Isotopic Evidence for Diet Among Historic Bedouin of Khirbat al‐Mudayna, Jordan

Abstract

AbstractInterpreting the behaviours of nomadic groups from the archaeological record is particularly challenging owing to the ephemeral remains produced by their lifestyle. As such, human burials – even from isolated contexts – provide a wealth of information about these transient groups. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of a series of human skeletal remains (n = 22) from isolated burials were utilized to reconstruct the diet of historic (ca. 13th–19th century CE) Bedouin from the Khirbat al‐Mudayna vicinity in modern‐day Jordan. Carbon isotope values ranging from −17.7 to −12.5‰ point to variable dietary contributions from both C3‐ and C4‐based foods, while corresponding faunal δ13C ratios ( = −19.0 ± 1.7‰, 1σ) exhibit depletion in 13C characteristic of a predominantly C3 diet. While mean human δ15N values ( = 12.7 ± 1.9‰, 1σ) may suggest that the majority of protein consumed by these nomads came from animal and not plant sources, elevated δ15N ratios in some fauna may be indicative of 15N‐enriched soils as reported in some arid desert environments. Considerable variability in both δ13C and δ15N values also points to differences in individual life histories and subsistence economies over time. Despite a lack of temporal cohesion, these data illustrate the information that can be gleaned from the isolated interments of nomadic or semi‐nomadic individuals. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.