Diverse feasting networks at the end of the Bronze Age in Britain (c. 900-500 BCE) evidenced by multi-isotope analysis

During the Bronze Age-Iron Age transition, climatic change and economic upheaval signaled societal shifts across Europe. Longstanding trade networks broke down and in southern Britain new sites, termed middens, emerged. These vast mounds of cultural debris represent the coming together of vast numbers of people and animals for feasts on a scale unparalleled in British prehistory. Faunal remains are key for assessing the catchments of these feasting events and the scale and nature of community connectivity. This study examines networks and scales of mobility that centered on these enigmatic sites through analysis of the largest multi-isotope dataset on faunal remains (n = 254) yet generated in archaeology, aided by a random forest 87Sr/86Sr isoscape of Britain. The data evidence diverse site roles, with some middens anchoring wide-ranging networks and others being local centers for specialist economies, providing nuanced resolution into the social and economic dynamics of this transitional phase.