In Southern France as in other parts of Europe, significant changes occurred in settlement patterns between the end of Antiquity and the beginning of the Middle Ages. Small communities gathered to form, by the tenth century, villages organized around a church. This development was the result of a new social and agrarian organization. Its impact on lifestyles and, more precisely, on diet is still poorly understood. The analysis of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bone collagen from the inhabitants of the well-preserved medieval rural site Missignac-Saint Gilles le Vieux (fifth to thirteenth centuries, Gard, France) provides insight into their dietary practices and enables a discussion about its transformation over time. A sample of 152 adult individuals dated from 675 to 1175 AD (75 females, 77 males) and 75 specimens from 16 non-human species were analyzed. Results show the exploitation of freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems as well as various breeding practices specific to each species. The use of both C 4 and halophyte plants for feeding domestic animals was also observed. Concerning human dietary practices, a change seemed to occur at the beginning of the tenth century with an increase of δ 15 N values and a decrease of δ 13 C values. This corresponds to the introduction of a significant amount of freshwater resources into the diet and could be related to the evolution of the Catholic doctrine. A concomitant diversification of access to individual food resources was also observed, probably linked to the increased diversity of practice inside a population otherwise perceived as one community.

L'analyse des comportements alimentaires constitue un indicateur permettant d'approcher les transformations des modes de vie ou encore les processus d'acculturation des populations au cours du temps. C'est notamment dans le contexte particulier de la Gaule du Nord, entre le IIIe siècle et le début du ve siècle apr. J.-C., qu'une étude des pratiques alimentaires a été entreprise afin de cerner l'impact de la romanisation sur ces habitudes. Cette étude propose de contribuer à cette question par l'analyse des isotopes stables du carbone et de l'azote (δ13C et δ15N) contenus dans les phases organique et minérale des dents et des os de sujets adultes provenant du site de l'Îlot de la Boucherie à Amiens (Somme). Les objectifs sont de définir le régime alimentaire et de décrire son évolution au cours de la vie des individus. Les sujets échantillonnés (n = 33) forment un groupe aux habitudes alimentaires peu disparates qui ne varient pas entre l'enfance et l'âge adulte. La comparaison des valeurs de δ13C entre les sujets humains et les animaux domestiques (n = 28) met en évidence un enrichissement important en 13C dans les tissus humains lié soit à la consommation d'une ressource de type C4 comme le millet, soit à celle de ressources marines de faible niveau trophique (fruits de mer). Les valeurs de δ15N des humains relativement basses laissent supposer une alimentation contenant peu de protéines animales. Le régime alimentaire décrit pour cette population se distingue des résultats publiés pour le reste de l'Empire romain.

Rationale The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in the application of serial sampling of human dentine in archaeology. Rapid development in the field has provided many improvements in the methodology, in terms of both time resolution as well as the ability to integrate more isotope systems in the analysis. This study provides a comparison of two common sampling approaches, allowing researchers to select the most suitable approach for addressing specific research questions. Methods Two common approaches for sequential sampling of human dentine (micro‐punches and micro‐slices) are compared in terms of viability and efficacy. Using archaeological deciduous second molars and permanent first molars, this study demonstrates how the two approaches capture aspects of the weaning process in different ways. In addition, different aspects related to the extraction protocols, such as the thickness of the central slide and the solubilisation step, are also evaluated. Results While both approaches show similar intra‐tooth isotopic patterns, the micro‐punches approach is preferable for research that requires a very fine temporal resolution, while the micro‐slices approach is best for research where δ 34 S values are needed, or when the samples are poorly preserved. In addition, the solubilisation step has a large effect on collagen yield, and, to a lesser extent, on isotopic compositions. Therefore, it is important to ensure that only samples that have undergone the same pre‐treatment protocol are directly compared. Conclusions We present the pros and cons of the two micro‐sampling approaches and offer possible mitigation strategies to address some of the most important issues related to each approach.

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