Baseline isotopic variability in plants and animals and implications for the reconstruction of human diet in 1 st century AD Pompeii.

ABSTRACT: While Pompeii has long captured the imagination with its history and tragic end, recent efforts have shifted towards unveiling everyday lifeways. Our study seeks to explore agricultural and husbandry practices in Pompeii, aiming to explore isotopic variability of different food categories available to the Romans within this unique "snapshot" scenario. To do so, we deploy stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of plants and animals. Our findings suggest a diversity of practices, with isotopic variation in C₃ cereals and legumes pointing to the use of a greater variety of cultivation techniques compared to arboreal crops. We highlight distinct management regimes utilised for different animal species and we uncover a spectrum of aquatic environments, indicative of diversity of

SUBMITTER: Soncin S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12319099 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature