Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By
Annemieke M. Doornbos
September 2010
ABSTRACT
This study makes use of strontium stable isotope analysis through Thermal Ionization Mass
Spectrometry on human tooth enamel to identify local and non-local individuals within one
burial place. Stromtium ratios were measured in order to shed some light on the diet of the
individuals during a certain period of their lives. Because the aim of the investigation is to
find out where the individuals come from, samples of tooth enamel were used, that does not
remodel after being formed and mineralized and therefore forms an archive for strontium that
was stored during formation and mineralization of the enamel, which occurred during
childhood. The teeth that were investigated, were selected from a number of burials found at
Frome View, Bradford Peverell in Dorset, believed to be of the Anglo-Saxon period. The
samples were prepared by taking a number of steps involving taking the enamel out of the rest
of the tooth, cleaning the enamel, dissolving it in acid and running it through a strontium
column and the mass spectrometer in order to get the strontium values that were present in
the enamel. By doing so, three individuals were found showing a strontium value that was
not of local origin. With the great variation in strontium values came the characteristics of the
burials themselves, where unusual objects were found, a unusual short individual and on the
other hand a very robust individual. Unfortunately this study coped with a limitation in time
and money and could therefore not be investigated as elaborately as one might have wanted
to. Recommendations that can therefore be given, involves a further investigation of these
individuals by using other stable isotopes in order to back up the results found in this
investigation. Also if stable isotope analysis appears to be that usefull, further research should
be done in other disciplines, for instance applying the strontium stable isotope analysis on
forensic cases.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In this case study, I have had the help of some very important people who need to be
mentioned. Firstly, I thank Dr. Martin J. Smith, of the anthropology department at
Bournemouth University for giving me the opportunity to work with the human remains
found at Bradford Peverell, Dorset and for being my supervisor throughout the investigation,
guiding me in the right direction and giving me a lot of motivation.
Secondly I have to thank Matt Cooper and the National Oceanographic Centre in
Southampton. Without their help, the strontium isotope analysis would not have been able.
Also I am greatful for the time and devotion Matt Cooper showed in this case study, taking
the responsibility to teach me how to perform strontium stable isotope analysis.
Another very special thankyou goes to Mr. Hawthorne and Mr. Keen. Mr. Hawthorne for
giving me the opportunity to be able to see the place where the human remains were found, in
his back garden, but also for giving me so much useful information. And Mr. Keen, who has
been the archaeologist that excavated the human remains, for sheding so much light on the
case and sharing all his ideas and knowledge on the matter.
Also, a thankyou must be given to Rebecca Redfern of the Museum of London Archaeology,
for informing us about the skeletons and for getting me and my supervisor in contact with Mr.
Hawthorne in order to work with the remains found in his back garden.
Thankyou to Jane Evans and Janet Montgomery, for providing the strontium biosphere
geological map of the UK and for being a good inspiration and motivation for me to
understand the difficulties of strontium stable isotope analysis.
I would like to thank Jamie Auton, a postgraduate student in Recovery and Identification of
Human Remains at Bournemouth University who I have been able to work with on this case
and who has given me so much insight and information on the skeletal material.
Finally, a thankyou to family and friends who have kept me motivated when things were not
going as planned and for being there when help was needed.
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CONTENTS
ABSTRACT i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iii
LIST OF FIGURES v
LIST OF TABLES vi
Contents iii
list of figures v
chapter two v
list of tables vi
chapter four vi
chapter one 1
Introduction 1
1.1 Aims and Objectives.................................................................................1
chapter two 5
Archaeological background and context 5
2.1 The human remains of Frome View..........................................................5
chapter three 14
Strontium 14
3.1 The geochemical characteristics of strontium........................................14
chapter four 18
The human teeth 18
4.1 Formation of the teeth...........................................................................19
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4.2 Strontium in human tooth analysis.........................................................23
chapter five 24
Methodology 24
5.1 The samples used in this study..............................................................24
chapter six 30
Results 30
chapter seven 32
Discussion of the results 32
7.1 Diagenesis..............................................................................................32
chapter eight 38
Conclusions 38
chapter nine 39
further Recommendations 39
References 41
Appendix I 45
Appendix II 48
Appendix III 49
Appendix IV 50
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LIST OF FIGURES
CHAPTER TWO
Contents iii
list of figures v
chapter two v
list of tables vi
chapter four vi
chapter one 1
Introduction 1
chapter two 5
Archaeological background and context 5
chapter three 14
Strontium 14
chapter four 18
The human teeth 18
chapter five 24
Methodology 24
chapter six 30
Results 30
chapter seven 32
Discussion of the results 32
chapter eight 38
Conclusions 38
chapter nine 39
further Recommendations 39
References 41
Appendix I 45
Appendix II 48
Appendix III 49
Appendix IV 50
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LIST OF TABLES
CHAPTER FOUR
Contents iii
list of figures v
chapter two v
list of tables vi
chapter four vi
chapter one 1
Introduction 1
chapter two 5
Archaeological background and context 5
chapter three 14
Strontium 14
chapter four 18
The human teeth 18
chapter five 24
Methodology 24
chapter six 30
Results 30
chapter seven 32
Discussion of the results 32
chapter eight 38
Conclusions 38
chapter nine 39
further Recommendations 39
References 41
Appendix I 45
Appendix II 48
Appendix III 49
Appendix IV 50
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
At Frome View, Bradford Peverell, Dorset, thirty-three years ago, an amateur archaeologist
Mr. John Hawthorne planned to build an extension to his house and the construction of a new
patio. When starting this operation, he stumbled upon what appeared to be human remains.
Now, thirty-three years later, this has led to the excavation of sixteen burials in total, dating
the burial ground to Anglo-Saxon times around the 5th – 7th century A.D. The remains, found
laid out in neat rows, do not necessarily appear to be from a cemetery, since ‘only’ 16 burials
were found, however it raises the question as to why these individuals were buried here and
what their place of origin is. Being buried with iron knives, buckles and other distinctive
items, but also with golden beads, these individuals appear to be showing differences in status
but maybe also differences in place of origin and might therefore be linked to the Migration
Period in which many people travelled throughout Britain.
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Therefore the specific aim of this research is:
In order to meet this aim, a number of objectives must be followed which are listed below.
1. First of all, a literature review must be conducted in order to get an overview of what
has already been published in this field of study. The aim of this literature review is
not to prove that stable isotope analysis is indeed useful for the researching population
movement, but rather used as a means of providing information in order to fully
comprehend and justify what it is that strontium stable isotope analysis does, how it is
conducted and which certain parts of skeletal remains are best to be used for this
study.
