How royals feasted in the court of Pedro I of Castile: A contribution of stable isotope study to medieval history

Study of the human remains of King Pedro I of Castile (1334–1369), his wife Queen Maria of Padilla (c. 1334– 1361), and three other members of his family offered the possibility to investigate the diet of an elite in the me dieval Iberian Peninsula by analyzing δ15N and δ13C values in collagen samples of their bones. Two medieval archeological samples were selected for comparative purposes: a Christian sample (n = 5) from Palacios de la Sierra (Burgos), and a Muslim sample (n = 5) from La Torrecilla (Granada). Results obtained were compared with published data on other medieval populations of the Iberian Peninsula with the aim of improving knowl edge on the diet of medieval populations, especially elite groups. Differences in the consumption of C3 and C4 plants were observed between Christians and Muslims, as previously reported. δ15N values indicated social class differences. The diet of the Royal Family was characterized by mainly C3 plants and an extremely high an imal protein intake characteristic of carnivores. These results are consistent with historical data on the life cir cumstances of this family.Proyecto HAR2016-75788-P del Gobierno de Españ

Southern French Neolithic populations : isotopic evidence for regional specificities in environment and diet

The Middle Neolithic of the Northwestern Mediterranean area ( 4500-3500 BC cal) is characterized by the development of food production techniques as well as by increasing social complexity. These characteristics could have had an impact on human dietary patterns. To evaluate human dietary practices and lifeways of the Middle Neolithic populations from the South of France, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis was carried out on 57 human and 53 faunal bones from seven archaeological sites located in the Languedoc and Garonne regions between 20 and 100 km from the Mediterranean Sea, respectively. Results show regional differences in carbon isotope values. Animal and human bones from the Languedoc region are significantly enriched in 13C relative to the Garonne. Conversely, human and dog bones from the Garonne region are significantly enriched in 15N compared to human and dog bones from the Languedoc region. These results highlight the importance of the local ecosystem in human and animal diet as well as a regional differentiation of palaeodietary behavior, which probably relates to economic and social factors. The comparison of stable isotope data with archaeological and biological evidence does not show any significant intra- or interpopulation differences. However, the presence of human outliers suggests that migration probably occurred, perhaps in relation to the trade of animals and/or materials. This study also highlights the importance of investigating local animal stable isotope values for the interpretation of human palaeodiet