Copper exposure in medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany: its relationship to residence location and social position
Abstract For medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany, trace elements can potentially contribute to our understanding of diet, migration, social status, exposure to urban settings, and disease treatment. Copper, of particular interest as a marker of access to everyday metal items, can...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2020-02-01
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| Series: | Heritage Science |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40494-020-00365-4 |
| _version_ | 1811289014604398592 |
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| author | Kaare Lund Rasmussen George R. Milner Thomas Delbey Lilian Skytte Morten Søvsø Frederik Callesen Jesper Lier Boldsen |
| author_facet | Kaare Lund Rasmussen George R. Milner Thomas Delbey Lilian Skytte Morten Søvsø Frederik Callesen Jesper Lier Boldsen |
| author_sort | Kaare Lund Rasmussen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract For medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany, trace elements can potentially contribute to our understanding of diet, migration, social status, exposure to urban settings, and disease treatment. Copper, of particular interest as a marker of access to everyday metal items, can be used to clarify socioeconomic distinctions between and within communities. Postmortem alteration of bone (diagenesis), however, must be ruled out before the elements can be used to characterize life in the past. Femoral cortical bone samples of ca. 40 mg were thoroughly decontaminated, and the concentrations of Al, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, As, Sr, Ba, and Pb were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The concentrations of these elements were quantified in bone samples from 553 skeletons from 9 rural and urban cemeteries, and 34 soil samples obtained near three burials. Copper, the primary element of interest in this work, is generally absent from the femoral cortical bone of rural people, although it occurs in high concentrations in the skeletons of the inhabitants of towns. The Cu in medieval to post-medieval bones likely originated from everyday objects, notably kitchen utensils. A rural to urban distinction in Cu concentrations, found repeatedly at two sites, likely resulted from differential access to much-desired, although still utilitarian, household items. An uneven distribution of metal objects used in domestic contexts, demonstrated through bone chemistry, was greater between rural and urban communities than it was within urban centres, at least among the socioeconomic positions sampled in this study. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:47:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f7ede05582f349a9aa4d3531c3037ad5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-7445 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:47:29Z |
| publishDate | 2020-02-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heritage Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-f7ede05582f349a9aa4d3531c3037ad52022-12-22T03:03:59ZengSpringerOpenHeritage Science2050-74452020-02-018112210.1186/s40494-020-00365-4Copper exposure in medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany: its relationship to residence location and social positionKaare Lund Rasmussen0George R. Milner1Thomas Delbey2Lilian Skytte3Morten Søvsø4Frederik Callesen5Jesper Lier Boldsen6Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Cultural Heritage and Archaeometric Research Team (CHART), University of Southern DenmarkDepartment of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Cultural Heritage and Archaeometric Research Team (CHART), University of Southern DenmarkDepartment of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Cultural Heritage and Archaeometric Research Team (CHART), University of Southern DenmarkSydvestjyske MuseerHorsens Museum, ArkæologiDepartment of Anthropology (ADBOU), Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Southern DenmarkAbstract For medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany, trace elements can potentially contribute to our understanding of diet, migration, social status, exposure to urban settings, and disease treatment. Copper, of particular interest as a marker of access to everyday metal items, can be used to clarify socioeconomic distinctions between and within communities. Postmortem alteration of bone (diagenesis), however, must be ruled out before the elements can be used to characterize life in the past. Femoral cortical bone samples of ca. 40 mg were thoroughly decontaminated, and the concentrations of Al, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, As, Sr, Ba, and Pb were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The concentrations of these elements were quantified in bone samples from 553 skeletons from 9 rural and urban cemeteries, and 34 soil samples obtained near three burials. Copper, the primary element of interest in this work, is generally absent from the femoral cortical bone of rural people, although it occurs in high concentrations in the skeletons of the inhabitants of towns. The Cu in medieval to post-medieval bones likely originated from everyday objects, notably kitchen utensils. A rural to urban distinction in Cu concentrations, found repeatedly at two sites, likely resulted from differential access to much-desired, although still utilitarian, household items. An uneven distribution of metal objects used in domestic contexts, demonstrated through bone chemistry, was greater between rural and urban communities than it was within urban centres, at least among the socioeconomic positions sampled in this study.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40494-020-00365-4Bone chemistryCopperLeadMedieval northern EuropeCooking utensils |
| spellingShingle | Kaare Lund Rasmussen George R. Milner Thomas Delbey Lilian Skytte Morten Søvsø Frederik Callesen Jesper Lier Boldsen Copper exposure in medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany: its relationship to residence location and social position Heritage Science Bone chemistry Copper Lead Medieval northern Europe Cooking utensils |
| title | Copper exposure in medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany: its relationship to residence location and social position |
| title_full | Copper exposure in medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany: its relationship to residence location and social position |
| title_fullStr | Copper exposure in medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany: its relationship to residence location and social position |
| title_full_unstemmed | Copper exposure in medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany: its relationship to residence location and social position |
| title_short | Copper exposure in medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany: its relationship to residence location and social position |
| title_sort | copper exposure in medieval and post medieval denmark and northern germany its relationship to residence location and social position |
| topic | Bone chemistry Copper Lead Medieval northern Europe Cooking utensils |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40494-020-00365-4 |
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