Abstrakt
The application of biogeochemical analyses, especially strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis, has enabled archaeologists to distinguish between individuals of local and non-local origins at archaeological sites. Although most common, this is only a part of the whole story this method can reveal to us.
As several researches have already suggested an analysis of two or more teeth per individual can provide an evidence for mobility during an individual's childhood. The aim of this paper is to present the world-wide survey of multiple tooth analyses published so far.
As expected, the results show that significant number of individuals have variable strontium ratios between teeth mineralizing in early childhood (e.g. first molar) and those mineralizing in later childhood/adolescence (third molar). This indicates dietary change and thus potential residential change of these individuals during their youth, however, another possible explanations known from ethnographic and historical context, such as herding activities of children or varying land use strategies in the heterogeneous geological environment, should be also considered.
Moreover, the compiled data suggest that incorporating multiple tooth analysis into overall paleomobility research can have significant impact on the proportion of identified non-locals. Because there are always research limitations (poor teeth preservation, budget restrictions etc.), the conditions under which makes the most sense to perform multiple tooth analyses will be also discussed.