Hair as a Window on Diet and Health in Post-Medieval London
An isotopic analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12591099 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chloë Brown (0000-0001-9636-2177, corresponding author), M M Alexander (0000-0001-8000-3639, University of York) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Issue | 42 |
| Publication date | 2016-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Internet Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1363-5387 • E-ISSN: 1363-5387 |
| Publisher | Council for British Archaeology (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.11141/ia.42.6.12 |
| OpenAlex | W2536372078 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 21 |
Isotopic analysis of bone for dietary reconstruction has been routinely practised in archaeology since the 1970s (Vogel and Van der Merwe 1977) and provides a long-term average of the diet over the last 10-30 years before death (Hedges et al. 2007). Unlike bone, however, hair grows incrementally (~1cm a month for human hair), providing time series information, and offering a valuable window on diet during the final months before death (White 1993; Kutschera and Mϋller 2003; Wilson et al. 2007; see Wilson, this issue). Despite this, hair has received comparatively little attention, primarily owing to its poor preservation on archaeological sites, mummies being an exception (see Wilson, this issue). Post-medieval remains, however, present an ideal case study, often being well preserved and possessing biographical data giving additional context. This short article presents a study of incremental analysis of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes from hair sampled from a 19th-century individual, 'Elizabeth Robinson' (skeleton 48, Figure 1) deriving from an assemblage from St Barnabas church, West Kensington, where 55/58 burials had name plates and recorded dates of birth and death. She lived between 1768 and 1840, and died at 72 years of age. The research forms part of a wider project on post-medieval diets (Brown 2014)
Art · Window (computing · World Wide Web · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Computer Science · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · Historical Economic and Social Studies · History
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| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,43 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2023 (5) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |