Childhood and Adulthood Mobility at Medieval (1240s AD) Solt-Tételhegy, Hungary Reconstructed from Stable Oxygen Isotope Analysis

Summary

Between 2005 and 2009, archaeologists excavated more than 100 skeletons from the medieval (1240s AD) Hungarian site of Solt-Tételhegy. Little has been published about this archaeological settlement, and although previous stable isotopic research has described the migration patterns of medieval European peoples, here we present the first such study performed on a medieval Hungarian population. Stable oxygen isotope analysis was conducted on dental enamel from 23 individuals and on bone apatite from 21 individuals in an attempt to reconstruct origins and mobility from a life history perspective. The enamel and bone δ18O values suggest that several of these individuals migrated to Hungary during their childhood. While the majority appear to have traveled from Central and Eastern Europe, a few originated from more distant places, such as Italy, Spain, the Middle-East, or even North Africa. This research adds to the understanding of the dynamic population movement throughout this time period in medieval Europe.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

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