The impact of social status and biological sex on diet at 10th century CE Hungarian sites from stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses

Abstract

Stable isotope analysis is a valuable tool to determine the diet of past societies, as well as the relationship that diet has with biological sex and social class. In this research, we performed stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on individuals from four 10th century CE Hungarian sites (Karos-Eperjesszög, Tiszanána, Bodroghalom, and Üllő-Ilona út) to determine if their diet was affected by their sex or social status. We also compared these sites with Kenézlő-Fazekaszug, our previously published, contemporaneous site. The study yielded some unexpected results, indicating that elevated social status was not a reliable indicator of high animal protein consumption among the residents of the upper class Karos site. Additionally, the results suggested that biological sex was only a factor in animal protein consumption at the putative middle-class sites, such as Tiszanána. With its comprehensive sampling, this research provides new stable isotopic data to the Central and Eastern European database, as well as exciting results about a crucial period in Hungarian history. It may also serve as the impetus for future stable isotope analyses of other 10th century Hungarian sites.