Provider: Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic

TY  - JOUR
JO  - Anthropologie (Brno)
TI  - Skeletal Trace Element Content as an Indicator of Diet and Social Status in the La Tène Period
AU  - Smrčka V
AU  - Jambor J
AU  - Le Huray J
AU  - Waldhauser J
AU  - Valentová J
Y1  - 2002
VL  - 40
IS  - 2
PB  - Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic
SN  - 0323-1119
SP  - 177
EP  - 182
KW  - Trace elements
KW  - Bone
KW  - Diet
KW  - Social rank
N2  - 
N2  - Samples of compact bone from the proximal femur were taken from 161 skeletons from 9 La Tène flat inhumation cemeteries across continental Europe. Concentrations of 15 trace elements were examined in order to reveal dietary differences within and between populations. Archaeological evidence suggests that wheat was the staple cereal during this period, with roughly similar ratios of cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. Two regions can be distinguished in terms of the concentration of strontium and zinc - the French Champagne region with zinc levels below 100 ppm in dry weight and the Czech region with zinc levels over 200 ppm. The concentrations of strontium in the Czech burial ground at Kutná Hora - Karlov were significantly higher in males compared to females. In the same burial ground, potassium concentrations were lowest in the group of male 'warrior' burials. Lead concentrations appear to be directly proportional to social rank, with concentrations highest in the groups of male "warrior" burials and females buried with anklets. The "poorer" graves showed concentrations of lead below 1 ppm, these include the group of graves with no grave goods, possibly evidence of Caesar's description of the "common people who sometimes were not far removed from slavery".
ER  -