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Beyond faith: Biomolecular evidence for changing urban economies in multi‐faith medieval Portugal
Author(s) -
Toso Alice,
Schifano Simona,
Oxborough Charlotte,
McGrath Krista,
Spindler Luke,
Castro Anabela,
Evangelista Lucy,
Filipe Vanessa,
Gonçalves Maria José,
Marques Antonio,
Mendes da Silva Inês,
Santos Raquel,
Valente Maria João,
McCleery Iona,
Alexander Michelle
Publication year - 2021
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.24343
Subject(s) - islam , faith , politics , middle ages , socioeconomic status , geography , middle east , economy , history , sociology , political science , demography , archaeology , economics , population , law , theology , philosophy
Objectives During the Middle Ages, Portugal witnessed unprecedented socioeconomic and religious changes under transitioning religious political rule. The implications of changing ruling powers for urban food systems and individual diets in medieval Portugal is poorly understood. This study aimed to elucidate the dietary impact of the Islamic and Christian conquests. Materials and Methods Radiocarbon dating, peptide mass fingerprinting (ZooMS) and stable isotope analysis (δ 13 C, δ 15 N) of animal (n = 59) and human skeletal remains (n = 205) from Muslim and Christian burials were used to characterize the diet of a large historical sample from Portugal. A Bayesian stable isotope mixing model (BSIMM) was used to estimate the contribution of marine protein to human diet. Results Early medieval (8–12th century), preconquest urban Muslim populations had mean (±1 SD ) values of −18.8 ± 0.4 ‰ for δ 13 C 10.4 ± 1 ‰ for δ 15 N, indicating a predominantly terrestrial diet, while late medieval (12–14th century) postconquest Muslim and Christian populations showed a greater reliance on marine resources with mean (±1 SD ) values of −17.9 ± 1.3‰ for δ 13 C and 11.1 ± 1.1‰ for δ 15 N. BSIMM estimation supported a significant increase in the contribution of marine resources to human diet. Discussion The results provide the first biomolecular evidence for a dietary revolution that is not evidenced in contemporaneous historical accounts. We find that society transitioned from a largely agro‐pastoral economy under Islamic rule to one characterized by a new focus on marine resources under later Christian rule. This economic change led to the naissance of the marine economy that went on to characterize the early‐modern period in Portugal and its global expansion.