Food at the heart of the Empire: dietary reconstruction for Imperial Rome inhabitants (original) (raw)
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Food for the Empire: dietary pattern of Imperial Rome inhabitants
ABSTRACTThis paper aims to provide a broad diet reconstruction for people buried in archaeologically defined contexts in Rome (1st-3rd centuries CE), in order to combine archaeological and biological evidence focusing on dietary preferences in Imperial Rome.A sample of 214 human bones recovered from 6 funerary contexts were selected for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. The baseline for the terrestrial protein component of the diet was set using 17 coeval faunal remains recovered from excavations at Rome supplemented by previously published data for the same geographic and chronological frames.δ13C ranges from −19.95‰ to −14.78‰, whereas δ15N values are between 7.17‰ and 10.00‰. The values are consistent with an overall diet mainly based on terrestrial resources. All the human samples rely on a higher trophic level than the primary consumer faunal samples.Certainly, C3 plants played a pivotal role in the dietary habits. However, C4 plants also seem to have been consumed, ...
The edge of the Empire: diet characterization of medieval Rome through stable isotope analysis
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
This paper aims to define the dietary profile of the population of early medieval Rome (fifth-eleventh centuries CE) by carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. This period was characterized by deep changes in the city's economic, demographic, and social patterns, probably affecting its inhabitants' nutritional habits. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of bone collagen was used to detect the nutritional profile of 110 humans from six communities inhabiting the city center of Rome and one from the ancient city of Gabii. Thirteen faunal remains were also analyzed to define the ecological baseline of the medieval communities. The isotopic results are consistent with a diet mainly based on the exploitation of C 3 plant resources and terrestrial fauna, while the consumption of aquatic resources was detected only among the San Pancrazio population. Animal protein intake proved to be similar both among and within the communities, supporting a qualitatively homogenous dietary landscape in medieval Rome. The comparison with isotopic data from the Imperial Age allowed us to detect a diachronic nutritional transition in ancient Rome, in which the collapse of the Empire, and in particular the crisis of economic power and the trade system, represented a tipping point for its population's nutritional habits.
STABLE CARBON AND NITROGEN ISOTOPE EVIDENCE FOR DIETARY VARIABILITY AT ANCIENT POMPEII, ITALY
2016
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope results are presented for a sample of human and faunal bones and food remains excavated from Pompeii. The well-preserved organic remains provide a valuable resource to examine ancient lifeways associated with a Roman city during a distinct period of time associated with the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. Isotopic results indicate human diets that are consistent with the archaeological and documentary evidence for diverse dietary intake for all residents of Pompeii consisting of a range of cereals, fruits, vegetables, seafood, and meat from domestic and wild animals. Males had similar animal protein intakes to those of females, but they ingested significantly greater amounts of seafood than females. The great range of dietary variability among and between males and females indicated by the isotopic data suggests the existence of past dietary distinctions based on social role and/or social class. In comparison to other isotopic studies in the region, human diets at Pompeii are similar to those of Danish farmers and coastal Greek colonies in southern Italy (Metaponto) but included greater amounts of marine protein. Carbon isotope values for domestic animals indicate a C 3-based terrestrial diet, while nitrogen isotope values distinguish herbivores from omnivores and carnivores.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018
This work examines the carbon and nitrogen composition of human and animal collagen from the Roman necropolis of Lucus Feroniae (Rome, 1st-3rd century AD) and the Longobard cemetery of La Selvicciola in northern Latium (Viterbo, 7th century AD), with a special focus on possible dietary variations at the transition between classical and post-classical times. A substantial isotopic difference between the two series reveals distinct dietary practices at the two sites, especially the consumption of cereals and contribution of other foodstuffs to a mainly grain-based diet. We argue that such differences are explained through the social and cultural background of the two populations examined, where the isotopic variance of the Roman data is in line with that of a group of heterogeneous origin and varied dietary practices, while the tight clustering of isotopic signatures for the Longobard people reflects the foodways of a homogeneous group. Intra-site variation shows no significant difference according to the sex of the deceased. Outlying individuals might be explained through cultural practices that call for further insight. Isotopic data have shown to successfully reflect social and cultural phenomena of human groups in a changing world, in a way that other archaeological proxies have sometimes failed to achieve.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 24, pp. 92-101, 2019
The Medieval period in Europe was a time of unprecedented social complexity and significant social and political change that had an impact on human diets. The present study aims to use stable isotope analysis from bone proteins to explore the diets of humans (n = 76) and fauna (n = 5) from the Medieval town of Leopoli-Cencelle (VT, Italy). The town was occupied between the 9th-15th centuries CE, however, the analysed remains date to the Late Medieval period (12th-15th centuries CE). Historical sources provide some information about the inhabitants of this community: the majority of the population was represented by craftsmen and traders, but farmers and shepherds were also present. To date, no biomolecular data regarding this community have been published.
