In 2009, Antiquity published isotope analyses of the human skeletal tissue excavated from 1957 to 1967 at Whithorn Cathedral Priory, Scotland. These analyses sought to use new isotope methods to test common assumptions about the lifestyle and diet of the bishops and clerics compared to lay individuals buried at the same site. Specifically, Dr. Muldner (and others) tested an isotope that would indicate whether or not individuals ate seafood regularly. It is believed that the bishops and priests had access to seafood for fast days and other holy days, while the lay individuals did not. A higher measurement of collagen (%) indicates more seafood in a person’s diet. Here are the data:
Percent Collagen Priests/Bishops Lay Individuals
9.6 6.1
7.3 8.1
8.1 5.6
7.5 5.3
7.8 5.2
9.8 3.5
9.8 5.8 Is there statistically significant evidence of a higher Collagen level among priests and bishops?