Diet at ancient Helike, Achaea, Greece based on stable isotope analysis: From the Hellenistic to the Roman and Byzantine periods

Abstract

Earthquakes and subsidence are common occurrences in the Helike Delta and caused serious destruction in the ancient city of Helike in 373BCE. Archaeological excavations have uncovered artifacts and inhumation burials in the area, which indicate that resettlement began in the Late Classical/Hellenistic period (late 4th to 2nd centuries BC) and was continuous through to the late Byzantine period (14th to 15th centuries AD). This temporal continuity provides the opportunity to explore dietary resource use in this region of Greece. In addition, it allows for the comparison of dietary resource use between the Byzantine and earlier periods. Meat was prohibited on the numerous Orthodox Christian fasting days but fish and shellfish were acceptable substitutes. If religious practices influenced dietary customs, this may be visible in the stable isotope ratios of Christian era human skeletal remains from Helike.Bone collagen from twenty-four individuals from the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods at Helike was analyzed for its stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values. The results suggest that the Hellenistic individuals consumed more marine dietary resources than the later Byzantine individuals, as indicated by higher stable carbon isotope values. The Roman period individuals show values indicative of primarily terrestrial resource use with fewer marine additions. Given the geological history of Helike, the Hellenistic individuals may be distinctive because of access to a temporary lagoon that formed after the earthquake of 373BCE. This lagoon may have offered a broader spectrum of aquatic resources to Helike's inhabitants, causing dietary differences between the Hellenistic and later periods.Despite the constant availability of terrestrial and marine resources at Helike, lagoon resources appear to have contributed to the diet only at certain times. This study demonstrates the importance of taking into account seismic activity and changing landscapes when reconstructing past diet over a large time span. What may be assumed to be cultural dietary differences may in fact be the result of environmental differences.