Environmental Archaeology, 2020
This paper aims to provide the isotopic characterization of the diet consumed by people buried in a graveyard of the Imperial Rome Suburbium (1st-3rd centuries CE), where numerous children were buried. A sample of 50 human remains from Quarto Cappello del Prete was selected for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. Published data related to coeval faunal remains set the baseline of the diet. The results for humans were integrated with previously analyzed data from Quarto Cappello del Prete. The resulting sample of 71 people has been dissected for stratification according to demographics, focusing on the ability to ascertain the weaning process in children. Isotopic data are steady with an overall diet mainly based on terrestrial resources, where C 3 plants played a pivotal role in the diet, though the δ 13 C range suggests that the foodstuff should have been heterogeneous. The remarkable amount of children allows us to evaluate the weaning process. Infants seem to be adequately weaned after 3 years, when they were considered as adults to what concerns the dietary habits. These data represent a valuable enhancement for understanding the weaning practices in ancient Rome, contributing to supporting the hypothesis about lifestyle and health in the Roman Imperial period.
This paper aims to provide the isotopic characterization of the diet consumed by people buried in a graveyard of the Imperial Rome Suburbium (1st-3rd centuries CE), where numerous children were buried. A sample of 50 human remains from Quarto Cappello del Prete was selected for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. Published data related to coeval faunal remains set the baseline of the diet. The results for humans were integrated with previously analyzed data from Quarto Cappello del Prete. The resulting sample of 71 people has been dissected for stratification according to demographics, focusing on the ability to ascertain the weaning process in children. Isotopic data are steady with an overall diet mainly based on terrestrial resources, where C 3 plants played a pivotal role in the diet, though the δ 13 C range suggests that the foodstuff should have been heterogeneous. The remarkable amount of children allows us to evaluate the weaning process. Infants seem to be adequately weaned after 3 years, when they were considered as adults to what concerns the dietary habits. These data represent a valuable enhancement for understanding the weaning practices in ancient Rome, contributing to supporting the hypothesis about lifestyle and health in the Roman Imperial period.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2016
To investigate dietary patterns, collagen stable isotope ratios (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) were measured from fauna (n = 21) and humans (n = 23) from a rescue excavation at the Roman site (1st to 4th c. AD) of Carrer Ample 1 in Barcelona, Spain. The adult human results (δ 13 C = − 18.9 ± 0.3‰; δ 15 N = 11.1 ± 0.4‰) indicate a C 3 terrestrial diet based on domestic animals such as pigs and sheep/goats, with no differences between the males (δ 13 C = − 18.8 ± 0.4‰; δ 15 N = 11.0 ± 0.4‰) and females (δ 13 C = − 19.0 ± 0.2‰; δ 15 N = 11.1 ± 0.5‰). Two infants show 15 N-enriched (14.2‰ and 16.1‰) results characteristic of nursing, and a child of 4-5 years of age (δ 15 N = 13.0‰) suggests that breastfeeding could have continued until at least this age for some individuals. The two older children (8-10 years old) showed the most 15 N-depleted values (8.9‰ and 9.1‰), and this is possible evidence of an adolescent diet that was different compared to the adult population. Comparison of the Carrer Ample 1 results with previous isotopic research from other coastal Roman sites (Leptiminus, Isola Sacra, Velia, Poundbury) shows that a degree of regional variability in diet existed within the Roman Empire.