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Investigating population movement by stable isotope analysis: a report from Britain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Paul Budd ,
Andrew Millard ,
Carolyn Chenery ,
Sam Lucy  and
Charlotte Roberts
Paul Budd
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
Andrew Millard
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
Carolyn Chenery
Affiliation:
NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK
Sam Lucy
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
Charlotte Roberts
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
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Extract

Stable isotopes present in local ground water get into people's teeth before they are 12 years old, and act as a signature to the area where they grew up (and drank the water). In a review of recent work in Britain the authors show the huge potential of this method for detecting population movement – and thus ultimately for investigating questions of migration, exogamy and slavery.

Keywords

oxygenstrontiumisotopesresidencymobility
Type
Method
Information
Antiquity , Volume 78 , Issue 299 , March 2004 , pp. 127 - 141
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2004

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