DATAMESOP: DATAset on inorganic stable isotope measurement (strontium, oxygen and carbon) of archaeological and non-archaeological materials from South-West Asia for MESOPotamia

Matteo Giaccari, Licia Romano, Mary Anne Tafuri
2025-07-02T14:29:08.303072+00:00
Bioarchaeology, Carbon isotopes, Mesopotamia, Oxygen isotopes, Southwest Asia, Strontium Isotopes, stable isotopes

DATAMESOP is one of the first comprehensive isotopic datasets aimed at supporting bioarchaeological studies in ancient Mesopotamia. The dataset compiles radiogenic strontium and stable carbon, and oxygen isotope measurements from both archaeological (human and animal remains and plant and soil samples) and non-archaeological sources (surface rocks, soil, dust, water, and rainwater) in South-West Asia. The data have been collected, ensuring the quality and reliability of isotopic measurements and the comparability of the standards, from published studies. This dataset is designed to be user-friendly for archaeologists and isotope specialists, including contextual information that might facilitate data use and interpretation, particularly in regions like Mesopotamia (Iraq, Iran, and Turkey).Isotopic values were recorded alongside comprehensive supporting information:Archaeological Information: the specific toponymy of the site, the archaeological phase, associated material culture, and further information, when available.Biological Data: for humans, these included the sex determination, the estimation of age at death, while for other types of samples they included taxonomic classifications or type of environment.Instrumental Information: Technical details, including the type of instrument used for measurements, its version, any correction calculations, and the standard values applied during the analysis.All the values presented in the compilation were standardised to commonly accepted references: VPDB for δ13C and δ18O and NBS987 for 87Sr/86Sr, with corrections applied to the NBS987 value (0.710250) when necessary. Water values are converted to VPDB carbonate.A Data descriptive paper of the dataset was published at JOAD https://doi.org/10.5334/joad.152