3. After selecting the teeth samples, the teeth must be cleaned professionally, bearing in
mind that the level of contamination must be kept as low as possible or even fully
prevented where possible.
4. When the teeth are clean, the enamel must be separated from all other tooth material.
The way in which this is done is with the use of a hammer and a scalpel in order to
split the teeth so that after this the dentine present inside the tooth can be chipped
away. Very important in this objective is the fact that all the dentine must be taken off
the enamel before the enamel can be used for further investigation. This is done with
the use of a dental dremel tool.
5. The next thing that has to be done involves obtaining the strontium from the enamel
samples and measuring the strontium ratios. To accomplish this, a Teflon column has
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to be prepared holding the strontium resin to bind the Sr parts from to tooth sample to.
In the meantime, the samples will have to be dissolved in acid after which the solution
is run through the prepared columns. In order to obtain the Sr, finally water needs to
be run through the column which has to be collected in Teflon vials. The strontium
collected from the samples then needs to be loaded on a Tantalum filament and put in
the TIMS machine that will measure the strontium ratios.
6. When the strontium ratio results are known, a geological map of Britain must be used,
showing average strontium ratio values present in the biosphere in each geological
area. By comparing the strontium values found in the enamel samples to the strontium
values present on the map in the area in which the skeletal remains were found, an
assumption can be made concerning whether the individuals are local to the area in
which they were found or if they appear to have come from a different area.
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In the case of migration, or moving from one place to another for that matter, during Anglo-
Saxon times, questions arise concerning the area that was crossed. During Anglo-Saxon times,
people were obviously a lot less mobile than we are nowadays which makes one wonder if
they would cross large areas across countries or if they would just move from one place to
another close by and work from there. What could be of importance when trying to answer
this question is the goal that those populations had, what their main reason was to move in the
first place, for instance to just cross an area in search for better living conditions or in order to
follow family. According to Montgomery, in the case of migration, people are far more likely
to follow their family members or friends to a particular place rather than just going
somewhere on their own in order to find a new place to live. In the case of investigating the
movement of an entire population, it is therefore interesting to look further into a migration
route because the migration between two places might have lasted longer than during one
single migration event (Montgomery, 2002, p.223).
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CHAPTER TWO
In 1977, the first eight burials were found, all of which contained human skeletal remains.
These shallow graves were cut into the chalk bedrock and were neatly laid out in two rows.
The skeletons found in the graves were buried with their heads towards the west and the feet
towards the east, lying in a stretched position. Burial 1 was very waterlogged when it was
found and of the human remains that were present in it, the leg bones were extended over the
grave cut, implying that the individual did not fully fit in the deepest part of the grave.
Around the pelvis, grave goods were found which will be further explained later on. In burial
4 remains were found of what appeared to be a female. Unfortunately, the skull found in this
grave appeared to have been smashed which makes identification of the individual more
difficult (Keen, 2010, pers. comm.).
Burial 5 appeared to hold the remains of a young female, who was buried with some
interesting grave goods. The reason why these grave goods appear to be interesting is the fact
that they consisted of a couple of beads that seem to belong to some sort of necklace.
According to Mr. Keen, two of the beads found contain golden material, which was obviously
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quite precious during the Anglo-Saxon period. Further explanation will be given in the
chapter on grave goods which will be presented later in this paper.
When burial 6 was excavated, only a few long bones were found next to some teeth in the foot
end of the grave. In the notes in Dorset Archaeology, the archaeologist states that the graves
probably date around the seventh century A.D (Keen, 1977, p.120; Keen & Hawthorne, pers.
comm.).
Fig. 1 The first eight burials found (Mr. J. Hawthorne, 2010, pers. comm.)
The publication of this case continues in 1978, when Mr. Keen and Mr. Hawthorne discover
another two burials. Both burials were again showing human remains in a stretched position
with their heads at the west-end of the grave. The interesting thing about the tenth burial
containing human remains is that according to anthropological research, there were too many
bones present in this burial. Why this is the case remains unknown. The human remains found
in these graves were found with various objects buried with them. Dating methods that were
used on these objects, confirmed that the graves were dating from the late seventh- to early
eighth-century A.D (Keen, 1978, p.112).
The excavation of Mr. Hawthorne’s back garden continued in 1979. In this year, another two
graves were excavated, bringing this case to a total of 12 graves containing human remains.
One of the burials was quite deep compared to the graves that were previously excavated,
with a depth of about 50 centimetres into the chalk bedrock. In this burial the human remains
~6~
of an individual were found in a slightly flexed position. The second grave, burial number 12,
showed a shallow grave cut, going into the natural chalk bedrock for about 15 to 30
centimetres. What is interesting about this grave is that it is only 4 foot 8 inches long and
appears to be holding the remains of a male, which would then have been an unusually short
individual (Keen, 1979, p.133).
The publications in Dorset Archaeology continue in 1981 with the excavation of the thirteenth
grave, found adjacent to burial 7 which formed the end of a row of seven burials. Burial
number 13 appeared to be a shallow grave with a cut going into the chalk bedrock for only a
few centimetres. The human remains that were found in this grave were slightly flexed and
appear to be those of a young male (Hawthorne, 1981, p.126).
Between 1981 and 1989 unfortunately not much was published. From the overview of the
burials shown in appendix II, number 14 seems to be an empty pit, too small to have
contained human remains. Burial 15 however, contained human remains. The photo of burial
15, shown in appendix I, was made by Mr. Hawthorne himself in 1983 and picture the
remains of possibly a female.
In 1989, another burial was excavated that was already located between 1981 and 1989. By
this time the total number of burials found is 16, of which 15 burials contain human remains.
Again this burial consists of a shallow cut leading into the chalk bedrock. The skeletal
remains in grave 16 were found with slightly bent knees and no skull seemed to be present.
With the human remains, pieces of an iron object were found which were thought to be those
of an iron knife. On the knees of the individual excavated, large pieces of flint were also
found (Hawthorne & Pinder, 1989, p.110-111).
Later on, as the excavation continued, the last two graves were discovered. According to
anthropological research done on the human remains from Bradford Peverell, burial 17
appeared to show the remains of a large, robust male. The last burial, number 18, showed a
shallow grave, holding the remains of an individual. What is interesting about burial 18 is the
fact that there were no grave goods found in this one however, the grave cut was made quite
large for the human remains to fit in. According to archaeologist Mr. Keen, burial 18 appears
to have been robbed in the past before it was discovered in Mr. Hawthorne’s back garden. A
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complete overview of the burials discovered in Mr. Hawthorne’s rear garden can be seen in
Appendix II.
