Mobility and Diet: Studying the Population of the Vicus of Tienen, Belgium (1-4th c.AD)

The Roman Empire is well known for its expansive trading network both on land and on sea, facilitating both short -and long- distance exchanges of goods, ideas, and people across Eurasia. The study of Roman mobility is an important topic of contention in archaeology, one which can be now be investigated using Sr isotopes on cremated remains. Until recent methodological developments, Sr isotope analysis has mostly focused on inhumations from urban and cosmopolitan centres, especially in Britain and Italy. Populations from rural settlements and provincial territories have seldom been investigated, even less when cremation was the preferred funerary treatment. Here, we present a case study on the cemetery of the Gallo-Roman vicus of Tienen (Belgium, 1-4th c. AD). The collection of >1,400 cremation deposits makes it one of the biggest Gallo-Roman cemeteries in the BeNeLux region, and offers unique insights into the life of a rural Gallo-Roman settlement. Sr ratios (87Sr/86Sr) and concentrations [Sr] have been measured in 146 samples of cremated bones, from all phases and types of deposits. Results suggest that mobility at Tienen was low, and that the consumption of salt may have affected the Sr ratios of the individuals throughout time.