Mapping strontium isotope geographical variability as a basis for multi-regional human mobility: the Sybaris region (S Italy) in the early 1st millennium BC
Mapping strontium isotope geographical variability as a basis for multi-regional human mobility: the Sybaris region (S Italy) in the early 1st millennium BC
Archaeological findings from the 8th c. BC settlement at Francavilla Marittima (CS) and its necropolis on the nearby Macchiabate plateau point to multi-regional interactions and the emergence of new identities in connection with the establishment of the Greek colony Sybaris. Strontium isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr) is an efficient method to reconstruct human mobility and provides new insights into the Iron Age and Archaic period in the Calabria region. A successful interpretation of Sr isotope compositions in human tissues requires a baseline of the bioavailable strontium in the landscape of Francavilla Marittima and its surroundings. This study presents 87Sr/86Sr values of modern vegetation and water from North Calabria to establish the first finely resolved Sr isotope baseline map of this region. Sr isotope compositions vary between 0.7082 and 0.7127 and reflect the geological and lithological diversity of the study region. The regional 87Sr/86Sr variability exceeds the baseline of bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr at Francavilla Marittima and enables the integration of past regional interaction in data interpretation of the human remains. Several mapping and prediction methods were tested to produce surface models of the isotopic landscape, and the isotope group map is proposed as a suitable representation of the bioavailable Sr in the studied region.
Bioavailable strontium, GIS isoscape modelling, Magna Grecia, Sybaris, cultural interaction, mobility
Zaugg, Céline
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Guggisberg, Martin A.
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Vach, Werner
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Cooper, Matthew J.
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Gerling, Claudia
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Zaugg, Céline
20bf88d7-4ca7-4c24-859f-16dcec2712a5
Guggisberg, Martin A.
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Vach, Werner
a028473f-b0bf-4dbe-a25b-6683b133707d
Cooper, Matthew J.
54f7bff0-1f8c-4835-8358-71eef8529e7a
Gerling, Claudia
030d4e84-d101-4936-a24e-2e539ecd96a4
Zaugg, Céline, Guggisberg, Martin A., Vach, Werner, Cooper, Matthew J. and Gerling, Claudia
(2023)
Mapping strontium isotope geographical variability as a basis for multi-regional human mobility: the Sybaris region (S Italy) in the early 1st millennium BC.
Environmental Archaeology.
(doi:10.1080/14614103.2023.2260622).
Abstract
Archaeological findings from the 8th c. BC settlement at Francavilla Marittima (CS) and its necropolis on the nearby Macchiabate plateau point to multi-regional interactions and the emergence of new identities in connection with the establishment of the Greek colony Sybaris. Strontium isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr) is an efficient method to reconstruct human mobility and provides new insights into the Iron Age and Archaic period in the Calabria region. A successful interpretation of Sr isotope compositions in human tissues requires a baseline of the bioavailable strontium in the landscape of Francavilla Marittima and its surroundings. This study presents 87Sr/86Sr values of modern vegetation and water from North Calabria to establish the first finely resolved Sr isotope baseline map of this region. Sr isotope compositions vary between 0.7082 and 0.7127 and reflect the geological and lithological diversity of the study region. The regional 87Sr/86Sr variability exceeds the baseline of bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr at Francavilla Marittima and enables the integration of past regional interaction in data interpretation of the human remains. Several mapping and prediction methods were tested to produce surface models of the isotopic landscape, and the isotope group map is proposed as a suitable representation of the bioavailable Sr in the studied region.
Text
Mapping Strontium Isotope Geographical Variability as a Basis for Multi-regional Human Mobility The Sybaris Region S Italy in the Early 1st Millenn
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Accepted/In Press date: 12 September 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 9 October 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This work was financially supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number 175613). The authors thank Norbert Spichtig (Technical Director, Francavilla Marittima research project), Marta Billo-Imbach (Project Assistant, Francavilla Marittima research project), Michael Kempf (Department of Geography, University of Kiel), Urs Rosemann (Augusta Raurica), Lukas Richner (Archäologie BL), and the peer reviewers for valuable information at various stages of the research project.
Keywords:
Bioavailable strontium, GIS isoscape modelling, Magna Grecia, Sybaris, cultural interaction, mobility
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 483251
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/483251
ISSN: 1461-4103
PURE UUID: 922b2433-f50b-42e9-a00a-489eb5871118
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Date deposited: 26 Oct 2023 16:59
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 02:53
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Contributors
Author:
Céline Zaugg
Author:
Martin A. Guggisberg
Author:
Werner Vach
Author:
Claudia Gerling
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