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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
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

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.

Type
Method
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2004

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