Stable isotopic analysis of human and animal diets from two pre-Aksumite/Proto-Aksumite archaeological sites in northern Ethiopia

摘要

Carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis was undertaken on well-preserved human and animal skeletal remainsfrom two sites in northern Ethiopia, both of which span the pre-Aksumite and Proto-Aksumite periods.The human remains constitute one individual collected at the site of Etchmare East which was directlyradiocarbon dated to 2290 ± 50 BR. In addition 28 animal bone samples were excavated from the nearby siteof Mezber, occupied from 2960 ± 60 to 1980 ± 50 BP. These results are consistent with those obtained inpalaeoethnobotanical studies, which suggest that some members of pre/Proto-Aksumite society in theHorn of Africa had a diet that favoured the consumption of Near Eastern domesticates over indigenous crops.