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Diet, society, and economy in late medieval S pain: Stable isotope evidence from Muslims and Christians from G andía, V alencia
Author(s) -
Alexander Michelle M.,
Gerrard Christopher M.,
Gutiérrez Alejandra,
Millard Andrew R.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.22647
Subject(s) - faith , human settlement , livestock , isotope analysis , geography , biology , archaeology , ecology , theology , philosophy
This article investigates the diets of neighboring Christians and Muslims in late medieval Spain (here 13th–16th centuries) through the analysis of the stable isotopes of carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) in adult human and animal bone collagen. Twenty‐four Christians and 20 Muslims are sampled from two adjacent and contemporaneous settlements in the township of Gandía on the Mediterranean coast, together with the remains of 24 animals. Statistical differences in both δ 13 C and δ 15 N reveal that the diets of the two faith communities differed, despite living side‐by‐side. These differences may relate to inequalities in their access to foodstuffs, particularly to C 3 /C 4 grain and/or possibly terrestrial meat sources, though cultural preferences are also highlighted. Isotopic values for animals were also found to vary widely, both between and within species, and this provides a window into the local livestock economy. Am J Phys Anthropol 156:263–273, 2015. © 2014 The Authors. American Journal of physical Anthropology published by Wiley Periodicals,Inc.