title: Tooth enamel oxygen "isoscapes" show a high degree of human mobility in prehistoric Britain.
abstract: A geostatistical model to predict human skeletal oxygen isotope values (δ18Op) in Britain is presented here based on a new dataset of Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age human teeth. The spatial statistics which underpin this model allow the identification of individuals interpreted as 'non-local' to the areas where they were buried (spatial outliers). A marked variation in δ18Opis observed in several areas, including the Stonehenge region, the Peak District, and the Yorkshire Wolds, suggesting a high degree of human mobility. These areas, rich in funerary and ceremonial monuments, may have formed focal points for people, some of whom would have travelled long distances, ultimately being buried there. The dataset and model represent a baseline for future archaeological studies, avoiding the complex conversions from skeletal to water δ18O values-a process known to be problematic.
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK.|Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.|Division of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP, UK.
authors.forename: Maura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pouncett
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.|Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.|Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S1 4ET, UK.
authors.forename: Mandy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jay
authors.affiliation: Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S1 4ET, UK.|UCL Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, WC1H 0PY, UK.
authors.forename: Mike Parker
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.|Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Richards
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000737:chemistry*; D005580:Fossils; D049690:History, Ancient; D063426:Human Migration / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010103:Oxygen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D010710:Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D010103:Oxygen Isotopes; D010710:Phosphates