It was a dog's breakfast! A radiocarbon and isotope-based study of dogs exploring dietary change during the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in Denmark

Abstract

This paper examines newly acquired and previously published carbon and nitrogen isotope values in bone collagen from 58 dogs (Canis familiaris) dated to the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. Using the Bayesian mixing model FRUITS, we estimate the marine or freshwater dietary fractions. These estimates, together with a radiocarbon-based Bayesian statistical model, have allowed us to calculate the freshwater reservoir age for selected Danish regions. The Ertebølle and Funnel Beaker cultures display different feeding traditions, and stable isotope values of dogs cannot be used as a direct proxy for reconstructing human diet, as the foodstuffs appear to have been subject to some deliberate differentiation.