Well supplied in life, set aside in death: A multi‐isotope study of Justinian plague victims from Saint‐Doulchard (France, 7th–8th centuries AD )

Vytlačil, Zdeněk; Durand, Raphaël; Kacki, Sacha; Holleville, Marion; Drtikolová Kaupová, Sylva; Brůžek, Jaroslav; Castex, Dominique; Velemínský, Petr

Abstract

Objectives: Justinian plague and its subsequent outbreaks were major events influencing Early Medieval Europe. One of the affected communities was the population of Saint‐Doulchard in France, where plague victim burials were concentrated in a cemetery enclosure ditch. This study aimed to obtain more information about their life‐histories using the tools of isotope analysis. Materials and Methods: Dietary analysis using carbon and nitrogen isotopes was conducted on 97 individuals buried at Le Pressoir in Saint‐Doulchard, with 36 of those originating from the enclosure ditch. This sample set includes all individuals analyzed for plague DNA in a previous study. Mobility analysis using strontium isotope analysis supplements the dietary study, with 47 analyzed humans. The results are supported by a reference sample set of 31 animal specimens for dietary analysis and 9 for mobility analysis. Results: The dietary analysis results showed significantly different dietary behavior in individuals from the ditch burials, with better access to higher quality foods richer in animal protein. 87Sr/86Sr ratios are similar for both studied groups and indicate a shared or similar area of origin. Discussion: The results suggest that the ditch burials contain an urban population from the nearby city of Bourges, which overall had a better diet than the rural population from Saint‐Doulchard. It is implied that city's population might have been subjected to high mortality rates during the plague outbreak(s), which led to their interment in nearby rural cemeteries.

Citation

Vytlačil, Z., Durand, R., Kacki, S., Holleville, M., Drtikolová Kaupová, S., Brůžek, J., Castex, D., & Velemínský, P. (2024). Well supplied in life, set aside in death: A multi‐isotope study of Justinian plague victims from Saint‐Doulchard (France, 7th–8th centuries AD ). American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 185(1), Article e25002. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.25002

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 9, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jul 21, 2024
• Publication Date: Jul 21, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jul 31, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 31, 2024
• Journal: American Journal of Biological Anthropology
• Electronic ISSN: 2692-7691
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 185
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: e25002
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.25002
• Keywords: Early Middle Ages, Justinian plague, δ15N, δ13C, 87Sr/86Sr
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2614725