Practising pastoralism in an agricultural environment: An isotopic analysis of the impact of the Hunnic incursions on Pannonian populations

We conducted a multi-isotope study of five fifth-century AD cemeteries in modern-day Hungary to determine relationships between nomadic-pastoralist incomers—the historically documented Huns and other nomadic groups—and the sedentary agricultural population of the late Roman province of Pannonia. Contemporary historical sources describe this relationship as adversarial and destructive for the late Roman population, but archaeological evidence indicates high levels of hybridity between different groups. We undertook carbon, nitrogen, strontium and oxygen isotope analyses of bone collagen, dentine and tooth enamel at Keszthely-Fenékpuszta, Hács-Béndekpuszta, Győr-Széchenyi Square, Mözs and Szolnok-Szanda to examine these relationships through past subsistence practices. The patterns at all sites indicate medium to high animal protein consumption with little evidence for a significant contribution of aquatic resources. All populations relied to a great extent on C4 plants, most likely millet. Within each population, diet was heterogeneous, with significant variations in terms of animal protein and C3 and C4 plant consumption. High levels of intra-population and individual variability suggest that populations made use of a range of subsistence strategies, with many individuals exhibiting significant changes over their lifetimes. Rather than being characterised only by violence, the historically-documented influx of nomadic populations appears to have led to widespread changes in subsistence strategies of populations in the Carpathian basin. Nomadic-pastoralist groups may have switched to smaller herds and more farming, and, conversely, local populations may have integrated with a new economic system based on animal herding.

本研究针对现代匈牙利境内的5处公元5世纪墓地开展多同位素分析，旨在厘清游牧-畜牧移民——即史书记载的匈人及其他游牧族群——与晚期罗马潘诺尼亚行省的定居农耕人口之间的关系。同时代历史文献将该族群关系描述为对晚期罗马人口充满对抗性与破坏性的，但考古证据表明不同族群间存在高度的混杂融合现象。本研究对凯斯特海伊-费内克普什塔（Keszthely-Fenékpuszta）、哈奇-本德克普什塔（Hács-Béndekpuszta）、杰尔-塞切尼广场（Győr-Széchenyi Square）、默什（Mözs）以及绍尔诺克-桑达（Szolnok-Szanda）这5处墓地的骨胶原、牙本质与牙釉质开展碳、氮、锶、氧同位素分析，以期通过古代生业模式探析上述族群关系。所有遗址的同位素分析结果均显示，当时人群的动物蛋白摄入量处于中等至较高水平，几乎未发现水生资源对饮食构成有显著贡献的迹象。所有人群的饮食均高度依赖C4植物（C4 plant），极有可能为粟。在各人群内部，饮食结构亦存在异质性，动物蛋白摄入量以及C3植物（C3 plant）、C4植物（C4 plant）的消费比例均存在显著差异。种群内部及个体间存在高度的饮食差异，这表明当时的人群采用了多样化的生业策略，且多数个体在其一生中的饮食结构发生了显著变化。史书记载的游牧族群迁入事件并非仅以暴力冲突为特征，反而似乎引发了喀尔巴阡盆地人群生业策略的广泛变革。游牧-畜牧族群可能转而饲养规模更小的畜群并更多从事农耕；反之，本地人群则可能融入了以畜牧为基础的新型经济体系。