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Isotopic evidence for age-related variation in diet from Isola Sacra, Italy
Tracy L. Prowse,
Henry P. Schwarcz,
Shelley R. Saunders,
Roberto Macchiarelli,
Luca Bondioli,
Corresponding Author
Tracy L. Prowse
Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada
Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorHenry P. Schwarcz
Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada
School of Geography and Geology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorShelley R. Saunders
Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorRoberto Macchiarelli
Faculté des-Sciences-Fondamentales et Appliquées, Université de Poitiers, 86022 Poitiers, France
Search for more papers by this authorLuca Bondioli
Sezione di Antropologia, Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico “L. Pigorini,” 00144 Rome, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorTracy L. Prowse,
Henry P. Schwarcz,
Shelley R. Saunders,
Roberto Macchiarelli,
Luca Bondioli,
Corresponding Author
Tracy L. Prowse
Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada
Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorHenry P. Schwarcz
Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada
School of Geography and Geology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorShelley R. Saunders
Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorRoberto Macchiarelli
Faculté des-Sciences-Fondamentales et Appliquées, Université de Poitiers, 86022 Poitiers, France
Search for more papers by this authorLuca Bondioli
Sezione di Antropologia, Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico “L. Pigorini,” 00144 Rome, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
This study examines collagen (N = 105) and apatite (N = 65) data from an Imperial Roman skeletal sample from the necropolis of Isola Sacra (Rome, Italy). This paper explores correlations between the isotopic composition of bone samples and the inferred age and sex of these individuals (aged 5–45+ years). The collagen of males, and older individuals in general, was significantly enriched in 15N but not 13C. Bone carbonate was somewhat depleted in 13C in some older individuals, suggesting increased consumption of olive oil and possibly wine. Subadults (>5 years) in the sample appear to have consumed an almost exclusively terrestrial diet. This study demonstrates a clear trend in dietary patterns between adult age groups, as well as between adults and children within a population. Am J Phys Anthropol 128:2-13, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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