Dietary reconstruction and reservoir correction of 14C dates on bones from pagan and early Christian graves in Iceland: Proceedings of the 20th International Radiocarbon Conference

Árný E Sveinbjörnsdóttir; Jan Heinemeier; Jette Arneborg; Niels Lynnerup; Gudmundur Ólafsson; Gudný Zoëga

Dietary reconstruction and reservoir correction of 14C dates on bones from pagan and early Christian graves in Iceland: Proceedings of the 20th International Radiocarbon Conference

Árný E Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Jan Heinemeier, Jette Arneborg, Niels Lynnerup, Gudmundur Ólafsson, Gudný Zoëga

Unit of Forensic Anthropology

23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this study, ?13C and ?15N of bone samples from 83 skeletons (79 humans, 2 horses, and 2 dogs) excavated from pagan and early Christian graves from 21 localities in Iceland are used to reconstruct diet of the early settlers in Iceland and possible differences in diet depending on the distance between the excavation site and the seashore. We have radiocarbon dated 47 of these skeletons and used the carbon isotopic composition (?13C) to estimate and correct for the marine reservoir effect (the 14C difference between terrestrial and mixed marine organisms). The reservoir-corrected ages lie in the range of AD 780?1270 (68.2% probability). Reservoir age corrections were checked by comparing 14C dates of a horse (terrestrial diet), a dog (highly marine diet), and a human (mixed diet) from the same burial. The range in measured marine protein percentage in individual diet is from about 10% up to 55%, mostly depending on the geographical position (distance from the sea) of the excavation site. We had access to the skeleton (AAR-5908) of the Sk?lholt bishop P?ll J?nsson whose remains are enshrined at the Episcopal residence in Sk?lholt, southern Iceland. According to written sources, the bishop died in AD 1211. Using our dietary reconstruction, his bones were about 17% marine, which is within the range of human skeletons from the same area, and the reservoir-corrected calibrated 14C age of the skeleton is in accord with the historical date.

Original language	English
Journal	Radiocarbon: An International Journal of Cosmogenic Isotope Research
Volume	52
Issue number	2
Pages (from-to)	682-696
Number of pages	15
ISSN	0033-8222
Publication status	Published - 2010
Event	20th International Radiocarbon Conference - Big Island; Hawaii, United States Duration: 31 May 2009 → 5 Jun 2009

Conference

Conference	20th International Radiocarbon Conference
Country/Territory	United States
City	Big Island; Hawaii
Period	31/05/2009 → 05/06/2009

Cite this

Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Á. E., Heinemeier, J., Arneborg, J., Lynnerup, N., Ólafsson, G., & Zoëga, G. (2010). Dietary reconstruction and reservoir correction of 14C dates on bones from pagan and early Christian graves in Iceland: Proceedings of the 20th International Radiocarbon Conference. Radiocarbon: An International Journal of Cosmogenic Isotope Research, 52(2), 682-696.

Dietary reconstruction and reservoir correction of 14C dates on bones from pagan and early Christian graves in Iceland : Proceedings of the 20th International Radiocarbon Conference. / Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Árný E; Heinemeier, Jan; Arneborg, Jette et al.

In: Radiocarbon: An International Journal of Cosmogenic Isotope Research, Vol. 52, No. 2, 2010, p. 682-696.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Conference article › Research › peer-review

Sveinbjörnsdóttir, ÁE, Heinemeier, J, Arneborg, J, Lynnerup, N, Ólafsson, G & Zoëga, G 2010, 'Dietary reconstruction and reservoir correction of 14C dates on bones from pagan and early Christian graves in Iceland: Proceedings of the 20th International Radiocarbon Conference', Radiocarbon: An International Journal of Cosmogenic Isotope Research, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 682-696.

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title = "Dietary reconstruction and reservoir correction of 14C dates on bones from pagan and early Christian graves in Iceland: Proceedings of the 20th International Radiocarbon Conference",

abstract = "In this study, ?13C and ?15N of bone samples from 83 skeletons (79 humans, 2 horses, and 2 dogs) excavated from pagan and early Christian graves from 21 localities in Iceland are used to reconstruct diet of the early settlers in Iceland and possible differences in diet depending on the distance between the excavation site and the seashore. We have radiocarbon dated 47 of these skeletons and used the carbon isotopic composition (?13C) to estimate and correct for the marine reservoir effect (the 14C difference between terrestrial and mixed marine organisms). The reservoir-corrected ages lie in the range of AD 780?1270 (68.2% probability). Reservoir age corrections were checked by comparing 14C dates of a horse (terrestrial diet), a dog (highly marine diet), and a human (mixed diet) from the same burial. The range in measured marine protein percentage in individual diet is from about 10% up to 55%, mostly depending on the geographical position (distance from the sea) of the excavation site. We had access to the skeleton (AAR-5908) of the Sk?lholt bishop P?ll J?nsson whose remains are enshrined at the Episcopal residence in Sk?lholt, southern Iceland. According to written sources, the bishop died in AD 1211. Using our dietary reconstruction, his bones were about 17% marine, which is within the range of human skeletons from the same area, and the reservoir-corrected calibrated 14C age of the skeleton is in accord with the historical date.",

