Relationen mellan status och diet i det medeltida Västerhus på Frösön i Jämtland : En dietstudie med kol- och kväveisotopanalyser

This paper deals with stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen on skeletal remains from the medieval cemetery in Västerhus, Jämtland. Samples from seven different individuals were analyzed, taken from both teeth and bone tissue. Previous studies suggest that there are connections between social status and diet, that a consumption of meat was directly connected to a higher status. Furthermore, burial customs and zoning based on social strata has been discussed. The stable isotope results showed almost no connection between diet, social status and the placement of the graves within the churchyard. This with the exception of two groups: one group made out of five individuals who have been buried within the church, and one segregated group made out of five individuals buried far away from the church building. It can also be concluded, based on this study and previous ones that the people buried at Västerhus cemetery was a homogenous group whose diets mainly consisted out of meat and vegetable feed of terrestrial origin.