Childhood “stress” and stable isotope life histories in Transylvania

Abstract

AbstractAims and ObjectivesMacroscopic skeletal analysis and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis were employed to examine the relationship between skeletal “stress” lesions and changes in the isotopic life history profiles of six nonadults from the Gepid population buried at the Archiud “Hânsuri” Cemetery (4th–7th centuries AD).Materials and MethodsThe Gepids were a migratory barbarian population in the Carpathian Mountain basin of Transylvania, Romania. Macroscopic skeletal analysis was conducted on 32 individuals, and of those, six nonadults were selected for stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of incrementally sampled dentine.ResultsMacroscopic skeletal analyses revealed 47% of the analysed population displayed evidence of childhood stress. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ranges were −17.7‰ to −11.8‰ for δ13C and 9.4‰ to 15.1‰ for δ15N.DiscussionThe overall dietary profile indicates a mixed terrestrial diet (C3/C4) with increased consumption of C4 plants during adolescence. The six nonadults appear to have been breastfed from 1 to 6 months and weaned by 3 years of age. High δ15N values seen in pre‐natal and post‐natal increments may suggest a level of nutritional/physiological stress during gestation and during the transitions from umbilical nutrients, breastmilk, and weaning foods. Although limited by the small sample size, this study supports the link between elevated δ15N values and nutritional stress and the relationship and timing of skeletal lesions with changes in the isotope profiles and was among the first to combine palaeopathological analyses and incremental stable isotope analyses on the Transylvania Gepids.