author = "Sveinbj{\"o}rnsd{\'o}ttir, {{\'A}rn{\'y} E} and Jan Heinemeier and Jette Arneborg and Niels Lynnerup and Gudmundur {\'O}lafsson and Gudn{\'y} Zo{\"e}ga",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2010 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona Proceedings of the 20th International Radiocarbon Conference, edited by A J T Jull RADIOCARBON, Vol 52, Nr 2–3, 2010, p 682–696 {\'A}rn{\'y} E Sveinbj{\"o}rnsd{\'o}ttir1 • Jan Heinemeier2 • Jette Arneborg3 • Niels Lynnerup4 •Gudmundur {\'O}lafsson5 • Gudn{\'y} Zo{\"e}ga6 1Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, IS-101 Reykjav{\'i}k, Iceland. Email: [email protected]. 2AMS 14C Dating Centre, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. Email: [email protected]. 3National Museum of Denmark, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, DK-1220 Copenhagen K, Denmark. 4Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Panum Institute, Blegdamsvej 3, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark. 5National Museum of Iceland, Sudurgata 41, IS-101 Reykjav{\'i}k, Iceland. 6Skagafjordur Heritage Museum, 560 Varmahl{\'i}d, Iceland. {\textcopyright} 2010 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona Proceedings of the 20th International Radiocarbon Conference, edited by A J T Jull RADIOCARBON, Vol 52, Nr 2–3, 2010, p 682–696; 20th International Radiocarbon Conference ; Conference date: 31-05-2009 Through 05-06-2009",

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language = "English",

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T1 - Dietary reconstruction and reservoir correction of 14C dates on bones from pagan and early Christian graves in Iceland

T2 - 20th International Radiocarbon Conference

AU - Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Árný E

AU - Heinemeier, Jan

AU - Arneborg, Jette

AU - Lynnerup, Niels

AU - Ólafsson, Gudmundur

AU - Zoëga, Gudný

N1 - © 2010 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona Proceedings of the 20th International Radiocarbon Conference, edited by A J T Jull RADIOCARBON, Vol 52, Nr 2–3, 2010, p 682–696 Árný E Sveinbjörnsdóttir1 • Jan Heinemeier2 • Jette Arneborg3 • Niels Lynnerup4 •Gudmundur Ólafsson5 • Gudný Zoëga6 1Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, IS-101 Reykjavík, Iceland. Email: [email protected]. 2AMS 14C Dating Centre, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. Email: [email protected]. 3National Museum of Denmark, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, DK-1220 Copenhagen K, Denmark. 4Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Panum Institute, Blegdamsvej 3, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark. 5National Museum of Iceland, Sudurgata 41, IS-101 Reykjavík, Iceland. 6Skagafjordur Heritage Museum, 560 Varmahlíd, Iceland. © 2010 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona Proceedings of the 20th International Radiocarbon Conference, edited by A J T Jull RADIOCARBON, Vol 52, Nr 2–3, 2010, p 682–696

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - In this study, ?13C and ?15N of bone samples from 83 skeletons (79 humans, 2 horses, and 2 dogs) excavated from pagan and early Christian graves from 21 localities in Iceland are used to reconstruct diet of the early settlers in Iceland and possible differences in diet depending on the distance between the excavation site and the seashore. We have radiocarbon dated 47 of these skeletons and used the carbon isotopic composition (?13C) to estimate and correct for the marine reservoir effect (the 14C difference between terrestrial and mixed marine organisms). The reservoir-corrected ages lie in the range of AD 780?1270 (68.2% probability). Reservoir age corrections were checked by comparing 14C dates of a horse (terrestrial diet), a dog (highly marine diet), and a human (mixed diet) from the same burial. The range in measured marine protein percentage in individual diet is from about 10% up to 55%, mostly depending on the geographical position (distance from the sea) of the excavation site. We had access to the skeleton (AAR-5908) of the Sk?lholt bishop P?ll J?nsson whose remains are enshrined at the Episcopal residence in Sk?lholt, southern Iceland. According to written sources, the bishop died in AD 1211. Using our dietary reconstruction, his bones were about 17% marine, which is within the range of human skeletons from the same area, and the reservoir-corrected calibrated 14C age of the skeleton is in accord with the historical date.

AB - In this study, ?13C and ?15N of bone samples from 83 skeletons (79 humans, 2 horses, and 2 dogs) excavated from pagan and early Christian graves from 21 localities in Iceland are used to reconstruct diet of the early settlers in Iceland and possible differences in diet depending on the distance between the excavation site and the seashore. We have radiocarbon dated 47 of these skeletons and used the carbon isotopic composition (?13C) to estimate and correct for the marine reservoir effect (the 14C difference between terrestrial and mixed marine organisms). The reservoir-corrected ages lie in the range of AD 780?1270 (68.2% probability). Reservoir age corrections were checked by comparing 14C dates of a horse (terrestrial diet), a dog (highly marine diet), and a human (mixed diet) from the same burial. The range in measured marine protein percentage in individual diet is from about 10% up to 55%, mostly depending on the geographical position (distance from the sea) of the excavation site. We had access to the skeleton (AAR-5908) of the Sk?lholt bishop P?ll J?nsson whose remains are enshrined at the Episcopal residence in Sk?lholt, southern Iceland. According to written sources, the bishop died in AD 1211. Using our dietary reconstruction, his bones were about 17% marine, which is within the range of human skeletons from the same area, and the reservoir-corrected calibrated 14C age of the skeleton is in accord with the historical date.

M3 - Conference article

SN - 0033-8222

VL - 52

SP - 682

EP - 696

JO - Radiocarbon

JF - Radiocarbon

IS - 2

Y2 - 31 May 2009 through 5 June 2009

ER -