Paleodieta osób pochowanych w grobach szkieletowych z późnej epoki brązu – wybrane przykłady / Paleodiet of individuals buried in inhumation graves at the Late Bronze Age cemetery – selected cases

Abstract

For the analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, three samples were taken: two from human bones and one from an animal bone. The values of δ13C measured in human remains were similar and range from -14.3‰ to -14‰, and δ15N from 7.8‰ to 8.1‰. For animal bones, these values were much lower, with δ13C at -20.9‰, and δ15N at 5.8‰. The obtained data clearly indicate a significant share of millet (C4 plant) in the diet of the people buried at the cemetery in Gogolin. For the Lusatian culture communities, the consumption of millet has been determined in isotopic studies of other necropolies, such as Kraków-Wyciąże, site 5, but δ13C values obtained for individuals buried there were lower and ranged from -17.8‰ to -17.6‰. The presence of millet in the materials of the Lusatian culture has also been directly confirmed by preserved plant remains and grain imprints on clay vessels. The fact that the δ15N values acquired for humans were only slightly higher than the value obtained for the analysed cattle bone proves that the diet of the Gogolin population was based mainly on plant products and was supplemented with animal protein only to a small degree. Such a composition of the consumed food is typical of a settled population with a dominance of land cultivation in subsistent strategy, and at the same time reflects the type of economy postulated for the Lusatian culture communities. Consequently, the diet of the individuals buried at the cemetery in Gogolin clearly differs from the diet of a mobile, pastoral community.