17 research outputs found
Isotòpia: A Stable Isotope Database for Classical Antiquity
No full textIsotòpia is an open-access database that contains more than 33,000 stable isotope measurements of bioarchaeological remains dating back to Classical Antiquity (c. 800 BCE - 500 CE). The database collects δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, δ34S, 87Sr/86Sr, 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 208Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/206Pb, and 208Pb/206Pb isotopic measurements from human, animal, and plant archaeological remains
Living and surviving in the Roman Empire: skeletal trauma and strontium isotopes of an individual from Lucus Feroniae (Rome, Italy)
No full textBioarcheologia della classe operaia: il caso studio della necropoli romana di Lucus Feroniae (I-III secolo CE)
No full textLa bioarcheologia permette di comprendere diverse condizioni e circostanze sociali che hanno plasmato la storia umana delle popolazioni nel tempo, come il profilo biologico, lo stato di salute e la qualità della vita. La combinazione di queste informazioni ci permette di ricostruire lo stile di vita delle popolazioni passate. Il nostro studio si propone di ricostruire le storie di quei sottogruppi sociali, come gli immigrati, gli schiavi, i liberti oi veterani di guerra, che spesso sono poco o per nulla considerati dagli autori classici. A tal fine è stato condotto uno studio bioarcheologico sui resti umani provenienti dall’area sepolcrale associata alla città rurale di Lucus Feroniae (I-III sec. CE). Tutti gli individui oggetto di questo studio sono stati sottoposti ad indagini antropologiche per determinarne il profilo biologico. Uno studio paleopatologico è stato condotto su un gruppo selezionato di 52 individui adulti che presentavano lo scheletro in buono stato di conservazione. Questo studio si è concentrato sulle lesioni tipiche della malattia degenerativa delle articolazioni (DJD), sulle ernie di Schmorl e sui traumi. La notevole incidenza in soggetti di età 20-50 anni con lesioni associate a DJD e traumi agli arti superiori, in particolare sul lato destro, nonché la maggiore frequenza di lesioni a carico delle vertebre lombari suggeriscono uno stile di vita fisicamente impegnativo e stressante, probabilmente per attività di lavoro agricolo, data la vocazione rurale della città di Lucus Feroniae. La frequenza dei traumi in questo campione di sepolture è particolarmente elevata e conferma le dure condizioni socio-economiche che gli individui appartenenti alla classe operaia di questo centro rurale hanno dovuto affrontare
Exploring Shifting Roman Subsistence Practises through a Bayesian Meta-Analysis of Isotopic Data
No full textIn our presentation we explore the interplay between shifting human subsistence practises and the
expansion, apogeum and final collapse of the Roman Empire. To achieve this aim, we introduce Isotópia,
a collection of human, animal, and plant stable isotope data (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, δ34S, 87Sr/86Sr)
measured on archaeological material dated between 800 BCE and 500 CE and set within the
geographical extension of the Roman Empire.
The collection of large volumes of archaeological data has been and still is a major topic in this decade’s
archaeology. Much has been recently done in isotopic archaeology, where the diffusion of standard
laboratory protocols and the consequent increasing publication of new datasets across varying historical
periods and geographical locations have enhanced the creation of independent isotopic databases. Once
amassed and curated, also including historical, archaeological and biological meta-data, large
assemblages of isotopic data represent a palimpsest of information providing for new insights on past
human behaviours and lifeways at different scales and resolutions. Many of these collections are part of
the IsoMemo initiative that brings together a network of isotopic databases and pursues an open-access
and collaborative spirit acknowledging each collector’s efforts. This initiative, based at the Max Planck
Institute - Science of Human History, also includes access to modelling tools to model spatio-temporal
archaeological and historical phenomena.
Isotópia is part of this isotopic network and, in combination with other databases (e.g. the CIMA
database on medieval Europe) can now allow for broader meta-analyses of data aiming to explore
temporal shifts in the lifeways of past human populations over more than two millennia. Here, we
employed spatio-temporal modelling tools to focus on dietary shifts and changes in crop and animal
management practises in populations that faced Roman domination. Britain and Italy are two of the
regions that present the highest amount of isotopic measurements and preliminary results from the
meta-analysis suggest a general increase in both δ13C and δ15N during the imperial period. An overall
increase in marine protein consumption, imports of 15N-enriched cereals from north Africa and more
intensive crop manuring and animal husbandry are the main reasons suggested to explain this
phenomenon. A following decrease of δ13C and δ15N values during the Late Antiquity/Migration Period
(c. 300-600 CE) could be then connected with the political and economic collapse of this system,
depopulation processes and different cultural traditions on food consumption derived from incoming
populations.
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Overall our results illustrate the research potential of large-scale meta-analyses of bioarchaeological
data and obtained preliminary results reveal clear links between historical developments and human
lifeways in pre-Roman, Roman and Post-Roman Europe and the Mediterranean
About isotopes, remains, and Classical Antiquity: identifying data gaps in mediterranean bioarchaeological research using the Isotòpia database
No full textOur contribution aims to review potential data gaps in isotopic research for Classical Archaeology through the creation of Isotópia, a database of stable isotope measurements for antiquity. Over the centuries, the legacy of the Greek and Roman civilisations has been studied by generations of antiquaries and historians. Their primary focus was the elite portion of these societies, with research mainly involving historical reconstruction of the gestae of given politicians and the assessment of visible art and monumental remains. In recent decades, a more anthropology-based approach has offered new angles of investigation, such as the application of stable isotope analysis to gain information on subsistence practices and mobility of ‚illiterate‘ society, plus novel environmental perspectives.
Large volumes of isotopic data can provide a different research overview at different scales and resolutions. When combined with multidisciplinary sources of evidence (e.g. written documents, archaeological record, etc.), this approach has proven to be highly effective. Furthermore, the collection of isotopic data across a large spatio-temporal span can be used for a meta-analysis of research gaps. Isotópia highlighted where additional isotopic research in Classical archaeology is needed. It was found that there is a striking disparity in the number of faunal and plant specimens compared to human individuals. This review also revealed a main research focus on 5th Century BCE Greece and in Italy and Britain for the Roman imperial period, with isotopic data for other regions such as Gallia, Pannonia, Dacia, North Africa, and Asia Minor being scarce. This is likely due to a combination of current political circumstances and a disproportion of funding interests for certain locations and periods
Exploring shifts in Roman subsistence practises through a Bayesian meta-analysis of isotopic data
No full textIn our presentation we explore the interplay between shifting human subsistence practises and the establishing,
expansion, apogeum and collapse of the Roman Empire. To achieve this, we introduce “Isotópia”, a collection of
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human, animal, and plant stable isotope data (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, δ34S, 87Sr/86Sr) measured on archaeological material
dated between 800 BCE and 500 CE and set within the geographical extension of the Roman Empire.
The increasing number of isotopic datasets has led to a significant accumulation of data that can be gathered
together within independent databases. Amassed isotopic data, combined with historical, archaeological and biological
metadata, represent a palimpsest of information providing for new insights on past human lifeways at different
scales and resolutions. Isotópia is part of the IsoMemo&Pandora initiatives bringing together a network of
independent isotopic databases and aiming to investigate past human societies via open-access compiled data
and advanced spatio-temporal Bayesian modelling tools.
We combine Isotópia and the CIMA isotopic database on medieval Europe and employ Bayesian models to explore
subsistence practises over nearly two millennia. Preliminary results of the meta-analysis suggest an increase in both
δ13C and δ15N values during the Roman imperial period, which could be explained by a general increase in marine
protein consumption, imports of 15N-enriched cereals from North Africa and more intensive manuring and animal
husbandry. A following decrease of δ13C and δ15N values during the Late Antiquity (300-600 CE) possibly relates to
political and economic collapse, depopulation processes and different cultural traditions derived from incoming
populations but also to climatic and/or environmental changes.
