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1 November 2014 The Peopling of the North Atlantic: Isotopic Results from Norway
T. Douglas Price, Elise Naumann
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Abstract

Norway was the likely homeland of many of the early colonists of the North Atlantic and it is essential to have information on the strontium isotopic values present in the country. Much of the population today as in the past lives on the coast and it is that area where most of the prehistoric remains are found as well. In this study several hundred samples were measured for strontium isotopic ratios, including 200 samples from Norway. This total includes 144 human teeth and bone and 56 floral and faunal samples. Although much of the Norwegian landscape is composed of very old rocks with high 87Sr/86Sr values, the coastal location of the human population means that marine influences are high in terms of sea spray and seafood consumption so that strontium isotope ratios are substantially lower than expected from the geology. Bioavailable values from floral and faunal samples generally range from 0.707 to 0.725 with an average around 0.713. Measurements of human teeth revealed an average value of 0.713 ± 1s.d. 0.0033. Case studies from large sets of human burials at Bryggen, Trondheim, and Hamar are also discussed.

T. Douglas Price and Elise Naumann "The Peopling of the North Atlantic: Isotopic Results from Norway," Journal of the North Atlantic 2014(sp7), 88-102, (1 November 2014). https://doi.org/10.3721/037.002.sp706
Published: 1 November 2014
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