Stable Isotope (Sr, C, N, O, S) dataset of archaeological materials from Poland based on published research

Abstract

This dataset compiles published stable isotope measurements of strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr), carbon (δ¹³C), nitrogen (δ¹⁵N), oxygen (δ¹⁸O), and sulfur (δ³⁴S) obtained from archaeological context recovered from sites across the territory of Poland. Data collection was closed on 1 July 2026; studies published after this date are not included. Dataset includes values produced on human and animal skeletal remains and plant samples from well‑documented archaeological contexts, together with environmental samples used in the archaeological peer-reviewed studies. Records are also complied with essential metadata on sample identification, material type, and contextual information. The file presented here constitutes the first integrated isotope dataset specifically focused on Polish archaeological materials. The dataset has been designed in accordance with FAIR principles, based on IsoArch protocol. By consolidating isotope measurements that were previously scattered across multiple publications and formats, this dataset establishes a reusable database for isotope‑based research on Polish archaeological contexts and supports their incorporation into broader regional and supra‑regional syntheses. It is intended as a resource for archaeologists, bioarchaeologists, and archaeological scientists seeking to address questions about human and animal movement, subsistence strategies, and landscape use in Poland, as well as for meta‑analytical work that requires standardized, well‑documented isotope data. This dataset provides a robust foundation for future large‑scale, data‑driven isotope research, both by enabling the incorporation of Polish isotope records into wider international syntheses and by facilitating the development of national‑scale macroanalyses based on the isotopic data.

Keywords

• strontium
• nitrogen
• carbon
• oxygen
• sulfur
• bioarchaeology
• Poland
• cremation
• inhumation