Reviewing the excavation notes concerning the burials, one can see interesting features, like
for instance the beads found with the remains of a young female in burial 5, appearance of
burial 12 which seems to have held the remains of an unusually short adult male and burial 17
which contains the remains of quite a large robust male.
Throughout the Anglo-Saxon period, cemeteries holding a large amount of inhumations were
widely used. Often these cemeteries with Anglian graves were cemeteries from the Roman
Period that were re-used as can be seen in the case study of west Heslerton (Lucy, 2000, p.
126; Montgomery, 2002, ch. 7; Montgomery et al., 2005). Because the Anglo-Saxon
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population made use from already existing burial places, archaeologists have often found it
difficult to make notes on the stratigraphy of these cemeteries due to inter-cuttings present
between the graves. Among the inhumation burials, the most common position, in which the
individual would be buried in the area of Dorchester, was the extended supine position. The
extended supine position means that the humain remains were placed on the back in a
stretched position. Sometimes, the bodies are found placed on the side (Lucy, 2000, p.78; see
also: Pettitt & Bader, 2000) In this position, the legs are often found stretched out, in
contracted position or just slightly flexed.
As mentioned before, the burials from Bradford Peverell that were used for this study, were
mostly buried with their heads towards the west. Burying individuals with the head end of the
grave towards the west appears to be a tradition when it comes to Anglo-Saxon burials
(Richardson, 2005, p.108). According to Montgomery, some people tend to address to the
burial orientation to differentiate between natives from the area, also referred to as Briton and
the Anglo-Saxon or the immigrants:
“Orientation with the head pointing somewhere between the north and north-east is typical
of Iron Age burials throughout the whole of Britain, Examination of 5293 Anglo-Saxon
inhumations shows that the normal pagan rite was extended or loosely-flexed burial, either
supine or on one side, with the great majority orientated with heads pointing somewhere in
the western section of the compass...burials of the Roman period seem to continue the
native traditions” (Faull, 1977, cited by: Montgomery, 2002, p.229).
Another similar opinion is shared in an article written by Elisabeth O’Brien who states that
during the Iron Age, most favoured grave orientation was from north to south. She also
mentions that throughout the Roman Period, this trend started to change and started to move
towards a burial orientation from west to east (O’Brien, 1999, p.5). Something one has to bear
in mind though is the fact that in Christian burials the head was often facing towards the west
as well, so the idea of having a burial orientation from west to east cannot be seen solely as an
Anglo-Saxon characteristic.
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found. Three of which contained a small iron knife. The knife found in burial 2 is interesting
in particular, because in this grave the knife was found on the right side of the skeletal
remains, whereas in all the other graves where knives were recovered, they were found on the
left side of the remains (Keen, 2010, pers. comm.). Next to the knives found in these burials,
burial 1 contained a bone comb, iron objects, a bronze ring and a silvered bronze purse mount.
Fig.2 Grave goods found in Burial 1 (adapted from: Mr. J. Hawthorne, 2010, pers. comm.)
In burial 5 the remains of what seemed to be a young female were found wearing a necklace
made of glass beads, a bead made of golden wire, a triangular bead pendant consisting of a
cabochon held in a golden setting and a circular shaped pendant with a glass setting. In this
burial, also the remains of a set of two disks were found, made of punched silver. Furthermore
at the waist of the young female, part of a bronze buckle was found together with two coins of
punched metal and a large round disk made of bronze.
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Fig. 3 Objects found in burial 5 (adapted from: Mr. J. Hawthorne, 2010, pers. comm.)
In the ninth grave that was discovered in 1978, an iron object was found which turned out to
be unidentifiable. However, the topsoil that was removed from burial 9 contained rusty nails.
According to Mr. Keen, these nails could have been part of something bigger that was laid on
top of the grave, like for instance a shield. Underneath the remains, a bronze pin was found
and on the left side next to the body there appeared to be a round patch containing the bones
of a bird. What this could mean is unsure. In the tenth grave, a spearhead was found together
with a small knife and a buckle made of bronze and iron. Also, some worked bone was found
and the bronze end of a shoelace (Keen, 2010, pers. comm.).
Fig. 4 Objects obtained from burial 10 (adapted from: Mr. J. Hawthorne, 2010, pers. comm.)
When burial 11 and 12 were excavated, again iron knives were found. It seems likely that it
was quite common during the Anglo-Saxon period to bury iron knives together with the
individuals. This could have been because of religious beliefs (Williams, 1998, p.97). In the
literature present on Romano-British and Anglo-Saxon grave goods, there are often leaf
shaped knives mentioned. According to an article by Elizabeth O’Brien, during the 5th to 7th
century A.D., burial rites present during the Romano-British period were not affected by the
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Anglo-Saxons (O’Brien, 1999, p.30). Burial 11 also contained large pieces of flint at the head
and the foot end of the grave-cut. When the archaeologist investigated the grave further, small
pits were found underneath the large flint pieces. According to Mr. Keen, these pits are
believed to have been holding posts in order to mark the grave-cut. In the cut from burial 12, a
small iron knife was found at the head end of the burial. A reason given for a knife being
buried at the head end of the burial is that of the individual buried being a slave. It is unknown
if this was indeed the case in this particular grave (Keen, 2010, pers. comm.).
Fig. 5 Knives found in the burials (adapted from: Mr. J. Hawthorne, 2010, pers. comm.)
During the excavation of burial 13, an iron knife, a bronze buckle and a second iron object
between the knees were uncovered. Finally in burial 18, a row of flints was found around the
midriff of the individual with a cone underneath the body. Next to these objects not much was
found and it is believed that this grave was robbed before the excavation (Keen, 2010, pers.
comm.).
Looking at this overview of the objects found within the burials, one can see that burial 5
really stands out. First of all, no knife was found in this grave whereas in most other burials
this was the case. Furthermore, beads were found of which two contained golden material
which could be from some sort of higher class or simply a different geological area which can
also be found back in the silver disks and the large disk made from bronze. Social status
represented through grave goods is also mentioned in a case-study by Howard Williams on
monuments in Anglo-Saxon England (Williams, 1998, p.96). Social status is shown by the
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value of the objects found in the burial. The higher the value of the objects, the higher ones
status has probably been. Another burial that seems to be interesting is number 12, where a
knife was found above the head which is interesting as all other knives were found alongside
the skeletal remains. Although it is unsure why this is the case, stable isotope analysis might
be able to shed some light on these burials and their characteristics.
