Search results for "Isotopes of strontium"
showing 10 items of 16 documents
Evidence for “Celtic migrations”? Strontium isotope analysis at the early La Tène (LT B) cemeteries of Nebringen (Germany) and Monte Bibele (Italy)
2013
Abstract Strontium isotope analysis on human remains from the Iron Age (4th/3rd century BC) cemeteries of Nebringen, Germany and Monte Bibele, Italy were carried out to investigate the role of residential changes during the period of the historic “Celtic migrations”. From an archaeological perspective, the location of the cemeteries in the Celtic core (Nebringen) and expansion area (Monte Bibele), and the distinctive development of their material culture, suggest that the buried populations had differing mobility rates. On the contrary, the strontium results indicate that only few individuals were mobile or non-local. There is, however, a difference in variation of strontium isotope ratios …
Diet and mobility during the Christian conquest of Iberia: The multi-isotopic investigation of a 12th-13th century military order in Évora, Portugal
2020
Abstract The Kingdom of Portugal was established with the help of military-monastic orders, which provided important defence against Muslim armies during the 12th–13th century Christian conquest. While historical sources document the main events of this period, this research seeks to elucidate individual lifestyles and movement, aspects typically absent from written records. A multi-isotopic approach was used on skeletal material from eight Christian and two Muslim burials from Evora, Portugal (11th–13th centuries). Anthropological and archaeological evidence suggests the Christian adults belonged to the Evora Militia, which we seek to confirm through the reconstructed diet and mobility of …
Mobility across the pre-Pyrenean mountain ranges during the Chalcolithic through strontium isotopes in human enamel: La Cueva de los Cristales (Sarsa…
2020
Abstract There is an increasing abundance in the archaeological record in Iberia for the Late Neolithic and the beginning of the Chalcolithic periods, mostly regarding burials. The higher pre-Pyrenean areas began to be settled more frequently, but the poor weather conditions have led researchers to suggest that human presence mostly took the form of sporadic visits. This argument has provoked substantial controversy given the increase not only in the archaeological artefacts recorded but also in the number of burial sites in less accessible places. To shed more light on the knowledge of these Chalcolithic mountain groups, we have carried out strontium isotope analysis of human enamel of ind…
The lay of land: Strontium isotope variability in the dietary catchment of the Late Iron Age proto-urban settlement of Basel-Gasfabrik, Switzerland
2018
Abstract Basel-Gasfabrik (Switzerland) comprises an extensive La Tene (chiefly Lt D, 150–80 BCE) settlement and two associated cemeteries at which strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotope analysis of human and animal teeth investigated regional and supra-regional contacts. The interpretation of the analytic data, however, requires information on the isotopic baseline values around the site. Using 102 modern vegetation and 9 water samples from 51 localities, this study characterizes the isotopic ratios of the biologically available strontium of geological units and watercourses around Basel and compares these to 28 human infant, 6 pig, and 5 dog teeth from the site. Furthermore, pedological criteria ev…
2020
Strontium isotopes in biogenic apatite, especially enamel, are widely employed to determine provenance and track migration in palaeontology and archaeology. Body tissues record the 87Sr/86Sr of bioavailable Sr of ingested food and water. To identify non-local individuals, knowledge of the 87Sr/86Sr of a non-migratory population is required. However, varying factors such as tissue turnover rates, feeding selectivity, Sr content, digestibility of food, and the ingestion of mineral dust can influence body tissue 87Sr/86Sr. To evaluate the Sr contribution of diet and water to mammalian hard tissues 87Sr/86Sr, controlled feeding studies are necessary. Here we present 87Sr/86Sr from controlled fe…
Mobility or migration: a case study from the Neolithic settlement of Nieder-Mörlen (Hessen, Germany)
2009
A combination of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of collagen and radiogenic strontium isotope analysis of tooth enamel was used to investigate diet and mobility at the early Neolithic settlement of Nieder-Morlen in Germany. The carbon and nitrogen ratios suggest a mixed terrestrial based diet that is consistent with data previously published for early Neolithic sites in Europe. The strontium isotope data indicate a high degree of human mobility with only one individual having an isotope ratio consistent with locally derived strontium. Unusually, a group of non-local juveniles with isotope ratios typical of upland regions is also present at the settlement but there are no adult b…
NanoSr - A New Carbonate Microanalytical Reference Material for In Situ Strontium Isotope Analysis
2019
The in situ measurement of Sr isotopes in carbonates by MC‐ICP‐MS is limited by the availability of suitable microanalytical reference materials (RMs), which match the samples of interest. Whereas several well‐characterised carbonate reference materials for Sr mass fractions > 1000 µg g−1 are available, there is a lack of well‐characterised carbonate microanalytical RMs with lower Sr mass fractions. Here, we present a new synthetic carbonate nanopowder RM with a Sr mass fraction of ca. 500 µg g−1 suitable for microanalytical Sr isotope research (‘NanoSr’). NanoSr was analysed by both solution‐based and in situ techniques. Element mass fractions were determined using EPMA (Ca mass fraction),…
Preservation of successive diagenetic stages in Middle Triassic bonebeds: Evidence from in situ trace element and strontium isotope analysis of verte…
2015
Abstract Bonebeds comprise reworked and time averaged constituents of different phosphatic vertebrate remains and, hence, provide an ideal substrate for the study of long and short term diagenetic processes. To test whether trace elements (U, Sr, REE) and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios can be used for distinguishing between successive diagenetic signals, we performed geochemical analyses on vertebrate remains (bones, teeth, scales and coprolites) from two Triassic bonebeds located near Palzem (Germany). Trace element analysis was done on 170 vertebrate remains by LA-ICP-MS while 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios were determined for 39 bioclasts using LA-MC-ICP-MS. Although a low inter- and intra-bioclast REE variab…
Calcium Carbonate and Phosphate Reference Materials for Monitoring Bulk and Microanalytical Determination of Sr Isotopes
2017
In situ laser ablation analyses rely on the microanalytical homogeneity of reference materials (RMs) and a similar matrix and mass fraction between unknown samples and RMs to obtain reliable results. Suitable carbonate and phosphate RMs for determination of Sr isotope ratios in such materials are limited. Thus, we determined Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios of several carbonate (JCt-1, JCp-1, MACS-1, MACS-3) and phosphate (MAPS-4, MAPS-5, NIST SRM 1400, NIST SRM 1486) international RMs using dissolved samples and two different multi-collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometers (MC-ICP-MS). Our Sr isotope data are in agreement with published data and have an improved measurement precision for s…
Nuclear moments of strongly deformed strontium isotopes
1990
Nuclear spins, moments and mean square charge radii of78–100Sr have been obtained by fast ion-beam collinear laserspectroscopy. The experiments performed at ISOLDE have been extended to include99Sr, measured by a non-optical detection scheme with a two-step optical pumping sequence. The results for the strongly deformed isotopes are discussed in the frame of the particle-plus-deformed core model.