Strontium and oxygen isotope evidence for the origin and movement of cattle at Late Neolithic Durrington Walls, UK

Jane Evans,Richard Madgwick,Umberto Albarella,Hilary Sloane,Mike Parker Pearson

doi:10.1007/s12520-019-00849-w

Abstract

The geographic origins of livestock found at the Late Neolithic site of Durrington Walls (Wiltshire, UK) is explored using strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and oxygen (δ18OcarbVSMOW) isotope analysis of tooth enamel as an archive of lifetime movement. The analysis of 49 cattle is augmented with data for small numbers of animals from the contemporaneous monumental centres of West Kennet Palisade Enclosures (4), Stonehenge (1), and Marden (1). Unburnt human remains are scarce at these sites and the suite of biomolecular analyses that can be undertaken on cremated remains is limited. Therefore, these animals provide the best proxy for the origins of the people who raised them and give key information on livestock management. This builds on the Sr isotope analysis of 12 animals previously published from Durrington Walls and complements recent research on pig remains from the same sites, providing further evidence for the scale of human and animal movement and the catchment of these sites. The strontium isotope signatures from the animals’ teeth range between values that are consistent with local chalkland grazing to radiogenic values typical of granites and older rock types. The oxygen isotope data, coupled with the strontium results, provide new geographic resolution and indicate that the majority of the animals come from southern and western areas of Britain.

Highlights

IntroductionDuring the Late Neolithic, Durrington Walls was the focus of feasting activities that included the slaughter and consumption of a substantial number of animals (Albarella and Serjeantson 2002; Richards and Thomas 1984)
Archaeological context and previous workNational Environmental Isotope Facility, British Geological Survey, Keyworth NG12 5GG, UKInstitute of Archaeology, UCL, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UKSchool of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UKDepartment of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, Minalloy House, 10 – 16 Regent Street, Sheffield S1 3NJ, UKDuring the Late Neolithic, Durrington Walls was the focus of feasting activities that included the slaughter and consumption of a substantial number of animals (Albarella and Serjeantson 2002; Richards and Thomas 1984)
The stable δ18OcarbVSMOW and δ13CcarbVPDB isotope data for the incremental enamel samples are given in Table 1 and summary statistics are given in Table 2 and displayed using box and whisker charts in Figs. 2 and 3

Summary

Introduction

During the Late Neolithic, Durrington Walls was the focus of feasting activities that included the slaughter and consumption of a substantial number of animals (Albarella and Serjeantson 2002; Richards and Thomas 1984). This was evidenced by the work carried out on the considerable quantity of faunal remains associated with the henge, its internal features, and extensive middens excavated in the 1960s (Wainwright and Longworth 1971) and, between 2004 and 2007, by the Stonehenge Riverside Project (Parker Pearson et al 2011).

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