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CHAPTER THREE
STRONTIUM
Using strontium stable isotope analysis, in order to detect migration, relies on the fact that
strontium is an element which in some cases is formed due to radioactive decay. Because of
this characteristic, the ratios of strontium present in rocks can change per individual rock type,
forming so called isotope fingerprints. The amount of strontium found in each rock type was
formed during the time of mineralization which means that once the rock is formed, no
significant changes can occur concerning the amount of strontium present in that particular
rock. This is why with the use of these ratios, strontium found in plant and animal material
can be traced back to its original geological area by comparing the ratios found in the sample
to the ratios known by rock types in various areas throughout the world (Montgomery, 2002,
p. 22).
The amount in which 87Sr is present in rock and other materials, depends on the ratio of Rb/Sr,
but in the case of rocks, it also depends on the age of the rock (Budd et al., 2004, p.128).
Since the number of years in which half of the 87Rb turns into 87Sr is relatively great, this does
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not affect the archaeological time-line and can therefore be measured and used in order to
distinguish geological areas. In archaeological studies, a ratio of 87Sr and 86Sr is measured
(87Sr/86Sr) because these two stable isotopes occur in about the same amounts in the natural
atmosphere. The reason why 87Sr has to be measured in a ratio, together with 86Sr is based on
the idea that the amount of 86Sr is constant whereas the amount of 87Sr varies due to the decay
of 87Rb (Montgomery, 2002, p. 24).
Strontium ratios in the UK can vary from 0.703 to 0.740 (Montgomery et al., 2000, p.371).
Strontium ratios from samples from Anglo-Saxon England found in previous studies appear to
range from 0.708 to 0.712 (Price & Gestsdóttir, 2006, p.136). The strontium ratios are
measured with the use of a mass spectrometer which can produce measurements with an
accuracy of up to approximately 0.00002, of which an accuracy of up to a third decimal is
usually noteworthy in the study of population movement (Montgomery et al., 2000, p.371;
Price & Gestsdóttir, 2006, p.133; Pye, 2004, p.220). By measuring the ratio, one can find out
in which geological area an individual spent a certain part of his or her life.
Looking at strontium present in soils and the groundwater, as well as the water that flows in
rivers, the amount of strontium present usually represents the ratio in the natural bedrock
underneath the soil and the water. However, there are cases in which it is mentioned that one
cannot just take this as a fact. The reason given for this is that those ratios are able to change
over time, depending on changes in the amount of strontium that is released from the bedrock
through weathering, but also through other changes in for instance the atmosphere, where
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strontium is present in the rain water which is formed out of evaporated sea water
(Montgomery, 2002, p.24).
The idea that the strontium ratio could change over a relatively short period of time plays an
important role in this study. This is because it is dealing with archaeological human remains
that were buried in the soil a long time ago, soil that is older than the modern soil on top of it,
therefore possibly showing different strontium values than the modern soil on which the
geological map is based, which is in turn used to analyse the results later in this study. Also,
events such as land-use over time could have caused differences in strontium values, due to
contamination after the remains were buried. Even though it has not proven to cause great
differences in the results of previous studies, or pose problems for their overall outcomes, it is
certainly something to consider in an archaeological investigation such as this (Montgomery,
2002, p.27).
From the plants strontium then travels to the next level: the animals that eat the plants and
drink water. Studies that have been conducted on the amount of strontium present in
mammals and the uptake of strontium through food and drink have resulted in the fact that,
the strontium ratio measured in mammals shows a direct reflection of the amount of strontium
that was available during ingestion. This means that 100% of the strontium ingested was taken
up in order to replace calcium, whereas with plants this is not the case, as the absorption of
calcium is dominant over that of strontium in plant material. Because strontium is non-toxic to
mammals, it is taken up in the body naturally (Åberg, 1998, p.110).
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In skeletal material, strontium is spread out evenly, making the concentrations of strontium
throughout different parts of the skeleton similar. What is often the case though is that bone
and dentine contain a slightly higher amount of strontium than tooth enamel. A reason given
by Montgomery is the fact that bone and dentine have a larger surface to catch the absorption
of strontium. What could also be the case is the idea that both dentine and bone material are
able to remodel, whereas tooth enamel is incapable of doing so (Montgomery, 2002, p. 37).
When it comes to measuring strontium ratios in human remains, one can see that this does not
only vary per material of the human remains that are measured, but also that it varies
geographically. This has to do with variations in diet and variations in amounts of strontium
present in the water, which is therefore based on geological differences throughout the world.
However, one must realise that there are also cultural differences that are reflected in what is
eaten and where it is obtained from. These differences in strontium ratios and the connection
with geographical differences are very useful in migration studies because they can give
information on changes that occur in diets, which may then result in giving consequent
information on population movements from one place to another, making dietary change very
likely among humans (Montgomery, 2002, p.38).
Strontium ratios and other isotope ratios present in human remains are not only used in order
to allow for investigation into human migration, but also for investigation in dietary purposes.
By researching the amount of strontium present in skeletal remains, one can say something
about the origin of the food and drinks that have been ingested. Examples of studies that use
this are: Privatet al., 2002, Jørkov et al., 2008 and Chenery et al., 2010.
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CHAPTER FOUR
In this paper, the investigation is dealing with finding the origin of the individuals found in
Mr. Hawthorne’s back garden. To be able to do this, information is needed that will lead the
archaeological research to this part, therefore evidence from the human remains is needed that
can tell the archaeologist something about the childhood of the individuals found in the
graves. In the study of migration and/or origins of humans and animals, various tissues can be
used in order to trace the information back to the childhood or place of birth like bone
material, hairs, teeth and skin. However, all of these different materials hold the information
of different periods in life and in archaeological cases usually only the bone and tooth
material survives. Tooth enamel is known to contain information concerning ones diet during
childhood whereas bone material tends to hold information concerning the last six to ten years
of an individual’s life (Montgomery, 2002, p.46; Montgomery et al., 2000, p.372). Teeth in
general are seen as good indicators for migration studies, because different teeth are formed at
different stages during life and therefore hold the information of different stages of life (Budd
et al., 2004, p.128).
For this particular case teeth are being used as samples. Unlike bone material or other human
tissue, teeth do not re-model or mineralize any further after the teeth are fully formed. Once
completely formed, teeth act as an archive that stores information from during the formation,
which makes them highly useful for research to an individual’s place of origin and migration
patterns towards the place where the human remains are found after death. Especially tooth
enamel is useful for the investigation of one’s residence during the early years of life, because
this is exactly when the enamel stores its information, during childhood (Evans & Tatham,
2004, p.238; Montgomery, 2002, p.46). To be able to find out which teeth and what part of
the teeth it is exactly that can be used best in this research, some information must be given
explaining the formation of teeth, what they consist of and when the different teeth erupt
through the jaws.
