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Food at the heart of the Empire

Dietary reconstruction for Imperial Rome inhabitants

Bibliographic Data

ID5404333
AuthorsF De Angelis (0000-0002-4747-2385, University of Rome Tor Vergata, corresponding author), Sara Varano (University of Rome Tor Vergata), Andrea Battistini (0000-0002-8837-268X, Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma), Stefania Di Giannantonio (Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma), Paola Ricci (0000-0002-7652-8915, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"), Carmine Lubritto (0000-0003-0009-1400, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"), Giulia Facchin (Roma Tre University), Luca Brancazi (0000-0002-5091-2038, Sapienza University of Rome), Riccardo Santangeli-Valenzani (Roma Tre University), Paola Catalano (Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma), Valentina Gazzaniga (0000-0003-2110-4856, Sapienza University of Rome), Olga Rickards (0000-0003-2880-7466, University of Rome Tor Vergata), Cristina Martinez‐labarga (0000-0003-0439-0379, University of Rome Tor Vergata), Cristina Martinez-Labarga
Year2020
Volume12
Issue10
Publication date2020-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeological and Anthropological Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1866-9557 • E-ISSN: 1866-9565
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s12520-020-01194-z
OpenAlexW3087855645
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited70

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, C3plants played a pivotal role in the dietary habits. However, C4plants 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

Archaeology · Biology · Consumption (sociology · Empire · Geography · Isotope analysis · Social science · Sociology · Stable isotope ratio · Trophic level · δ13C · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Ecology

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Unique citing works14
Citations per year2,33
Citation span2020 - 2026 (7)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 12
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