Palaeodiet reconstruction inferred by stable isotopes analysis of faunal and human remains at Bronze Age Punta di Zambrone (Calabria, Italy)

Abstract

AbstractRecent research has shown that the Bronze Age is a crucial period of dietary changes in Italy. Following this line of enquiry, the paper reports the results of stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) of faunal bone collagen as well as of collagen extracted from a few human bones dated to the Recent Bronze Age (13th/12th century BCE) and excavated at the coastal settlement of Punta di Zambrone (PdZ) in Calabria, southern Italy. They constitute the first such data on that period from the Italian south and can be used to determine an isotopic baseline of human food sources providing new insights on the diet of humans inhabiting Calabria.Overall, isotopic data of the faunal samples are fairly uniform, and there is no significant discrepancy to be observed between exclusively herbivorous animals (sheep/goats, bovine, and red deer) and those having a mixed diet, such as dogs and pigs. All the animals have similar δ15N values with only slightly higher values for dog (6.5‰ ± 1.1), and the average of δ15N for both domestic and wild animals fits well with published results for herbivorous mammals. Enriched δ13C values (range between −19.3‰ and −14.9‰) in most of the faunal samples suggest a terrestrial diet dominated by a mixing of C3 and C4 plants (e.g.. millet). The human diet also reflects an impact of C4 plants in accordance with the archaeobotanic remains. In an interregional comparison, PdZ stands out in this respect among the sites of the Italian south. Human remains from northern Italian sites suggest a much stronger intake of C4 plants than at PdZ.