| Περίληψη: | <p>There have long been conflicting interpretations of the archaeological and written evidence for the nature of interactions between the Orcadian Pictish populations and Scandinavian migrants during the Viking Age, with theories ranging from peaceful intermarriage to violent domination of the Picts (Bäcklund 2001; Leonard 2011; Smith 2001; etc.). However, changes in diet and health from the Pre-Viking phase (PVP, 500-790) through the Viking Age (VA, 790-1050) and Late Norse phase (LNP, 1050-1200) suggest more nuanced changes, reflecting evolving subsistence practices and differences in social constructs of ethnicity, religion and status. </p>
<p>The results of previous archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological analysis from excavated VA and LNP sites throughout Orkney have indicated large-scale socioeconomic developments characteristic of an emerging market-based economy. From an increased specialisation and evolving hierarchical structure of site functions to an expansion of marine resource exploitation and an increased focus on agricultural production and dairying for the purpose of skat payment, these changes in subsistence practices had substantial consequences on the health and diet of the population at large. </p>
<p>This thesis examines diachronic changes in overall health and diet of communities in Orkney over this transitional period through osteological and isotopic (strontium, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen) analysis of human remains. The decreased prevalence of osteoarthritis among both males and females from the PVP through the LNP throughout Orkney suggests an increased reliance on traction animals for manual labour. Additionally, the decreased prevalence of mandibular tori among males could suggest an influx of Scandinavian genes into the population. Overall, increases in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values among both males and females from the PVP through the LNP support previous findings and interpretations of increased marine resource consumption (Barrett et al. 2000a; 2000b; Barrett and Richards 2004; Richards et al. 2006), though no significant differences were found between sexes in any phase. Moreover, differences in mean δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values by site and variation in the prevalence rates of nutritional deficiencies and indicators of load-bearing and occupational stress between sites suggest a growing contrast in subsistence practices between the eastern and western portions of the archipelago. Finally, while burial with Scandinavian grave goods does not appear to have been limited to those growing up in Scandinavia or to those with Scandinavian genealogy (Margaryan et al. 2020), differences in mean δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values, prevalence rates of nutritional deficiencies and indicators of load-bearing suggest enduring perceptions of ethnic differences and identity.
</p>
|
|---|