An isotopic investigation into the origins and husbandry of Mid-Late Bronze Age cattle from Grimes Graves, Norfolk. (October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Towers, Jacqueline; Bond, Julie; Evans, Jane; Mainland, Ingrid; Montgomery, Janet
• Is Part Of: Journal of archaeological science. Volume 15(2017)
• Page Start: 59
• Page End: 72
• Publication Date: 2017-10
• Subjects: Strontium -- Carbon -- Oxygen -- Isotope analysis -- Tooth enamel -- Intra-tooth sampling -- Cattle husbandry; Archaeology -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Research -- Periodicals; 930.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.07.007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-409X

Abstract

Abstract: Bioarchaeological evidence suggests that the site of Grimes Graves, Norfolk, characterised by the remains of several hundred Late Neolithic flint mineshafts, was a permanently settled community with a mixed farming economy during the Mid-Late Bronze Age (c. 1400 BCE – c. 800 BCE). The aim of this study was to investigate, through isotope ratio analysis ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, δ 13 C and δ 18 O), the origins and husbandry of Bronze Age cattle ( Bos taurus ) excavated from a mineshaft known as the "1972 shaft". Strontium isotope ratios from the molar enamel of ten Grimes Graves cattle were compared with eight modern animals from the Chillingham Wild White cattle herd, Northumberland. The range of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values for the modern cattle with known restricted mobility was low (0.00062) while the values for the Grimes Graves cattle varied much more widely (range = 0.00357) and suggest that at least five of the cattle were not born locally. Two of these animals were likely to have originated at a distance of ≥ 150 km. Intra-tooth δ 13 C profiles for eight of the Grimes Graves cattle show higher δ 13 C values compared to those of Early Bronze Age cattle from central England. Most of these profiles also display pronounced shifts in δ 13 C during the period of enamel formation. One possible interpretation is that the cattle were subject to dietary change resulting from movement between habitats with different vegetation δ 13 C values. More comparative data, both archaeological and modern, is required to validate this interpretation. The multi-isotope approach employed in this study suggests that certain cattle husbandry and/or landscape management practices may have been widely adopted throughout central Britain during the Mid-Late Bronze Age. Highlights: Grimes Graves cattle 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values suggest long-distance trading networks. Enamel δ 13 C values differ markedly between Early and Mid-Late BA cattle. Shifts in δ 13 C recorded within enamel may indicate movement between habitats. Widespread adoption of husbandry/landscape management practices is suggested. Isotopic ratios for modern Chillingham cattle provide a comparative dataset.