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First of all, human teeth consist of a set of deciduous teeth which appear rapidly after being
born. After that, humans get a set of permanent teeth that replaces the deciduous teeth during
childhood. In most archaeological cases dealing with tooth evidence, one is dealing with the
permanent teeth, as they form the teeth of one’s mouth during most of his or her life. Since
the teeth from the Bradford Peverell skeletons that are used in this particular case study only
consist of permanent teeth, the theoretical part on the deciduous teeth will not be mentioned
and this chapter will therefore solely focus on the permanent teeth. In the chapter on the
archaeological background information, it was mentioned that in burial 5 there was a mixture
present of both deciduous and permanent teeth; however, none of the deciduous teeth were
used in this study.
In order to be able to interpret the results given later in this paper, understanding of the teeth
is essential. This will also help the understanding of the use of strontium stable isotope
analysis used to find information on mobility, when information is given about the uptake of
strontium in the tooth enamel and why enamel is resistant to contamination after being buried
in the soil, thus making it very useful as analyzing material.
~ 19 ~
4.1.1 Formation and eruption of the permanent teeth
In the set of permanent teeth, the formation starts with the first molar around 28-32 weeks of
pregnancy. Following the first molar is the first incisor, which is formed just after birth. By
about 8 years of age, all of the crowns of the permanent teeth, apart from the third molars, are
formed including the tooth enamel (Pye, 2004, p.216). After formation, the eruption of the
permanent dentition starts as early as the age of five years and usually all of the permanent
teeth, apart from the third molars or wisdom teeth, are erupted by the age of thirteen. The
eruption of the teeth takes place after the crowns of the teeth are fully formed. By this time,
the crowns are also mineralized; however the roots of the teeth are not yet fully completed.
The order in which the teeth erupt in most cases is as follows: it starts with the first molars,
followed by the first incisors, the second incisors, the upper first premolar and the lower
canine, the lower first premolar and the upper canine, then the second premolars, the second
molars and finally the third molars. The sequence of tooth eruption might change slightly
within different populations and sexes, but this is considered the most common order in which
the permanent dentition erupts.
Source: Gustafson and Koch 1974, adapted from: Montgomery 2002, p.52
~ 20 ~
In the table made by Gustafson and Koch, 1974 (adapted from: Montgomery, 2002, p.52), a
full record on the formation and eruption of the permanent teeth can be found, explained in a
clear and easy to understand overview. The fact that these data show ranges instead of a single
date relies on the idea that these ranges cover the variations in tooth formation and eruption
present within a population. Therefore one has to bear in mind when using these data that they
do not represent an exact date when a particular tooth is formed, but are merely based on the
idea that when a child’s tooth is formed early, this tooth is very likely to be fully formed and
erupted at an early age as well. As mentioned before, tooth formation times vary within a
group of people and are often also depending on gender.
In this study, the primary purpose of using the information on the formation of the permanent
dentition is the fact that the time of mineralization of the enamel is very important in order to
be able to decide which teeth will be used for the stable isotope analysis, which is depending
on the period during childhood when the enamel was formed, relying on the idea of the uptake
of strontium in the enamel during mineralization. With the information gained from the
enamel it can be decided which teeth form the focus of interest in this research.
~ 21 ~
Enamel grows in layers that are in a way comparable to tree rings. Dark and light bands are
visible when a cross section is made and according to Hillson (1996, a pair of one dark and
one light band forms the growth during 24 hours. Of all the materials present in the teeth,
enamel is the hardest of all and is highly mineralized. Another material present in the teeth is
dentine, a softer material which forms the base of the roots and the crown on which the
enamel cap is formed. The enamel cap is usually the part of the teeth that is visible in one’s
mouth. Both enamel and dentine consist of inorganic and organic material and also contain
water. However, both tissues vary greatly in composition. Enamel is mostly made from
inorganic material, about 95% of the enamel, with 4% of water and 1% of organic material,
whereas dentine consists of 70% of inorganic material, 12% of water and 18% of organic
material (Pye, 2004, p.216; Evans & Tatham, 2004, p.238; See also Montgomery, 2002,
p.57).
Enamel and dentine are formed by cells while making use of a blood supply. Once the enamel
is formed, the cells present in the enamel die and the blood supply stops which starts the
mineralization process. This is why once enamel is formed and mineralized, basically no
changes can occur which makes the tissue highly resistant to any remodeling or re-
mineralization, but also resistant to diagenesis (Kyle, 1986, p.410) and other post-mortem
changes occurring after deposition (Pye, 2004, p.216; Price & Gestsdóttir, 2006, p.132). Also
when enamel is chipped off the tooth, it is incapable of growing back (Montgomery, 2002,
p.75).
Dentine on the other hand can more or less be compared to bone, since just like bone material
it contains collagen. As mentioned before, dentine consists of more organic material than
enamel, and is a tissue constantly fed by a blood supply. This fact is why dentine can be seen
as a living tissue built from cells. Even though most of the dentine tissue contains information
from during the formation of the tissue, its living cells form the so called secondary dentine,
which is capable of adapting itself to its surrounding environment (Montgomery, 2002, p.58).
This means for instance that when a person has a certain diet, then moves to another place and
changes their diet, the concentration of chemicals in the dentine changes with it. This is why
dentine is considered not very useful for this investigation, because it adapts itself to the soil
where the individual was buried in, therefore showing only signs of the local area and
showing nothing of movement.
~ 22 ~
4.2 STRONTIUM IN HUMAN TOOTH ANALYSIS
During mineralization of the enamel and the primary dentine, strontium is absorbed into these
tissues. The amount of strontium that occurs in the enamel and dentine represents the amount
that was ingested during mineralization. This can be traced back since enamel and primary
dentine have the characteristic of not being remodeled or reformed after mineralization,
therefore keeping the information on strontium ingested during a certain period of life safe
(Evans & Tatham, 2004, p.238). This characteristic is very useful in archaeological cases
where one often deals with an individual buried in the soil, where it is open to contamination
by everything present in that soil. The amount of strontium present in the soil could be very
different from the amount ingested during childhood, so if the enamel was capable of taking
up new strontium, stable isotope analysis would not prove much.
