UTILIZATION OF delta C-13, delta N-15, AND delta S-34 ANALYSES TO UNDERSTAND C-14 DATING ANOMALIES WITHIN A LATE VIKING AGE COMMUNITY IN NORTHEAST ICELAND

作者：Sayle Kerry L^*; Cook Gordon T; Ascough Philippa L; Gestsdottir Hildur; Hamilton W Derek; McGovern Thomas H

来源：Radiocarbon, 2014, 56(2): 811-821.

DOI：10.2458/56.17770

Previous stable isotope studies of modern and archaeological faunal samples from sites around Lake Myvatn, within the Myvatnssveit region of northeast Iceland, revealed that an overlap existed between the delta N-15 ranges of terrestrial herbivores and freshwater fish, while freshwater biota displayed delta C-13 values that were comparable with marine resources. Therefore, within this specific ecosystem, the separation of terrestrial herbivores, freshwater fish, and marine fish as components of human diet is complicated when only delta C-13 and delta N-15 are measured. delta S-34 measurements carried out within a previous study on animal bones from Skutustaoir, an early Viking age settlement on the south side of Lake Myvatn, showed that a clear offset existed between animals deriving their dietary resources from terrestrial, freshwater, and marine reservoirs. The present study focuses on delta C-13, delta N-15, and delta S-34 analyses and radiocarbon dating of human bone collagen from remains excavated from a churchyard at Hofstaoir, 5 km west of Lake Myvatn. The results demonstrate that a wide range of delta S-34 values exist within individuals, a pattern that must be the result of consumption of varying proportions of terrestrial-, freshwater-, and marine-based resources. For that proportion of the population with C-14 ages that apparently predate the well-established first human settlement of Iceland (landnam) circa AD 871 +/- 2, this has enabled us to explain the reason for these anomalously old ages in terms of marine and/or freshwater C-14 reservoir effects.

• 出版日期2014