all’inizio della storia Etrusca. Roma: Carocci.
Esposito, C., 2015. La necropoli villanoviana di Fermo in località Misericordia. Scavi Brusadin (1956-1957). Master Dissertation. Università Federico II di Napoli.
Miranda, P., 2018. Fermo (FM). La necropoli di c.da Mossa. Phd Dissertation. Università Federico II di Napoli.
Peroni, R., 1992. Villanoviano a Fermo? In: M. Dardari, (ed). La civiltà picena nelle Marche: Studi in onore di Giovanni Annibaldi Ancona. Ancona, 10-13 July 1988. Ripatransone (AP): Maroni, pp. 13–39.
Traveling monastic paths: A study of mobility and religion in medieval Ireland using radiogenic strontium and oxygen isotope analysis
Elise Alonzia,b,⁎, Niamh Dalyc, Gwyneth Gordond, Rachel E. Scotte, Kelly J. Knudsonb
a University College Dublin, School of Archaeology, Newman Building, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
b Center for Bioarchaeological Research, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, PO Box 872402, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
c Department of Archaeology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
d School of Earth & Space Exploration (SESE), Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
e Department of Anthropology, DePaul University, 2343 North Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614, USA
⁎ Corresponding author.
Monasteries were powerful social institutions in early and late medieval Ireland that took drastically different forms over time. Medieval historical records, such as annals and Saints’ Lives, and archaeological data, such as the layout of monastic buildings, suggest that small communities of monks at early medieval Irish monasteries followed ascetic or austere ways of life. Contrastingly, historical and archaeological sources indicate that monks at late medieval monasteries, founded by English and continental religious orders, lived in large communities and interacted with lay or non-religious people. Historical texts also record that high-status Irish monks and nuns traveled throughout Ireland, Scotland, England, and continental Europe. However, documents record little information about lower status monks and lay people. Thus, it is unknown how frequently people traveled as part of monastic life and how frequently local individuals participated in monasticism. This study leverages unique burial contexts of 88 individuals at five Irish monastic sites spanning nine centuries (8th-16th centuries AD) through biogeochemical analysis of human bones and teeth based on two isotopic systems (radiogenic strontium and oxygen) compared to a geological baseline of plant samples, to uncover patterns of medieval Irish mobility in connection to the changing practices of Irish monasticism. Updates on current and future research on the topic of mobility at medieval Irish monasteries, in the form of an Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship project, will also be presented.
Freshwater Reservoir Effects in the Eurasian Steppe
Svetlana V. Svyatko1, Paula J. Reimer1
1 Queen’s University Belfast
Radiocarbon ages of animals or humans consuming freshwater resources may appear older due to a Freshwater Reservoir Effect (FRE). We summarise the results of extensive research into the FREs of various regions of the Eurasian Steppe from archaeological samples and modern fish (ca. 150 dates in total), coupled with existing FRE data. The study demonstrates that FREs are widespread and highly variable in the Eurasian Steppe in both modern fish and archaeological samples including humans. The latter is of a particular importance as human remains are often sampled for 14C dating and, as such, many dates, if uncorrected, would be misleading. Stable isotopes can help identify freshwater fish consumption in humans and animals.
IIRG 