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Finding Vikings with isotope analysis – the view from wet and windy islands.
Montgomery, Janet Grimes, V. Buckberry, Jo Evans, J.A. Richards, Michael P. Barrett, J.H.
Montgomery, Janet
Grimes, V.
Buckberry, Jo
Evans, J.A.
Richards, Michael P.
Barrett, J.H.
Publication Date
2014
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Copyright statement: © 2014 JONA. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Any reproduction, other than for an individual's own personal and private use, or distribution of journal content is prohibited without written permission from Eagle Hill Institute.
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Abstract
Identifying people of exotic origins with isotopes depends upon finding isotopic attributes that are inconsistent with the indigenous population. This task is seldom straightforward and may vary with physical geography, through time, and with cultural practices. Isotopes and trace elements were measured in four Viking Age (8th to 10th centuries A.D.) skeletons from Dublin, Ireland, and three from Westness, Orkney. These were compared with other data from these locations and contemporaneous skeletons from Britain. We conclude that the male skeletons from Dublin have disparate origins, two originating beyond the shores of Ireland, and that the female and two male skeletons from Westness are not indigenous to Orkney. However, the homeland of the female, in contrast to the males, is unlikely to be in Scandinavia.
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Montgomery, J., Grimes, V., Buckberry, J., Evans, J.A., Richards, M.P. and Barrett, J.H. (2014) Finding Vikings with isotope analysis: The view from wet and windy islands. Journal of the North Atlantic, Special Volume 7: 54-70.
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