Isotopic reconstruction of the subsistence strategy for a Central Italian Bronze Age community (Pastena cave, 2^nd millennium BCE)

Abstract

The Pastena cave is located in central Italy and its best-preserved sector is Grotticella W2, which is dated radiometrically to the Early-Middle Bronze Age. The aim of this paper is to explore human diet, animal husbandry, and plant management analyzing the findings there discovered. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis have been carried out on 40 charred seeds, 6 faunal remains and 4 human specimens, investigating the whole bio-archaeological samples available. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first papers presenting stable isotope analysis on carpological remains dated to the Italian Early-Middle Bronze Age. The obtained results are consistent with a diet based on terrestrial protein, mainly on plants and secondly on meat and animal products. The data suggest that plants, especially broad beans, were partially subjected to human management, while livestock was managed through different husbandry strategies. The cooperation between archaeological studies and molecular analysis allows us to contribute to clarify the economic strategies for a Central Italian community in a scenario that is still poor in published data.

La Sassa cave: Isotopic evidence for Copper Age and Bronze Age population dynamics in Central Italy

“… Mereto(sample size, N = 3) [ 32 , 59 ], Gradisca di Codroipo(N = 3) [ 59 ], Olmo di Nogara(N = 7) [ 59 ], Dossetto di Nogara(N = 3) [ 59 ], Fondo Paviani(N = 18) [ 59 ], Arano di Cellore(N = 13) [ 53 ], Ballabio(N = 3) [ 54 ], Grotta Misa(N = 4) [ 11 ], Scoglietto(N = 10) [ 11 ], La Sassa (this study; N = 3), Pastena(N = 5) [ 10 ], Regina Margherita(N = 9) [ 6 ], Murgia Timone(N = 4) [ 35 ], Madonna di Loreto(N = 2) [ 32 ], Punta di Zambrone(N = 10) [ 93 ]. …”

“…Lastly, to identify eventual breastfeeding-related effects, we compared LS2176 data with those from Italian BA infants (approximately 0–2 years) that were already published [ 6 , 10 , 53 , 59 ] ( Fig 5 ). The results show differences between the toddler living in sites with C4 plants intake and the others.…”

“…LS2176 lies among children from Olmo di Nogara and Bovolone [ 59 ] rather than infants from Regina Margherita and Pastena [ 6 , 10 ], which are only a few kilometers away from the La Sassa cave. Although we cannot rule out a specific mother’s diet, this evidence does not support a specific diet for breastfeeding in Latium sites during the BA.…”

“…C4 plants are characterized by increased adaptability to adverse environmental conditions and frequent harvesting, making them suitable for challenging environments. These species are thought to have been introduced into Europe from the Eurasian region during the Neolithic and arrived in the Italian peninsula in the BA [ 10 , 12 , 32 , 59 ]. So far, the spread of C4 plant consumption seemed to be restricted to Northern and Central Italy in the MBA.…”

“…However, the archaeological, isotopic, and genomic information collected thus far does not fully elucidate the detailed biological and social development of its past populations. In that perspective, it might be beneficial to contribute to unravel the bio-cultural characteristics of people through a diachronic evaluation at the community level in an area already known as a stage for complex cultural and biological dynamics [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Our study aims to explore these dynamics by studying the differences in diet and mobility patterns of people buried in the La Sassa cave in different periods, accounting also for the typological analyses of contemporary pottery.…”