87Sr/86Sr and [Sr] data of cremated human individuals from Metal Ages and Roman cemetery in Destelbergen (Belgium)

The site of Destelbergen “Eenbeekeinde”, close to Ghent, Belgium, is one of the rare sites where a large number of both Metal Ages as well as Gallo-Roman cremation burials were excavated. The Metal Ages urnfield of Destelbergen stands out because of the relatively high prevalence of monumental ditches surrounding a selection of graves, indicating a certain status difference between the deceased. Within the Metal Ages urnfield, changing strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) and concentration ([Sr]) results revealed dietary differences between individuals buried either within monumental ditches (i.e. assumed of higher status) or outside those monuments (assumed not of higher status). However, this was not yet the case in the Late Bronze Age but was true only in the Iron Age. When comparing Metal Ages and Gallo-Roman remains, 87Sr/86Sr and [Sr] analyses of these cremated human remains offer new information on changing consumption patterns in past populations that practiced cremation, likely the result of different levels of added sea salt in the diet. The dataset is compiled of 89 Metal Ages and 37 Roman cremation samples used for 87Sr/86Sr and [Sr] analysis.