Dataset of Oxygen (δ18Ocarbonate), Carbon (δ13Ccarbonate), and Strontium (87Sr/86Sr) values from the Imperial Roman site of Velia (ca. 1st to 2nd c. CE) in southern Italy

Abstract

The oxygen (d18Ocarbonate), carbon (d13Ccarbonate), and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotope data presented herein from the Imperial Roman site of Velia (ca. 1st to 2nd c. CE) were obtained from the dental enamel of human permanent second molars (M2). In total, the permanent M2s of 20 individuals (10 male and 10 female) were sampled at the Museo delle Civiltà in Rome (formerly the Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico “L. Pigorini”) and were subsequently processed and analysed at McMaster University. A subsample of teeth (n=5) was initially subjected to Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis to assess for diagenetic alteration through calculation of crystallinity index (CI) values. Subsequently, tooth enamel was analysed for d18Ocarbonate (VPDB) and d13Ccarbonate using a VG OPTIMA Isocarb isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) at McMaster Research for Stable Isotopologues (MRSI), and 87Sr/86Sr was measured by dynamic multi-collection using a thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS) in the School of Geography and Earth Sciences. The isotope data presented represent the first d18O, d13Ccarbonate, and 87Sr/86Sr values analysed from Imperial Roman Campania to date, providing data of use for comparative analyses of d18O, d13C, and 87Sr/86Sr values within the region and for assisting in documenting human mobility in archaeological contexts.

Keywords

• Southwestern Italy (Campania)
• Cilento of Lucania
• Strontium and Oxygen Isotopes
• Dental Enamel Carbonate
• Imperial Roman
• Human Mobility