Ernährung und Mobilität im frühmittelalterlichen Bayern anhand einer Analyse stabiler Kohlenstoff- und Stickstoffisotope – Studien zu Mobilität und Exogamie

Abstract

Investigating diet and mobility in early medieval Bavaria using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes – a study of mobility and exogamy

The mobility of individuals in early medieval Bavaria is examined through a combined investigation of diet and burial practice. Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from human skeletal remains from the late Roman cemetery of Klettham and the early medieval cemeteries of Altenerding and Straubing-Bajuwarenstraße were analysed. To provide a dietrary base, samples of fauna from a late Roman settlement and three early medieval settlements were also analysed. The results show that the diet of individuals in the three cemeteries was consistent with expected patterns for Central Europe, with limited access to freshwater or marine resources. From the late Roman to the early medieval period diet does not appear to have changed much. However, there are significant differences in the diet of men and women. Furthermore, statistical outliers in the results often correspond with non-local grave-goods and other anomalies, such as artificially modified skulls. This study highlights the potential of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis for the investigation of migration and mobility.