Contact:
bioarch@york.ac.uk
Address:
BioArCh, Environment Building
Wentworth Way, York
YO10 5NG, UK
We routinely conduct bulk stable isotope analysis of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S, also informs on mobility) on a diverse range of organic samples including bone (collagen), tooth (dentine), hair and fur (keratin) and also deposits such as charred foodcrusts from ceramic vessels and archaeological plant remains. There are also facilities for analysing oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H/D) in organic material to inform on mobility.
We are also one of the few archaeological laboratories in the UK currently processing and analysing carbon and nitrogen isotopes in single amino acids of collagen (compound-specific isotope analysis), a relatively new technique to archaeology which provides higher resolution information on past diet than bulk analysis alone.