Original scientific paper
Strontium isotope analysis of human dental enamel from a mass burial at Udhruh fortress, Southern Jordan: a paleomobility study
Abdulla Al-Shorman
orcid.org/0000-0001-7464-4712
*
Mansour Shqairat
Fawzi Abudanah
Ali Khwaileh
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Udhruh Fortress in southern Jordan was constructed in AD 303–304 by the Roman Legionis VI Ferratae as part of the Limes Arabicus to serve as a stronghold against desert nomads. Recent excavations within the fortress have unearthed several unstratified skeletal remains, raising questions about their identity and origin. To address this, we conducted 87Sr/86Sr analysis on dental enamel from 10 individuals to determine their potential mobility, which mirrors the origin of ingested food during childhood and thus the geological region where individuals spent their early years. To establish a bioavailable strontium ratio for Udhruh fortress, we considered the published 87Sr/86Sr ratios from three sites near Udhruh, specifically Basta, Khirbet Nawafleh, and Dajaniah. All the reported strontium data were corrected against the NIST SRM987 standard by Wang and colleagues. The results of the study indicated no evidence of migration into the study area but revealed a high likelihood of mobility between fortresses and/or sites within the region. In other words, the sampled individuals were predominantly local Roman legionnaires, reinforcing the notion that 'Roman' identity was primarily associated with the power and authority of the Roman state, rather than rooted in shared cultural traits.
Keywords
Udhruh; Jordan; strontium; isotope; mobility
Hrčak ID:
332386
URI
Publication date:
18.6.2025.
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