Should I stay or should I go? Assessing residential mobility in Bronze Age Switzerland through the isotopic evidence

It is still debated whether the major cultural changes that occurred in Europe during the Bronze Age (BA) were related to a circulation of knowledge or human migrations. Researches through multidisciplinary approaches (isotopes, archaeology) strongly contribute towards untangling these complex dynamics for pre-protohistoric communities. Since prehistoric times, Switzerland has played a major role in European exchanges for its strategic position between the Danube area and the Mediterranean, offering pivotal information towards reconstructing human mobility during BA period. Jointly analyzing anthropological, archaeological and isotopic data from three sites in western Switzerland (2200-800 cal. BCE), our aim is to shed light on residential mobility and social practices of BA European populations. We explored intersite/intrasite mobility throughout the BA via multi-element and multi-tissue isotope analysis (S on bone and dentine collagen; Sr on apatite enamel), by analysing sixty-three human and fauna samples.