University of Central Florida STARS

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019

2015

Childhood diet and mobility at medieval (1240s AD) Solt- Tetelhegy, as reconstructed from stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope analysis

Ariana Gugora University of Central Florida

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STARS Citation Gugora, Ariana, "Childhood diet and mobility at medieval (1240s AD) Solt-Tetelhegy, Hungary as reconstructed from stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope analysis" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 1132. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/1132 CHILDHOOD DIET AND MOBILITYAT MEDIEVAL (1240s AD) SOLT-TÉTELHEGY, HUNGARY AS RECONSTRUCTED FROM STABLE CARBON, NITROGEN, AND OXYGEN ISOTOPE ANALYSIS

by

ARIANA GUGORA B.A. University of Florida, 2011

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida

Spring Term 2015

©2015 Ariana Gugora

ii ABSTRACT

Between 2005 and 2009, archaeologists excavated more than 100 skeletons from the medieval

(1240s AD) Hungarian site of Solt-Tételhegy. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses were conducted on dental enamel and dentin from 24 individuals to examine their childhood diet.

Although previous stable isotopic research has described the diet of medieval European peoples, this is the first such study on a medieval Hungarian population. The enamel δ13C values range from -14.4‰ to -8.6‰, with a mean of -11.1‰, while the dentin δ13C values range from -19.4‰ to -14.9‰, with an average of -17.4‰. These data indicate that C3 plants were the main plant type consumed by the majority of this population, with the exception of a few individuals, who appear to have included C4 plants in their diet. These results are to be expected, given the dominance of C3 over C4 plants in medieval Central . Thus, based on historical and isotopic evidence, the outliers have spent their childhoods elsewhere and later migrated into the Solt-Tételhegy area. The δ15N values range from 9.5‰ to 11.6‰, with a mean of 10.6‰, indicating that animal protein was prevalent in the diets of the sample population. Despite clear signs of status differences indicated by burial location, stable nitrogen values also point to

18 relatively egalitarian access to animal protein amongst the individuals. The enamel δ Op values range from 23.6‰ to 27.2‰, with an average of 25.1‰, suggesting that multiple migrations occurred into the study site. The results of this study show that the dietary and mobility information gleaned from stable isotope analysis can be used to interpret the lifeways of archaeological peoples.

iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to thank my family and friends for their encouragement

in my academic endeavors, particularly this year. The support I have received from my parents,

especially from my mother, has helped me in every way during graduate school, and I do not

think I would have been as successful without it. I would like to thank my adviser and my

committee members, Dr. Tosha Dupras, Dr. Lana Williams, and Dr. John Schultz, for their

encouragement and input throughout my Master's coursework. I would not have gotten through it

without them. Dr. Tosha Dupras has consistently made ti