With this information and that given in the previous sections, it is proven that enamel seems
to form a good fundament for this study in order to find information on human movement
during the formation of the enamel, and has been a good indicator of strontium levels in
previous studies (Price & Gestsdóttir, 2006, p.132). One thing one has to bear in mind when
taking enamel samples to be used for strontium stable isotope analysis is, that these samples
must consist solely of core enamel, therefore getting rid of the surface enamel and any dentine
present on the tooth, since especially the dentine is prone to adapting to the soil in which the
tooth was buried (Bentley, 2006, p.167; Montgomery, 2002, p.75).
~ 23 ~
CHAPTER FIVE
METHODOLOGY
~ 24 ~
Fig. 6 Diagram of the mandibular right first permanent molar (van Beek, 1983, p.83)
In order to make sure the right teeth were selected for this study, help was offered by Dr. M.J.
Smith who is working as an anthropologist at Bournemouth University.
This research was conducted in the Oceanographic Centre in Southampton under the
instructions given by Dr. Matt Cooper. Therefore, the methods used for the preparation and
stable isotope analysis of the tooth samples were adapted to the methods used in this centre.
The first step taken after the teeth were moved from the human bone lab at Bournemouth
University to the centre in Southampton, was to place them in an ultrasonic bath for 30
minutes (Montgomery, 2000, p.374; Evans & Tatham, 2004, p.241; See also: Beard &
Johnson, 2000, p.1053). This was done in order to remove the surface contamination and bits
of soil still present on the teeth. During these 30 minutes of cleaning, the process was
~ 25 ~
interrupted every 10 minutes in which the specimens were each cleaned mechanically using a
toothbrush and ultra pure water (at 18.2MΩ ) (Knudson, 2004, p.10). After this step, the
samples were dried in the oven overnight at a temperature of 60 ˚C.
Having cleaned the teeth, they were cut down in pieces by the use of a scalpel and a hammer
so that the enamel could be separated from the dentine using a scalpel to scrape it off. This
way, samples of at least 20 mg of enamel were extracted from the teeth of which the small
bits of dentine still present on the samples after the use of the scalpel, were removed
mechanically with the use of a dremel tool (Price & Gestsdóttir, 2006, p.133). After this step,
the samples were again placed in an ultra sonic bath for 20 minutes and rinsed afterwards by
using ultra pure water.
The next step in cleaning the tooth samples involved removing diagenetic strontium. In order
to do this, the samples were leached in 2 ml of a 5% HNO 3 acetic acid solution overnight
(Price et al., 1994, p. 321; Beard & Johnson, 2000, p.1053; Knudson et al., 2004, p.10). The
next day, the samples were rinsed four times using ultra pure water and were dried in the oven
at 60 ˚C. After the samples were dried the last step was taken, which involved the dissolving
of the tooth enamel samples. This was done on a hotplate in a solution of 300 µl 3M HNO 3
and 6M HNO3. After having dissolved the samples in these chemicals, 300 µl of ultra pure
water was added to end with a solution of 600 µl 3M HNO3.
While the resin was soaking and settling down, the columns in which the resin would be
inserted were taken out of the box in which they were stored, containing an acid bath of 10%
~ 26 ~
HNO3. The reason why the Teflon columns were stored in this acid was to prevent
contamination. Next the columns were carefully rinsed with ultra pure water, after which they
were placed in a plastic rack with plastic pots underneath every column in order to catch the
fluids coming out of the columns. After setting everything up, the columns were then filled
with water. To make sure the water runs through the columns, they were squeezed gently.
The next step involved getting the strontium resin into the columns. This was done by using a
clean pipette which was then put in the bottle holding the prepared resin. A small amount was
sucked up in the pipette and released in the column which was still filled with water. This
method was used to be able to get the resin in the right place of the column, filling it up until
just after the small tube, into the neck of the column (See figure 7). Doing this while water
was still running through the columns made sure that the small tube of the column got filled
completely with the resin without the presence of air bubbles.
With the resin settled down in the column, the column had to be cleaned so that contamination
could be prevented as much as possible. In order to do this, a number of steps were followed.
The first step was running 1.5ml of water (H2O) through every column. To make sure the
amounts of water running through the columns were the same in every one of them, use was
made of a volumetric pipette that could be set manually to a specific volume, allowing the
amount of liquid taken up to be measured accurately. After cleaning the columns with water,
again 1,5 ml was run through the columns, this time of 3M HNO 3, a chemical prepared by
Matt Cooper out of sub boiled acid. The cleaning of the columns with the use of water and the
acid was then repeated once.
~ 27 ~
5.3 COLLECTION OF STRONTIUM AND TIMS ANALYSIS
The clean columns containing the Sr resin had then to be loaded with the tooth sample
solutions that were prepared earlier, as mentioned in the previous section of this chapter. To
the solution 200 µl 3M HNO3 was added, before it was taken out of the Teflon vial with the
use of a pipette and loaded onto the column. While doing so, the numbers on the vials were
carefully noted so that later on one would be able to trace the sample numbers back to the
columns. Having loaded all the six samples each in a different Sr column, 200µl 3M HNO 3
was run through the columns to wash the columns with the samples in. This step was
repeated, this time with 2,5 ml 3M HNO3, in order to elute the columns after which the
strontium could be collected.
After having eluted the strontium columns, the plastic cups, that had been collecting the fluids
running through the columns so far, were replaced by clean savillex vials, each with
individual letters written on them in order to keep them apart. Then 1,5ml of water (H2O) was
run through the columns in order to collect the Sr from the resin. The samples were then dried
out on the hotplate so that all the water would evaporate and only the pure Strontium would
be left over in the vials. In the mean time, while the samples were drying out, the Sr resin was
washed out of the columns, after which they were rinsed with water and returned to their
acidic bath and stored for their next use.
Having the Strontium samples fully prepared, it was time for the next step: the preparation of
the filaments on which the sample would be loaded before placing them in the Thermal
Ionization Mass Spectrometry machine (Montgomery, 2000, p.374; Evans & Tatham, 2004,
p.241). The filaments were made of a metal holder, already present at the National
Oceanographic Centre, on which a piece of tantalum (Ta) strip was welded (Price &
Gestsdóttir, 2006, p.133), again stressing that all of this was done by the author of this paper.
The metal piece with the tantalum strip was set in a socket, after which the dried down
strontium samples were collected. Following this, a drop of Ta-activator was released onto the
strontium samples. The sample was then taken up with the use of a pipette and released on the
filament. While turning up the voltage of the battery that was connected to the socket, the
activator was dried down. When the same was done for all six samples, they were now ready
to be loaded into the mass spectrometer to be run in order to get the results. This last step of
~ 28 ~
running the machine was done by Matt Cooper since the machine was not available straight
away. Through personal contact, the results of the mass spectrometer were obtained.
