Isotopic paleodiet studies of skeletons from the Imperial Roman-age cemetery of Isola Sacra, Rome, Italy

Prowse, Tracy; Schwarcz, Henry P.; Saunders, Shelley R.; Macchiarelli, Roberto; Bondioli, Luca

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2003.08.008

Cited by 183 publications

(220 citation statements)

References 38 publications

(62 reference statements)

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“…Comparison with other roughly contemporaneous European sites revealed similar diets as well as dietary practices which rarely show sex and age related patterns (Chenery et al, 2010;Killgrove and Tykot, 2013;Müldner et al, 2011;Pollard et al, 2011;Prowse et al, 2004Prowse et al, , 2005Rutgers et al, 2009;Stevens et al, 2012). Overall, these studies (including the results discussed herein) show that the diet of these populations was more dependent on the environment and local availability of food sources rather than on cultural habits.…”

Section: Dietary Patternssupporting

confidence: 57%

“…Swine δ 13 C co and δ 15 N values respectively;Fig. 5 and Table 6) are clustered with cattle and ovicaprine values, which suggests a similar herbivorous diet Knipper et al, 2012;Prowse et al, 2004;Vika, 2011). Zooarchaeological analyses of the swine specimen were not able to distinguish between domestic pig and wild boar (Albarella et al, 2005;Valente and Carvalho, 2014) but, given the residential/farming status of the site, most of the swine remains can be attributed to domestic animals.…”

Section: Dietary Patternsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Prowse et al (2004) suggested that cereals made up around 70-75% of the dietary intake of the Roman diet, while meat and other animal products were not major dietary components. Pork was the most popular meat consumed by the Romans, followed by sheep and goats' meat (approximately 25 to 50%).…”

Section: Dietary Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stable isotope and multi-analytical investigation of Monte da Cegonha: A Late Antiquity population in southern Portugal

Saragoça

Maurer

Šoberl

et al. 2016

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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This study presents for the first time the diet of a Late Antiquity population in southern Portugal (Civitas of Pax Julia), from the Roman villa of Monte da Cegonha (predominantly 7th century CE). Stable isotope analysis (δ 13 C, δ 15 N, δ 18 O, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) of human and faunal bone collagen and apatite was conducted in order to understand the influence of Roman subsistence strategies on the way of life of rural inhabitants of the area of Pax Julia and to explore their diet (types of ingested plants, amount of animal resources, terrestrial versus marine resources). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses were used to determine the degree of bone diagenesis and assess the reliability of the bone stable isotopic composition for palaeodietary reconstruction. Anthropological analysis revealed a cariogenic diet, rich in starchy food and carbohydrates, in at least in two individuals based on the frequency of dental caries. Collagen and apatite carbon isotopic analysis suggested that C 3 plants were the basis of the population's diet, complemented with some terrestrial meat and its byproducts as reflected by the observed bone collagen nitrogen isotopic composition. Moreover, whilst the fairly low apatite-collagen spacing recorded in some skeletons (at around 4‰) may have been due to freshwater organisms intake, the relatively low nitrogen values observed indicate that this consumption did not occur very often, unless in the form of fresh fish of low trophic level or fish sauces. There were no significant differences in isotopic values depending on gender or burial type. Strontium and oxygen isotopic composition of bone apatite revealed a sedentary community, with the exception of a male individual who probably did not spend his childhood in Monte da Cegonha.

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Section: Dietary Patternssupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Dietary Patternsmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Stable isotope and multi-analytical investigation of Monte da Cegonha: A Late Antiquity population in southern Portugal

Saragoça

Maurer

Šoberl

et al. 2016

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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“…The contemporaneous site of ANAS (Azienda Nazionale Autonoma delle Strade), more inland, indicates a more terrestrial protein based diet, in accordance with its location. However, the ANAS dietary profile also supports the presence of possible migrant workers (coming from the coast) (Prowse et al 2004). Moreover, at MS, infant transitional feeding is recorded at the end of the first year and complete weaning around two years of age (Prowse et al 2008).…”

Section: Antiquity and The Middle Agesmentioning

confidence: 59%

Eski̇ Topluluklarin Yaşam Bi̇çi̇mleri̇ni̇n Tanimi Akdeni̇z Havzasi'nda Beslenme, Kemi̇kler Ve İzotoplar

Bras-Goude¹

2011

tubaar

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“…More representative samples are required and the data need to be carefully calibrated; isotopic analysis provides another method for assessing meat consumption and its variability (Killgrove 2010;Prowse et al 2004). Nonetheless, one striking result of zooarchaeological studies is that although cattle bones represent on average one-sixth to one-fifth of those identified, when converted into meat weight, the larger size of cattle compared with sheep and pigs means that the relative contribution of beef to the Roman diet rises to as much as one-third; this is emphatically not the impression given by the ancient texts (MacKinnon 2004, 217).…”

Section: Animals: the 'Other' Mediterranean Triadmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural Production in Roman Italy

Witcher¹

2016

A Companion to Roman Italy

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The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Agricultural production in Roman Italy Robert WitcherAbstract: This chapter considers the practice and organisation of agricultural production in Roman Italy drawing on textual, archaeological and ethnoarchaeological evidence. As well as reviewing the types of crops cultivated and animals husbanded, it considers broader questions about the scale of production and the social organisation of labour (e.g. peasants, slaves, tenants). The chapter outlines the significance of critical new approaches to ancient texts and recent archaeological discoveries for established narratives of agricultural production and agrarian relations. This includes questioning the extent to which peasant farmers were systematically pushed from the land and the significance of oil and wine production in the economic fortunes of the republican aristocracy. Throughout, examples are used to demonstrate how powerful ancient and modern assumptions (e.g. the self-sufficient peasant, 'decline', etc.) shape interpretation of texts and archaeological evidence.

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Isotopic paleodiet studies of skeletons from the Imperial Roman-age cemetery of Isola Sacra, Rome, Italy

Cited by 183 publications

References 38 publications

Stable isotope and multi-analytical investigation of Monte da Cegonha: A Late Antiquity population in southern Portugal

Stable isotope and multi-analytical investigation of Monte da Cegonha: A Late Antiquity population in southern Portugal

Eski̇ Topluluklarin Yaşam Bi̇çi̇mleri̇ni̇n Tanimi Akdeni̇z Havzasi'nda Beslenme, Kemi̇kler Ve İzotoplar

Agricultural Production in Roman Italy

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