Stable isotope studies of the deceased from the sepulchral vault at Gorzuvity: chronology, diet pattern and mobility

Palaeoanthropological remains from a multiple grave in the church at Gorzuvity have been examined to obtain information about the time the sepulchral vault was in operation. The minimum number of the individuals in the grave is 20. These are males, females and children of various ages. The radiocarbon dating of 14 samples demonstrates that the funerary construction was used from the 7th till the 12th centuries. However, the analysis of the nitrogen and carbon isotopes in the bone tissue collagen suggests a strong reservoir effect caused by consumption of marine food. The tentative period of the vault operation ranges between the 11th and 13th centuries. Based on the stable isotope data, plant food and sea fish accounted for the largest part of everyday human dietary intake; the share of meat and milk products is likely to have been low. This diet pattern finds analogies in the diet system of medieval Byzantine population in Greece. The data on the isotope composition of strontium from tooth enamel suggest that all individuals lived in similar geochemical conditions; no non-locals from far-away regions have been identified.