Stable Isotopic Evidence for Diet at the Imperial Roman Coastal Site of Velia (1st and 2nd Centuries AD) in Southern Italy

摘要

Here we report on a stable isotopepalaeodietary study of a Imperial Roman populationinterred near the port of Velia in Southern Italy duringthe 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Carbon and nitrogenstable isotope analyses were performed on collagenextracted from 117 adult humans as well as a range offauna to reconstruct individual dietary histories. For themajority of individuals, we found that stable isotope datawere consistent with a diet high in cereals, with rela-tively modest contributions of meat and only minor con-tributions of marine fish. However, substantial isotopicvariation was found within the population, indicatingthat diets were not uniform. We suggest that a numberof individuals, mainly but not exclusively males, had greater access to marine resources, especially hightrophic level fish. However, the observed dietary varia-tion did not correlate with burial type, number of gravegoods, nor age at death. Also, individuals buried at thenecropolis at Velia ate much less fish overall comparedwith the contemporaneous population from the necropo-lis of Portus at Isola Sacra, located on the coast close toRome. Marine and riverine transport and commercedominated the economy of Portus, and its people were ina position to supplement their own stocks of fish withimported goods in transit to Rome, whereas at Velia ma-rine exploitation existed side-by-side with land-basedeconomic activities. Am J Phys Anthropol 139:572-583, 2009.