Diet and Health in a Time of Transition: Pictish and Viking Age Orkney

There have long been conflicting interpretations of the archaeological and written evidence for the nature of interactions between the Orcadian Pictish populations and Scandinavian migrants during the Viking Age, with theories ranging from peaceful intermarriage to violent domination of the Picts (Bäcklund 2001; Leonard 2011; Smith 2001; etc.). However, changes in diet and mobility isotopes from the Late Iron Age or Pre-Viking phase (PVP, AD 500-790) through the Viking Age (VA, AD 790-1050) and Late Norse phase (LNP, AD 1050-1200) suggest more nuanced changes. This study including text and spreadsheet data provides evidence of diachronic changes in diet and the movement of individuals in Orkney over this transitional period through isotopic (strontium, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen) analysis of human remains.