Life style, subsistence and mortality in the Slavonic village at Espenfeld (Kr. Arnstadt, FRG). A trace element study.

Since the burial site of the Slavonic settlement at Espenfeld, Germany (10th to 12th century AD), has been completely excavated, the skeletons are representative of the historic population. This skeletal series has also been intensively investigated both archaeologically and anthropologically. It thus belongs to the kind of museum specimens which should not be left apart from any further study made possible by technological improvements. Analysis of elements Ca, P, Sr, Ba, Zn, Pb and As from compact bone specimens of a subsample of this series was carried out to get a more detailed knowledge on the population's life style. After a consideration of site-specific diagenesis, reconstruction of subsistence was possible for both adults and children. The assessment of weaning practice revealed insights into childcare. Special consideration was given to hazardous elements and their influence on infant morbidity. Also, a presumed genetic relationship between certain individuals based on morphological traits was paralleled by a striking similarity of trace element profiles, suggesting that bone chemistry might also permit the differentiation of microenvironments.