Diet and Sulfur Isotopes

Abstract

The analysis of stable sulfur isotopes from human and animal tissues is a relatively recent development in archaeological dietary studies. In human diets, sulfur is ultimately derived from soils at the base of the food chain, which are influenced by local lithology, hydrology, and atmospheric circulation. Plants assimilate local soil δ 34 S values into amino acids that are incorporated into the tissues of their consumers, making it possible to differentiate the source of dietary protein (i.e., marine, terrestrial, or freshwater) and identify individuals with nonlocal diets. Recent developments in method and theory have allowed sulfur isotope analysis to be more routinely employed in isotopic studies of archaeological diet, although several key areas require further research. When applied in conjunction with other isotopic assays and interpreted within the environmental and archaeological contexts, stable sulfur isotope analysis offers a powerful and complementary tool for the investigation of archaeological diets.

Using portable X‐ray fluorescence elemental analysis to explore porous skeletal lesions: Interplay of sex, age at death, and cause of death

“…A similar analysis can be applied to the lower S concentrations in these individuals. Bone is one of the body's main sources of S, which is mostly integrated through food (Ingenbleek, 2006; Nimni et al, 2007; Rand & Nehlich, 2018). According to Doleman et al (2017), the primary food sources of S are cod fillets, chicken breast, beef, eggs, and broccoli.…”

Health, diet, and mortuary practices in the countryside of Byzantine and post‐Byzantine Boeotia: The case of Hagios Sozon in Orchomenos

“…Bone collagen has a measurable isotopic signature correlated with the nature of the diet (Herrscher & Goude, 2015). The isotopic ratios of nitrogen ( 15 N/ 14 N), carbon ( 13 C/ 12C ), and sulfur ( 34 S/ 32 S) (expressed in ‰) of bones unearthed during archaeological excavations thus refer to the type of protein consumed (plant, animal, and aquatic) (Nehlich, 2015; Richards et al, 2001; Schoeninger & DeNiro, 1984), the type of environment from which the food resources came (marine/terrestrial, C3 plants [wheat, barley, and oats]/C4 plants [millet], DeNiro & Epstein, 1978), and the geological environment in which they evolved before being consumed (terrestrial/marine, “old” rocks/“young” rocks) (Rand & Nehlich, 2018). Because of the particular microecology of Orchomenos, sulfur isotope analysis was employed to distinguish between food resources from terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and the consumption of freshwater fish, thus complementing δ 13 C and δ 15 N collagen data commonly used for Greek Byzantine assemblages.…”

Abstract Book

“…Stable hydrogen isotope analysis has been applied to track changes in the magnitude of freshwater reservoir effects over time that are related to environmental changes (Schulting et al 2018). Stable sulfur isotope analysis distinguishes the contribution of different resource consumption (Rand and Nehlich 2018). Improving the freshwater reservoir corrections at Zvejnieki will provide the temporal resolution required to address important questions of cultural transitions.…”