ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the spatial approaches which are used to determine the likely geographic origins of humans and animals and which in turn are used to understand mobility and migration. Two approaches are outlined - the first based on the calculation of residuals, and the second based on Bayesian statistics and maximum likelihood estimation. Both approaches compare the observed isotope measurement for an archaeological sample to the expected isotope measurement from baseline data for the area of interest. These approaches are applied to case studies from Annaghmare in Northern Ireland and Duggleby Howe on the Yorkshire Wolds. The case studies highlight the uncertainty implicit within the process of assigning an individual to a geographic region and the importance of using baseline data which adequately accounts for all of the factors that influence the spatial variation of the measured isotope tracer.