Our results illustrate the research potential of large-scale meta-analysis of bioarchaeological data and obtained
preliminary results reveal clear links between historical developments and human lifeways in pre-Roman, Roman and
Post-Roman Europe
Indagini paleopatologiche e isotopiche su uno scheletro femminile di epoca romana imperiale (Lucus Feroniae, I-III secolo CE)
No full textLa bioarcheologia applicata ai resti umani ci permette di studiare lo stile di vita e le condizioni di salute delle popolazioni del passato. Se applicata al mondo romano, ha il potenziale di restituire informazioni su un segmento della popolazione spesso lasciato in ombra dalle fonti letterarie. Gli schiavi, ad esempio, svolgevano un ruolo fondamentale nell’Impero Romano, sia a Roma che nelle città minori e nei villaggi. Il nostro studio si concentra sull’area sepolcrale associata alla città di Lucus Feroniae. Le indagini archeologiche hanno rivelato che questo centro rurale era abitato da gente del posto, veterani e liberti. Studi paleopatologici preliminari su questa popolazione scheletrica hanno evidenziato un elevato tasso di traumi e lesioni che testimoniano le condizioni di vita della classe lavoratrice in questo centro rurale. Combinando esami macroscopici e analisi radiografiche di un sottocampione di individui provenienti dalla necropoli, siamo riusciti a identificare una giovane donna adulta che mostra lesioni riconducibili a violenza interpersonale. In particolare, la donna presenta un callo osseo sull’ulna destra, verosimilmente formatosi a seguito di una parry fracture. Al fine di esplorare la storia di questa donna, abbiamo abbinato all'evidenza scheletrica uno studio isotopico, per indagarne il possibile luogo d’origine, al fine di inquadrare il suo ruolo all'interno della comunità. L'integrazione di dati isotopici, scheletrici e archeologici, volti alla ricostruzione dell'osteobiografia di questa donna, ha offerto un interessante spaccato di vita della classe lavoratrice della Roma imperiale
Introducing Isotòpia: a stable isotope database for Classical Antiquity
No full textWe present Isotòpia, an open-access database compiling over 36,000 stable isotope measurements (delta 13C, delta 15N, delta 18O, delta 34S, 87Sr/86Sr, 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 208Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/206Pb, and 208Pb/206Pb) on human, animal, and plant bioarchaeological remains dating to Classical Antiquity (approximately 800 BCE - 500 CE). These were recovered from different European regions, particularly from the Mediterranean. Isot & ograve;pia provides a comprehensive characterisation of the isotopic data, encompassing various historical, archaeological, biological, and environmental variables. Isot & ograve;pia is a resource for meta-analytical research of past human activities and paleoenvironments. The database highlights data gaps in isotopic classical archaeology, such as the limited number of isotopic measurements available for plants and animals, limited number of studies on spatial mobility, and spatial heterogeneity of isotopic research. As such, we emphasise the necessity to address and fill these gaps in order to unlock the reuse potential of this database
Reconstruction isotopique du régime alimentaire "méditerranéen" à travers les millénaires
No full textHuman and animal bones, as well as botanical remains recovered from archaeological sites, preserve the carbon, nitrogen and sulphur (δ>13C, δ>15N, δ>34S) signatures of their last years of life. These isotope ratios are connected to the protein portion of the diet and can be used to investigate the dietary strategies of past populations. Several studies have already been undertaken on this topic across the Mediterranean basin. This paper aims at reconstructing the diet in the Mediterranean basin in the past, using a meta-analysis approach on already published isotopic data. The purpose is to identify, if possible, when and how the diet of prehistoric communities changed in what we identify today as "Mediterranean diet", recognised as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2010. A statistical Bayesian method is employed to look at trends and shifts that took place from the Neolithic to the Iron Age (6000-600 BCE ca.). Spatio-temporal models can help us observe how communities dealt with social and economic changes at different times in history: from the rise of farming economies in the Neolithic, and the introduction of metal working in the Copper Age, to the increasing social stratification of the Bronze Age, and the local fragmentation of societies in the Iron Age. Likewise, these models can show us similarities and differences across different areas, to investigate the different feeding strategies applied simultaneously by different communities. Since this approach is completely based on already published data, it offers a non-invasive and non-destructive alternative for reconstructing past diets. Moreover, it allows spatial and chronological gaps in the literature to be identified, thus enabling future invasive and destructive research to be directed towards those areas and periods not yet investigated through stable isotope analysis
Identifying Data Gaps in Isotopic Research for Classical Antiquity
No full textThe development of standard laboratory protocols and the fall in analysis costs for stable isotopes has resulted in an exponential growth of publications that employ isotopic measurements on bioarchaeological remains to answer historical questions. The creation of databases that aggregate this data following specific criteria and metadata structures can offer the possibility of reusing isotopic measurements to address past human lifeways at different scales and resolutions.
“Isotópia” is a database that collects stable isotopic measurements for bioarchaeological remains dating to Graeco-Roman antiquity. Isotopic data is also described by additional metadata fields providing historical, biological, chronological, and geographical information. Reusing this source of data allowed exploring spatiotemporal research gaps for this period. This will set the direction of future isotopic research aiming to improve our knowledge on ancient human lifeways.
Preliminary results of this meta-analysis illustrated a lower representation of isotopic measurements for plants, in comparison to human and animal data. Bone or tooth collagen were the most analysed component as the main research aim was reconstructing past diets. Isotopic measurements for enamel and bioapatite are typically employed to identify past mobility but were in lower numbers. The spatial distribution of sites shows that the majority of the data originates from Britain, Italy, and Greece. In contrast, France, Spain, Portugal and other Mediterranean regions are poorly represented despite their historical importance.
These results illustrate the importance of creating archaeological, anthropological, and historical databases and reuse the data for identifying data gaps and setting new research avenues