The strontium ratios found were all measured with a precision of approximately 0.000011
2SE (standard error) or less, with the exception of one result that came in with a precision of
0.00003 SE. After the result came in, they were compared to the strontium ratio reflecting the
local area, of Bradford Peverell, in which the burials were found. This was done in order to
see if there were large differences. Full analysis and discussion of the results will be
mentioned in the next chapters.
~ 29 ~
CHAPTER SIX
RESULTS
The strontium ratios found after conducting the stable isotope analysis range from 0.708287
to 0.712039 (See table 2). The standard errors in the isotope ratios were considerably small
and are encompassed by the symbols presented in the diagram. Looking at these results with
the dashed line showing the average strontium ratio value of the geological area in which the
human remains were found, it appears that 3 out of the 6 samples taken seem to be close to
the value of the local geological area. However, three values really seem to stand out. In the
case of these values, there appears to be no correlation between the strontium ratios and the
surrounding soil in which the remains were initially found. This means that these results
might show that not all the individuals sampled in this study appear to be local to the area in
which they were buried after they died. This will be further analyzed and discussed in the next
chapter. A full overview of the results found, is presented in table 2.
~ 30 ~
~ 31 ~
CHAPTER SEVEN
7.1 DIAGENESIS
The human remains that were found at Frome View were fair to poorly preserved. This makes
it possible that the tooth enamel of each sample used in this study might be affected by post-
mortem diagenesis. This could be a reason for some of the samples to show a similar Sr ratio
in the results, close to the known Sr ratio of the surrounding burial soil. However, in the most
ideal circumstances when the enamel is fully mineralized, the event of diagenesis entering the
tooth enamel does not have to occur. The teeth used in this study appeared to have been well
preserved and in order to prevent diagenesis to interfere with the Sr results, a technique was
used during the investigation in which the teeth were leached in delute acid (Bentley, 2006,
p.164; Price et al., 1992, p. 519) in order to remove the diagenetic strontium. This is proven to
be an effective technique, taking away only the diagenetic strontium without losing the
strontium present in the mineralized tooth enamel (Montgomery, 2000, p.373).
In three out of six samples, there is no correlation with the Sr ratio found in the enamel
samples and the average Sr value present in the surrounding burial soil as found on the
geological map that shows the strontium ratios present in the UK (Appendix; See also: Evans
et al., 2010). This suggests that the surrounding, in which the human remains of burial 5, 12
and 17 were found, had no influence on the Sr ratios found in the tooth enamel of these
individuals. This shows that because of the amount of strontium found in the enamel samples
is higher than the amount found in the burial soil, the strontium present in the enamel samples
must either have consisted of a lot more radiogenic strontium (i.e. 87Sr), which appears to be
highly unlikely, or little diagenetic strontium was able to enter the mineralized enamel. The
latter seems a very reasonable option.
In the case of enamel, poor preservation of the teeth does not necessarily mean that there is a
loss of strontium that was ingested during the mineralization of the teeth and also does not
mean per definition that there is a higher chance of diagenetic strontium entering the tooth
~ 32 ~
enamel. However, the idea of diagenetic incorporation is necessary to be considered,
especially in the results that show a Sr ratio found in the enamel that is very close to that of
the surrounding burial soil, but also when tooth enamel is used that has not fully mineralized
thus diagenetic Sr is able to enter the enamel.
Three out of six results fall in the local range of the average strontium value present in the
area of the burials, not showing a larger difference to this value than 0.0005. The individuals
from burials 1, 4 and 18 might therefore be from Britain and even from the local origin
whereas the human remains found in the burials 5, 12 and 17 could be from a different area
within Britain or even from outside the UK. It could also be that the sample taken was too
small to give really reliable results however, table 1 presented in the results section shows that
all the samples taken were considerably higher than the minimum of 20mg that had to be used
and also, there appears to be no correlation between the amount of enamel sampled in this
study and the outcomes of the strontium ratios.
Another reason for the results that appear to be “non-local” has to do with the diet the
individuals had during their childhood. It might for instance have been the case that one could
not always eat meat, which is relatively low in strontium, and had to search for other
resources like greens and other plants which hold more radiogenic strontium. One thing that is
mentioned in Montgomery et al., 2005, is the possibility of importing food from a different
~ 33 ~
region. This is an important thing to keep in mind as this might be resulting in strontium
isotope ratios showing a non-local signature whereas they actually could be of local origin.
If the three individuals showing a different strontium ratio are indeed of a different place of
origin, the next question involves where the individuals came from and if it was just a case of
spending their childhood in a different geological area and spending the rest of their lives in
the area where they were buried in the end or whether there was indeed a real migration.
Because in this case it is not known what the exact diet of the individuals was, one rule given
by Douglas Price and Hildur Gestsdóttir was adapted in order to analyse the results:
“If the enamel ratios are similar to the local ratio then the individual probably did not
move. If the enamel ratio is distinct from the local ratio, this individual must have moved to
the place of death from a geological distinct homeland.” (Price & Gestsdóttir, 2006, p.132;
See also: Bentley et al., 2003, p.474)
This means that in this research, it has come to light that three out of six individuals have
probably moved from one place, in which they spent their childhood at the time of enamel
mineralization, to another place, the place in which their remains were found.
Comparing the three outstanding strontium ratios with the geological map of strontium
biospheres in the UK, as seen in appendix , three different colours correspond with each of the
individuals. Burial 5, with a strontium ratio of 0.712039 , shows a value that falls in the
orange range on the map, burial 12, having a ratio value of 0.710895, corresponds with the
light green colour of the map and burial 17 with its strontium ratio of 0.709817 , can be traced
back to the dark green areas on the map. The area in which the human remains were found are
shown on the map with the use of a purple arrow and are measured in, according the
coordinates of Mr. Hawthorne’s house in Bradford Peverell. Looking at the arrow, one can
see that the place, in which the burials were found, lies clearly in the light blue area on the
map, showing enough light blue space around it to be sure not to confuse this with a different
colour.
Knowing that the average Sr ratio of the burial soil is 0.7085, derived from the light blue class
which is 0.708-0.709, one can see that especially the strontium ratio values found for burial 5
and 12 are showing a great difference from this class, which means that they could not have
come from the local area or from an area directly adjacent to the local area. The question as to
~ 34 ~
where the individuals exactly came from, the provenance, is unfortunately not easy to answer
as it was shown in the introduction that the background and the migration patterns of the
Anglo-Saxon population is uncertain and relies on a lot of historical, but also very subjective,
sources. For this investigation, it can only be said that the individuals are likely to be non-
local which can be shown by the strontium ratios present on the map.
7.3.1 Burial 5
From the strontium ratios found, burial 5 shows the highest with a value of 0.712039.
Looking at the information given in the chapter on archaeological background information,
this grave held the remains of a young female, aged between 6 and 12 years old by
anthropological investigation. The objects found in the grave show a variety of goods: various
beads that might have formed a necklace, two silver disks, a bronze disk, a buckle made of
bronze and two coins. On its own, the buckle, the coins and the disks don’t have to mean
anything and don’t necessarily show a different place of origin, unless there is information
present on the coins and can be traced back. The beads on the other hand, show some
interesting features as two of the beads appear to be made from gold material which is a
precious possession for a young female believed to be aged between 6 and 12 years. This
could mean that the female is of higher status and/or not from around the local area. However,
more investigation on Anglo-Saxon grave goods needs to be done in order to find out where
exactly the individual came from.
~ 35 ~
7.3.2 Burial 12
From the human remains found in burial 12, a strontium ratio was found with a value of
0.710895. In this grave a knife was found at the head end of the grave. This is interesting
because in all other graves where a knife was found, it was found at either side of the body,
but never at the head end. Mr. Keen, the archaeologist of this project, has mentioned the
possibility of it being an indication that the person buried in this grave could have been a
slave. That thought is very fascinating because the remains found in burial 12, show that of a
male individual of adult age however, quite short as the grave outline has a length of only 4
foot 8 inches long. Even though one cannot say this for sure, but these features together with
the knife found at the head end, could imply that the individual is of non-local origin.
7.3.3 Burial 17
According to the anthropological research, in burial 17 the remains of a robust, tall adult male
were found. Remarkably, in this grave, no grave goods were found and it does not seem that
there was any room for objects as the grave cut appears to be narrow, just fitting around the
human remains. This information does not prove that the individual found in burial 17 was
indeed a migrant, but it does show that this grave is interesting and needs more investigation
in order to find out more about the origin of the human remains.
~ 36 ~
The next limitation of this study was the accessibility of the grave goods. Because the
archaeological investigation was already finished a while before the stable isotope analysis
took place, there was only access to the human remains and to some pictures taken of the
excavation process and of the grave goods themselves. However, there was no chance of
actually seeing the grave goods which made interpretation of the graves together with the
strontium isotope results more difficult.
When it comes to the strontium stable isotope analysis itself, there were a lot of limitations as
well. The most important ones include time and money. Preparation of the samples and the
isotope analysis itself were quite difficult, very time consuming, and also expensive (Budd et
al., 2004, p.139). The fact that the strontium isotope analysis is so expensive reflected in the
amount of samples that were taken during this study, which resulted in only one sample per
individual taken and also the small number of only six selected individuals. This is also why
this research in solely focused on strontium stable isotope analysis instead of combining this
with for instance oxygen isotope analysis in order to get more reliable results (Pye, 2004,
p.223).
Finally, there was the limitation of not having the right facilities at Bournemouth University
and therefore having to make use of the facilities at the National Oceanographic Centre in
Southampton which made things more expensive as well. With these limitations, one can see
that there is definitely room for improvement which will be discussed in the chapter on further
recommendations.
~ 37 ~
CHAPTER EIGHT
CONCLUSIONS
The aim of this case study was to investigate six individuals found at Frome View, Bradford
Peverell in order to find out whether they were local or non-local to the area in which they
were buried. This was done by performing strontium stable isotope analysis on the right
mandibular first molar of those selected individuals. The results that came out of the isotope
analysis clearly produced two groups: One group consisting of three individuals with a
strontium ratio that is close to the average ratio of the burial soil in which the remains were
found, and one group showing Sr ratios with a great difference from the average Sr value.
The group of three ratios that differ from the average strontium ratio consist of the remains of
a young female found in burial 5, the remains of an unusually short adult male, found in
burial 12 and the robust, large remains of an adult male who was excavated from burial 17.
Unfortunately of none of these individuals can be stated what their provenance is or can it be
concluded that they are 100% non-local as food could have been imported into the area.
However, it can be stated that together with the evidence obtained from the information on the
burials and the objects found in them, these individuals are very likely to be of non-local
origin.
~ 38 ~
CHAPTER NINE
FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
In this study, it has come to light that there is much that can still be done to improve the use of
strontium stable isotope analysis. As mentioned in the limitations money and time have
played a great role in this study. Therefore, some recommendations must be given in order to
overcome these limitations and to take this investigation a step further. First of all, this study
only investigated strontium stable isotopes. Recommended would be that further investigation
on these individuals will be done in the future in order to obtain more information on their
provenance. This could be done by performing oxygen stable isotope analysis on them, so that
these results could back up the results found in this study, which has been proven to be useful
in an article by Evans et al., 2006.
Secondly, the strontium isotope analysis used in this study has proven to be technically
difficult and also destructive on the teeth. In the future it would be nice if a method could be
developed which will use smaller samples of tooth enamel, but it still proven to be just as
effective so that the damage done to the archaeological material will be kept to a minimum.
Also, the use of strontium stable isotope analysis could be of interest of not only buried
archaeological remains but maybe also applying them on cremated remains and in forensic
cases. This is something that one is trying to do. In forensic cases, contamination plays a huge
role, thus one has to be very careful. However, dealing with a forensic and therefore recent
case, diagenesis of strontium is less likely to occur and the results might therefore be more
reliable and very useful when it comes to personal identification. Studies that have been done
in relation to forensics, can be seen in: Pye, 2004 and Montgomery et al., 2006. Further
investigation into this might show that strontium stable isotope analysis appears to be very
useful.
Finally there is the problem of diagenetic strontium present in archaeological bone and tooth
material. Research must be done in order to find an effective method to get rid of the
diagenetic strontium. In tooth material, acid leaching has been used, however this does not
~ 39 ~
seem to be an option for bone material. If in the future a good method will be developed in
order to remove the diagenetic strontium present in skeletal material, the strontium results will
be a lot more reliable.
~ 40 ~
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APPENDIX I
BURIAL 1 BURIAL 2
BURIAL 3 BURIAL 4
BURIAL 5 BURIAL 6
~I~
BURIAL 7 BURIAL 8
BURIAL 9 BURIAL 10
BURIAL 17
BURIAL 18
APPENDIX II
~ II ~
APPENDIX III
Burial
location
Cretaceous
~ III ~
APPENDIX IV
~ IV ~