La Sassa cave: Isotopic evidence for Copper Age and Bronze Age population dynamics in Central Italy.

ABSTRACT: This study focuses on the changes in diet and mobility of people buried in the La Sassa cave (Latium, Central Italy) during the Copper and Bronze Ages to contribute to the understanding of the complex contemporary population dynamics in Central Italy. To that purpose, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses, strontium isotope analyses, and FT-IR evaluations were performed on human and faunal remains from this cave. The stable isotope analyses evidence a slight shift in diet between Copper and Bronze Age individuals, which becomes prominent in an individual, dating from a late phase, when the cave was mainly used as a cultic shelter. This diachronic study documents an increased dietary variability due to the introduction of novel resources in these protohistoric societies, possibly rela

SUBMITTER: Romboni M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10370757 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature