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Isotopes and individuals: diet and mobility among the medieval Bishops of Whithorn

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Gundula Müldner ,
Janet Montgomery ,
Gordon Cook ,
Rob Ellam ,
Andrew Gledhill  and
Chris Lowe
Gundula Müldner
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 227, Reading RG6 6AB, UK (Email: g.h.mueldner@reading.ac.uk)
Janet Montgomery
Affiliation:
Division of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
Gordon Cook
Affiliation:
Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Rankine Avenue, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, East Kilbride G75 OQF, UK
Rob Ellam
Affiliation:
Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Rankine Avenue, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, East Kilbride G75 OQF, UK
Andrew Gledhill
Affiliation:
Division of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
Chris Lowe
Affiliation:
Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd, 13 Jane Street, Edinburgh EH6 5HE, UK
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Abstract

Stable isotopes get personal in this analysis of burials at a medieval cathedral. Compared with the local meat-eating rank and file, those people identified as bishops consumed significantly more fish and were incomers from the east. These results, while not so surprising historically, lend much increased confidence that isotope analysis can successfully read the status and mobility of individuals in a cemetery.

Keywords

Britainmedievalbishopsclergystable isotopesdietmobilitysocial rank
Type
Method
Information
Antiquity , Volume 83 , Issue 322 , December 2009 , pp. 1119 - 1133
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2009

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