Orkney's 'Elder' raises questions over Iron Age fish consumption

This has led to speculation that there may have been social restrictions, or taboos, on the consumption of fish.

However, new analysis examining the bones of a women who lived in Orkney 1800 years ago may have thrown this theory out of the water.

agency (Image: agency)

Tests carried out on the woman’s jawbone, which dates from around AD200, has shown that seafood was in fact a major part of her diet.

Archaeologists say this flies in the face of what we know about Iron Age Britain, where there is very little evidence for the exploitation of 
marine resources. 

The jawbone was discovered in 2016, during UHI Archaeology Institute excavations at The Cairns settlement in South Ronaldsay, Orkney.

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It had been placed against the wall of the broch – perhaps to mark the end of life – in a vessel carved from a whale vertebra.

Isotope analysis measures the ratios of different chemical isotopes in bones or teeth, which can then be used to investigate an individual’s diet and 
the environment they grew up in.

UHI Archaeology (Image: UHI Archaeology)

Previous analysis found there was marine protein in the woman’s diet, but this related only to the end of her life. 

“The Elder” – as she has been named – had very few teeth left and those that remained exhibited extensive, possibly painful, dental caries. This suggested the soft marine food had been consumed out of necessity.

However, new studies completed this week as part of a research collaboration between the UHI Archaeology Institute and the University of York’s COMMIOS research project have provided incredible new details about the diet of the old woman.

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By peering into her diet at different stages in the development of her 
teeth, the study has shown that she was consuming marine protein her entire life. 

The dentine of human teeth is laid down incrementally in layers as each tooth grows and develops, providing something of a clock – a little like the formation of growth rings in trees. 

As such, dietary isotopes that are embedded in teeth at known growth points can be related to approximate periods in a person’s life. 

In collaboration with the National Environmental Isotope Facility (British Geological Survey) the woman’s tooth was sampled multiple times – when she was estimated to be three, seven, nine, 11, 13, and 15 years old. 

The results show that in her infancy and teens she was already consuming marine foodstuffs, and this was at a fairly consistent level throughout 
her life. 

It is apparent that the marine portion of her diet was not eaten out 
of convenience or necessity only in later life but was, in fact, routinely consumed throughout her life.

Archaeologists say the results suggests “The Elder” may  have had a special role in society or fish suppers were more popular in Iron Age Scotland than the rest of Britain.

The latest analysis allows the archaeologists to question whether 
“the Elder” had a special role or status within society at The Cairns which 
may explain why her remains were afforded special treatment.

Her jawbone had been placed against the wall of the broch in a vessel carved from a whale vertebra.

Martin Carruthers, site director of The Cairns excavations, and a lecturer in archaeology at the UHI Archaeology Institute said: “It’s remarkable to be able to reach back and solve a problem like the question over her diet, which was previously unclear. 

“Now we can see that the marine foodstuffs that she ate were, after all, 
a normal part of life for her, and this allows us to move on with further investigation of the mystery over the apparent lack of seafoods in Iron Age society at this time”.