Social stratigraphy in Late Iron Age Switzerland: stable carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotope analysis of human remains from Münsingen

Negahnaz Moghaddam,Felix Müller,Albert Hafner,Sandra Lösch

doi:10.1007/s12520-014-0221-4

Negahnaz Moghaddam, Felix Müller + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-014-0221-4

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Abstract

The Iron Age cemetery of Münsingen in Switzerland with 220 abundantly equipped burials marked a milestone for Iron Age research. The horizontal spread throughout the time of its occupancy laid the foundation for the chronology system of the Late Iron Age. Today, skulls of 77 individuals and some postcranial bones are still preserved. The aim of the study was to obtain information about diet, mobility and social stratification of the individuals. Stable isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur were analysed for 63 individuals. For all of them, C3 plants were found to be the staple food. There are significant differences between males and females in δ13C and δ15N values. This points to a gender restriction in the access to animal protein with males probably having more access to meat and dairy products. Differences in δ15N values were also observed for different age classes. δ34S values indicate a terrestrial-based diet with no significant intake of marine or freshwater fish. Seven adults with enriched δ34S values might have immigrated to Münsingen, four of which were found in the oldest part of the cemetery. Furthermore, possible changes of the vegetation are indicated by the more positive stable carbon ratios in the later phases. The results lead to the suggestion that especially males buried with weapons might have played a special role in the Iron Age society.

Highlights

The area surrounding Bern—north of the Alps and in the middle of the Swiss Plateau—provides the largest amount of skeletal material from the Late Iron Age throughout Switzerland
All δ34S values were evaluated for this study, except the samples that were excluded due to the aforementioned collagen quality criteria
It has to be mentioned that no animal bones from Münsingen or close by Iron Age burial sites were available for stable isotope analysis

Summary

Introduction

During the Iron Age, the Aare valley between the cities of Bern and Thun seems to have been part of a fairly developed settlement area that extended out to the west into the present-day Cantons Fribourg and Neuchâtel. The Late Iron Age burial site of Münsingen-Rain is situated in the Aare valley between Bern and Thun (Fig. 1). It was excavated in 1906 and first published by Jakob WiedmerStern (1908). Due to the size of the burial site, the welldocumented excavation and the abundance of grave goods Münsingen is an indispensable reference for chronological aspects of the Late Iron Age. As the burials were laid out from north to south, the 220 graves provide important archaeological information on horizontal stratigraphic dating (Müller 1998).

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