README *** Dataset on stable isotope measurements of Estonian medieval and early modern human bones *** Authors: Aguraiuja-Lätti, Ülle Archaeological Research Collection, Tallinn University Corresponding author: Ülle Aguraiuja-Lätti Contact information: uagura@tlu.ee *** General Introduction *** This dataset contains stable isotope measurements analysed from Estonian medieval and early modern human bones. The dataset consists of one table and one text file (report). Spreadsheet file contains the results of the analysis and summary statistics. Text file consists of methodological description. It is being made public to act as supplementary data for publication. These data were collected and compiled at Tallinn University during the period of 2019-2022 as part of the project PRG29. The research was funded by the Estonian Research Council grant no PRG29. Publication: Aguraiuja-Lätti, Ü., Malve, M., Dietary habits in Medieval and Early Modern Period Estonia - Evidence from stable isotope analysis. Estonian Journal of Archaeology, 202x, pp. *** Purpose of the data collection *** The purpose of data collection was to obtain stable isotope evidence from medieval and early modern populations in Estonia to reconstruct palaeodietary habits and to detect the consumption of imported seafood. This dataset was created within the framework of the project "Foreign vs. local in Medieval and Modern Age foodways in the eastern Baltic: tracing the changing food consumption through provenance analyses" (grant no PRG29, 2018-2022), funded by the Estonian Research Council. *** Description of the data in this dataset *** The dataset consists of three files: 'ISOTOPES_README.txt' - this file 'Stable_C_and_N_isotope_measurements.xlsx'- a table file that contains results of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis, summary statistics and a list of comparative data with references. 'Report_C_and_N.pdf' - a text file that contains the methodological description of obtained data. ***xlsx tables - data description*** Lab ID - unique identification code given to the sample during stable isotope analysis in Glasgow University (GU), SUERC Sample Code - unique identification code given to the sample during sample preparation in Tallinn University, referencing the site where the sampled human skeleton is from Site - Name and/or location of the site where the sampled human skeleton is from Sex - Sex of the sampled individual. M is for 'male', F is for 'female', ? is for 'sex unknown', N/A is for 'not applicable' (only used for sub-adult individuals) Age - Age of the sampled individual, given either as an age range (in years) or as a category ('Adult') δ13C - δ13C (12C/13C) measurement in per mille (‰) of collagen sample δ15N - δ15N (14N/15N) measurement in per mille (‰) of collagen sample %C - carbon concentration (%) in collagen sample %N - nitrogen concentration (%) in collagen sample C/N - Atomic ratio of %C and %N of the sample, used as a quality indicator Location - Location of the site, either 'coastal' or 'inland' Context - Site type and/or a concise description of the site Assigned period - Chronological period assigned to the sample Date - Chronological date (in centuries) of the sample Collection ID - Refers to the location and collection number associated with the sampled human bone(s). AI - Archaeological Research Collection, Tallinn University; TM - Tartu City Museum; VM - Viljandi Museum, TÃœ - Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu. Burial No. - Burial number of the sampled human skeleton within the collection Sampled element - Skeletal element that was used for sampling Year - Year when the sampled human skeleton was excavated Notes - Additional notes on the sampled human skeleton and/or its context and background Reference - Reference to an article or excavation report concerning the background and context of the site and/or sampled skeleton