Status: this preprint is currently under review for the journal ESSD.
Stable isotope bioarchaeological atlas from the post-Soviet space
Anna Hagarová,Margarita Gorbulina,and Kévin Salesse
Abstract. Results of stable isotope analyses from 435 locations in the countries of the former USSR were collected from 114 papers presenting the results of their research and compiled in two datasets stored in the IsoArcH database. The literature research was conducted using Google Scholar, Web of Science and Science Direct using keywords both in English and in other relevant languages, such as Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Georgian or Kazakh. The datasets contain information on the originating site, including GPS coordinates, information on the samples (as available) such as source of origin, dating and details of deposition, and results of stable isotope analysis, namely the measurements of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), oxygen (δ18O), sulphur (δ34S) strontium (87Sr//86Sr) and lead (206Pb/204Pb). All source articles are connected to relevant data within the datasets. This compilation can serve as a comprehensive source for further research as well as a reference set for the geographical and temporal area.
Received: 03 Aug 2026 – Discussion started: 20 Oct 2026
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Anna Hagarová,Margarita Gorbulina,and Kévin Salesse
Data sets
Compilation of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulphur and strontium stable isotope data from the Mesolithic to the Late Modern period in the Black Sea areaAnna Hagarová and Kévin Salesse https://doi.isoarch.org/10.48530/isoarch.2023.005
Chemical traces in ancient bones and teeth reveal what people ate, where they lived, and how far they travelled. We compiled results from over a hundred studies, spanning more than one hundred thousand years across the former Soviet space, much published only in Russian and largely absent from international literature. The result is a large, open collection of ancient human and animal remains from Asia and the Caucasus, now freely accessible to researchers worldwide.
Chemical traces in ancient bones and teeth reveal what people ate, where they lived, and how far...
