Isotopic Analysis of Human Remains from the Igbo-Ukwu Sites: Implications for Diet and Mobility

Stable isotope analysis of skeletal remains provides direct biological evidence for individual diet and geographic origin, offering insights into social status, mobility, and subsistence that cannot be recovered through artefact analysis alone. This study presents stable carbon, nitrogen, and strontium isotope analysis of human dental and bone samples from the Igbo-Ukwu sites, currently held under controlled access at the National Museum of Unity in Enugu, with the research objective of reconstructing dietary patterns and mobility histories of individuals associated with the ninth-century burial context. Carbon and nitrogen isotope values from five individuals analysed indicate a diet dominated by C4 crops, primarily sorghum and millet, with limited marine or freshwater protein input, suggesting a continental agricultural subsistence base consistent with the broader Middle Niger agricultural tradition. Strontium isotope ratios from three analysable dental samples show values broadly consistent with local geological signatures for the Anambra basin, providing preliminary evidence that at least some individuals buried at the site were locally born rather than long-distance migrants. However, one outlier strontium value suggests possible non-local origin, a finding of significance given existing debates about whether the extraordinary wealth at Igbo-Ukwu reflects a local elite or a redistributive node in a long-distance exchange network. The study acknowledges the small sample size as a significant limitation and argues for expanded isotopic sampling through a dedicated collaborative programme with the NCMM and University of Nigeria Nsukka. Keywords: stable isotopes, Igbo-Ukwu, dietary reconstruction, mobility, Anambra State.