The palaeoenvironmental potential of bioarchaeological isotope data

Margaux L. C.   Depaermentier; Michael  Kempf; Marc  Vander Linden; Kate Britton; Richard Madgwick; Ulf  Büntgen; Dorothée G. Drucker; Jennifer Rose Jones; Christophe Snoeck; Rhiannon E.  Stevens

doi:10.1038/s43247-025-02507-7

The palaeoenvironmental potential of bioarchaeological isotope data

Margaux L. C. Depaermentier^* (Corresponding Author)
, Michael Kempf
, Marc Vander Linden
, Kate Britton
, Richard Madgwick
, Ulf Büntgen
, Dorothée G. Drucker
, Jennifer Rose Jones
, Christophe Snoeck
, Rhiannon E. Stevens

^*Corresponding author for this work

Archaeology

University of Basel
University of Cambridge
Bournemouth University
Cardiff University
Masaryk University
CzechGlobe, Global Change Research Institute CAS
University of Tübingen
University of Central Lancashire
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
University College London

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

3 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Bioarchaeology not only provides insights into human, animal, and environmental ecology, but also generates huge amounts of stable and radiogenic isotope data that are not well recognised by other disciplines. Here, we present potential avenues for the integration and interpretation of archaeological isotope data into environmental studies. We emphasise the large spatio-temporal scales on which isotope patterns can be observed, for example using isoscapes, the limitations and potential pitfalls that come with isotope data from archaeological research, and future cross-disciplinary collaborations between bioarchaeology and other palaeo-disciplines.

Original language	English
Article number	501
Number of pages	13
Journal	Communications Earth & Environment
Volume	6
Early online date	1 Jul 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02507-7
Publication status	Published - 1 Jul 2025

Data Availability Statement

This review paper does not include any data or samples.

Funding

MLCD thanks to Basel Doctoral Program in Ancient Civilizations (DBAW) for financing the workshop at the University of Basel during which the concept and preparation of this paper was initiated. MK’s research is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF/SNF): Project EXOCHAINS - Exploring Holocene Climate Change and Human Innovations across Eurasia (SNSF grant number: TMPFP2_217358). KB thanks ERC-selected/UKRI-funded project EP/Y023641/1 for salary support during production of this manuscript. UB received funding from from the Czech Science Foundation (# 23-08049S; Hydro8), the ERC Advanced Grant (# 882727; Monostar), and the ERC Synergy Grant (# 101118880; Synergy-Plague). We further thank Judith Sealy, Noreen Tuross, Chris Baumann, Michelle Alexander, Claudia Gerling, Dominik Fleitmann, Stéphane Affolter, Ansgar Kahmen, and Daniel Nelson for their input during the related workshop. Open Access publication is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) and the EXOCHAINS project awarded to MK.

Funders	Funder number
UK Research and Innovation	EP/Y023641/1
Swiss National Science Foundation	TMPFP2_217358
Czech Science Foundation	23-08049S
European Research Council	882727, 101118880

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Cite this

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abstract = "Bioarchaeology not only provides insights into human, animal, and environmental ecology, but also generates huge amounts of stable and radiogenic isotope data that are not well recognised by other disciplines. Here, we present potential avenues for the integration and interpretation of archaeological isotope data into environmental studies. We emphasise the large spatio-temporal scales on which isotope patterns can be observed, for example using isoscapes, the limitations and potential pitfalls that come with isotope data from archaeological research, and future cross-disciplinary collaborations between bioarchaeology and other palaeo-disciplines.",

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AU - Madgwick, Richard

AU - Büntgen, Ulf

AU - Drucker, Dorothée G.

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AB - Bioarchaeology not only provides insights into human, animal, and environmental ecology, but also generates huge amounts of stable and radiogenic isotope data that are not well recognised by other disciplines. Here, we present potential avenues for the integration and interpretation of archaeological isotope data into environmental studies. We emphasise the large spatio-temporal scales on which isotope patterns can be observed, for example using isoscapes, the limitations and potential pitfalls that come with isotope data from archaeological research, and future cross-disciplinary collaborations between bioarchaeology and other palaeo-disciplines.

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The palaeoenvironmental potential of bioarchaeological isotope data

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Funding

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