The evolution of diet during the 5th to 2nd millennium BCE for the population buried at Tepe Hissar, north-eastern Central Iranian Plateau: The stable isotope evidence

Abstract

This study investigated subsistence economy and dietary changes during the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages (the 5th to 2nd millennium BCE) in the Central Iranian Plateau through a study of skeletal remains buried at Tepe Hissar, Iran. Tepe Hissar experienced widespread socio-cultural and economic transitions during this period. These changes were accompanied by conflict, site abandonment, and reoccupation. This research hypothesised that these socio-cultural and economic changes impacted the subsistence economy and diet of the population. δ13C and δ15N was analysed in human bone collagen from 69 adult male and female skeletons from Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Tepe Hissar (Hissar I, II, and III Period). The data showed no significant change in diet during this time, with both sexes from different age-categories having a similar diet. This data did not support the working hypothesis stating that some dietary changes, probably, had occurred in this long period. The isotopic evidences suggested a mixed diet based on C3 terrestrial plants, animal protein, and a small proportion of fresh water resources. Thus the Tepe Hissar population may have had access to similar food resources during the three millennia of its existence, possibly due to climate continuity in this region. However, the remarkable cultural changes evidenced at this site appear not to have had a significant impact on the diet of people during this time.