Premium
The Middle Byzantine menu: palaeodietary information from isotopic analysis of humans and fauna from Kastella, Crete
Author(s) -
Bourbou C.,
Richards M. P.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/oa.855
Subject(s) - isotope analysis , fauna , weaning , byzantine architecture , stable isotope ratio , biology , geography , ecology , zoology , archaeology , physics , quantum mechanics
We report here on the measurements of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes of bone collagen from the Middle Byzantine site of Kastella, in the city of Heraklion, on the island of Crete, Greece. The data derived from the analysis suggest a diet based primarily on terrestrial, C 3 protein, probably from animal sources, with the inclusion of some marine protein. The adult diet at this site is relatively uniform, with no detectable differences between average isotopic values for males and females. We also found that bone collagen δ 15 N values for a small number of juveniles decreased to adult levels after the age of two years, indicating that weaning occurred at or before this age. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.