Paleodiet Reconstruction of Human Remains from the Archaeological Site of Natfieh, Northern Jordan

Abstract

ABSTRACT. This investigation concerns human teeth and bones from the site of Natfieh, north Jordan. Nitrogen and carbon isotope analyses were used to model the paleo-economy by reconstructing Natfieh's paleodiet during a specific time period. 14 C dating of human teeth and bones from the site of Natfieh, north Jordan, demonstrate that they belong to the Early Roman period and match the archaeological date from the tomb and grave goods typology. Stable isotope analyses of these humans have provided new information about the subsistence and society of individuals buried at Natfieh. Natfieh is today agriculturally productive and must have been so in antiquity with most of the foodstuffs having been produced locally. The long distance between Natfieh and the closest aquatic food source (Mediterranean Sea and Lake Tiberias) and the high cost of land transportation might be the reason for the low consumption of marine protein. The results agree with past research on the Roman diet showing that plants were the common source of food for the Romans and fish may have been restricted to elite members of the society.

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

“…Yet they gave information on (1) sampling strategy for further studies (e.g., location and anatomical region), and (2) on possible paleodietary differences between Chalcolithic and Bronze Age individuals (Goude et al in press). In Jordan, Al-Shorman (2004) studied the enamel 613C of several Middle/Late Bronze Age individuals buried in three different tombs, and demonstrated that their diet was mainly based on C3 plants, as mentioned also by King (2001) for later periods in the same area (King 2001in Al Bashaireh et al 2010. Finally, a diachronic study conducted in Egypt on Predynastic and Dynastic individuals (ca.…”

“…Moreover, the Upper Paleolithic and MesolithicNeolithic transition as well as changing food consumptions of costal populations were, and still are, favored research areas (e.g., Richards et al 2001;Pettitt et al 2003;Garcia Guixe et al 2006;Lai et al 2007;Mannino et al 2008). Antiquity and the Middle Ages have been less studied, but research topics on diet, weaning and mobility have increased over the past few years (e.g., Bourbou and Richards 2007;Al Bashaireh et al 2010). …”

“…Indeed, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses conducted on teeth, in Jordan on the site of Natfieh (1st BC to 4th AD), bear witness to an identical dietary pattern throughout childhood, based on terrestrial animal protein, which the author interpreted as reflecting similar social status (Al Bashaireh et al 2010). While few studies were conducted on the Near East, major work in the Mediterranean was conducted by Prowse et al on the famous site of Isola Sacra Necropolis (NIS, lst-3rd AD).…”

Subsistence strategies and palaeodiet of Tell al-Husn, northern Jordan: nitrogen and carbon stable isotope evidence and radiocarbon dates

“…The samples were chemically pretreated and dated at the NSF-Arizona Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Laboratory following the standard lab protocols. The sample preparation and measurement details were described in Al-Bashaireh et al (2010, 2011. The samples were sonicated in deionized water to remove surface contaminants.…”

“…For decades, the stable isotope analysis of bone collagen has been widely used to reconstruct aspects of archaeological human and animal diets from a range of periods and geographical locations (Vogel and Van der Merwe, 1977;Chisholm et al, 1983;Richards et al, 1998;Al-Bashaireh et al, 2010;Petroutsa and Manolis, 2010). The reconstruction of paleodiets using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes assumes that the 13 C and d 15 N values of the possible components of the diet are known.…”