Between land and rivers: Isotopic evidence for local mobility in southern Mesopotamia

This study investigates patterns of mobility and human-animal-environment interactions in the Sumerian city of Abu Tbeirah, located in southern Iraq and dated to the second half of the third millennium BCE. The research represents the first extensive strontium isotope investigation of a population from southern Mesopotamia. It integrates Sr/ Sr ratios measured on human and animal dental enamel with δ 13 C and δ 18 O data presented in an earlier study. Using published data from part of southwest Asia, we isotopically characterise the regions potentially connected to Sumerian exchange and trade routes. This comparative framework enables the evaluation of Abu Tbeirah in relation to other contemporaneous sites and populations, allowing relative mobility within the Mesopotamian plain to be assessed for a subset of individuals. Moreover, the multi-isotope approach provides insights into the possible effects of climatic variability on local lifeways. Overall, the integration of multi-isotopic data from Abu Tbeirah contributes to refining the Mesopotamian isotopic landscape and offers new perspectives on mobility patterns and environmental adaptations between the third and second millennia BCE.