Online database on bone collagen δ13C, δ15N and δ34S values. A new tool for (prehistoric) dietary reconstruction in the Eastern Baltic Sea area.

Abstract

<p> The database project will provide an easy-to-use, open access baseline data for (paleo)dietary research, focusing on the most commonly used food items like domestic animals, game and fish to inform paleodietary studies and models in the Eastern Baltic Sea area. All published archaeological bone collagen stable isotope data and dating information on animal collagen available for Fennoscandia, Western Russia and the Baltic countries will be collected from literature and entered into the database. Selected vertebrate specimens from the collections of the Finnish Museum of Natural History LUOMUS are also sampled, collagen extracted and analyzed for δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and δ³⁴S. The gathering and creating of baseline data for Finland and adjacent areas will benefit, enable and is likely to stimulate, a great number of future stable isotope archaeological research. The researchers will be encouraged to share their new data so that the baseline would remain up-to-date and all the data could be accessed and available in an easily downloadable form.</p>