Food at the heart of the Empire. Dietary reconstruction for Imperial Rome inhabitants

This paper aims to provide a broad diet reconstruction for people buried in archaeologically defined contexts in Rome (first to third centuries CE), in order to combine archaeological and biological evidence focusing on dietary preferences in Imperial Rome. A sample of 214 human bones recovered from 6 funerary contexts was selected for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. The baseline for the terrestrial protein component of the diet was set using 17 coeval faunal remains recovered from excavations at Rome supplemented by previously published data for the same geographic and chronological frames. δ13C ranges from − 19.9 to − 14.8‰, whereas δ15N values are between 7.2 and 10.0‰. The values are consistent with an overall diet mainly based on terrestrial resources. All the human samples rely on a higher trophic level than the primary consumer faunal samples. Certainly, C3 plants played a pivotal role in the dietary habits. However, C4 plants also seem to have been consumed, albeit they were not as widespread and were not always used for human consumption. The environment played a critical role also for Romans of lower social classes. The topographical location determined the preferential consumption of food that people could obtain from their neighborhood

Archaeological excavations in Jerusalem, Holy Sepulchre. A preliminary report

Aim of the contribution is the presentation of the results of the archeological excavations conducted by a team of the University of Rome Sapienza inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as part of a project to restore the floor of the complex. The project wanted by the main Communities that have custody of the Holy Sepulchre (Orthodox Patriarchate, Custody of the Holy Land, Armenian Patriarchate). Preliminary data from the investigated areas are presented. In the north aisle and in the north-western part of the Rotunda excavations allowed to understand the settlement levels from the quarry to the recent events. Geological, archaeozoological and archaeobotanical analysis provide important indications for a better understanding of the archaeological complex. Although the work is still in progress, a few first considerations can be advanced

Was the cinta senese pig already a luxury food in the late middle ages? Ancient dna and archaeozoological evidence from central italy

The Cinta senese is a pig breed, highly esteemed for its meat and derived products, characterized by a black coat with a typical white "belt" and documented by scant iconography, since the 13(th)-14(th) century in Italy. A piece of pottery showing a Cinta pig was found in the Graffignano castle (Northern Latium, Italy) dated 15th-16th centuries, spurring us to investigate the diet of the inhabitants. Ancient DNA analysis was carried out on 21 pig specimens on three nuclear SNPs: (1) g.43597545C>T, on the KIT gene, informative for the identification of the Cinta senese breed; (2) rs81460129, on an intergenic region in chr. 16, which discriminates between domestic pigs and wild boars, and; (3) a SNP on the ZFY/ZFX homologous genes, to determine the sex of the individuals. Our results indicate that the Cinta senese was present in Northern Latium in Late Medieval time, although it was not the only breed, and that pigs, including Cinta, interbred with wild boars, suggesting free-range breeding for all types of pigs. Moreover, the unexpected high proportion of young females may be considered as evidence for the wealth of the family inhabiting the castle

The edge of the Empire: diet characterization of medieval Rome through stable isotope analysis

This paper aims to define the dietary profile of the population of early medieval Rome (fifth–eleventh centuries CE) by carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. This period was characterized by deep changes in the city’s economic, demographic, and social patterns, probably affecting its inhabitants’ nutritional habits. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of bone collagen was used to detect the nutritional profile of 110 humans from six communities inhabiting the city center of Rome and one from the ancient city of Gabii. Thirteen faunal remains were also analyzed to define the ecological baseline of the medieval communities. The isotopic results are consistent with a diet mainly based on the exploitation of C3 plant resources and terrestrial fauna, while the consumption of aquatic resources was detected only among the San Pancrazio population. Animal protein intake proved to be similar both among and within the communities, supporting a qualitatively homogenous dietary landscape in medieval Rome. The comparison with isotopic data from the Imperial Age allowed us to detect a diachronic nutritional transition in ancient Rome, in which the collapse of the Empire, and in particular the crisis of economic power and the trade system, represented a tipping point for its population’s nutritional habits

Food at the heart of the Empire: dietary reconstruction for Imperial Rome inhabitants

This paper aims to provide a broad diet reconstruction for people buried in archaeologically defined contexts in Rome (first to third centuries CE), in order to combine archaeological and biological evidence focusing on dietary preferences in Imperial Rome. A sample of 214 human bones recovered from 6 funerary contexts was selected for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. The baseline for the terrestrial protein component of the diet was set using 17 coeval faunal remains recovered from excavations at Rome supplemented by previously published data for the same geographic and chronological frames. delta C-13 ranges from - 19.9 to - 14.8 parts per thousand, whereas delta N-15 values are between 7.2 and 10.0 parts per thousand. The values are consistent with an overall diet mainly based on terrestrial resources. All the human samples rely on a higher trophic level than the primary consumer faunal samples. Certainly, C(3)plants played a pivotal role in the dietary habits. However, C(4)plants also seem to have been consumed, albeit they were not as widespread and were not always used for human consumption. The environment played a critical role also for Romans of lower social classes. The topographical location determined the preferential consumption of food that people could obtain from their neighborhood