Triantaphyllou et al 2008 Stable isotopes analysis Aspis

8/8/2019 Triantaphyllou et al 2008 Stable isotopes analysis Aspis

1/18


2/18

Comit de rdaction : Dominique MULLIEZ, directeur

Catherine AUBERT, adjointe aux publications

Comit de lecture du BCH130 (2006) :Michle BRUNETJean-Pierre SODINIGilles TOUCHAISRen TREUIL

Rvisionet mise au point des textes : Batrice DetournayConception graphique : Velissarios Anagnostopoulos

Ralisation : Velissarios Anagnostopoulos et Break inCoordination de la fabrication : Velissarios Anagnostopoulos

Photogravure

Impression Reliure : Break In s.a.

cole franaise dAthnes 2008 6, rue Didotou GR 10680 Athnes www.efa.gr

Dpositaire : De Boccard dition-Diffusion 11, rue de Mdicis F 75006 Paris www.deboccard.com

ISBN 978-2-86958-204-0Reproduction et traduction, mme partielles, interdites sans lautorisation de lditeur pour tous pays, y compris les tats-Unis.

B U L L E T I ND E C O R R E S P O N D A N C EH E L L N I Q U E

130.2 2006

C O L E F R A N A I S E D A T H N E S


3/18

SOMMAIRE DE LA LIVRAISON

I. tudes

Dimitra MALAMIDOU, Zo TSIRTSONI, Paraskvi YIOUNI, Laurent LESPEZ,Vassilis KILIKOGLOU, Alexandra TSOLAKIDOU,Les poteries nolithiques dcor peint noir sur rouge en Grce du Nord : matires pre-mires et production ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................571-611

Sophia VOUTSAKI

, Albert J. NIJBOER

, Anna PHILIPPA

-TOUCHAIS

, Gilles TOUCHAIS

,Sevi TRIANTAPHYLLOU,Analyses of Middle Helladic Skeletal Material from Aspis, Argos,1. Radiocarbon Analysis of Human Remains.............................................................................................................................................. 613-625

Sevi TRIANTAPHYLLOU, Michael P. RICHARDS, Gilles TOUCHAIS,Anna PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS, Sophia VOUTSAKI,Analyses of Middle Helladic Skeletal Material from Aspis, Argos,2. Stable Isotope Analysis of Human Remains........................................................................................................................................................... 627-637

Denis ROUSSET, Georges TIROLOGOS, Lionel FADIN,Le lotissement de terres Delphes au IIesicle apr. J.-C. Du texte au terrain ..................................................... 639-663

Tony KOZELJ, Katrina PRISTRI, Manuela WURCH-KOZELJ,

Une carrire antique aux environs de Drama ............................................................................................................................................................ 665-675

II. Rapports

RAPPORT SUR LES TRAVAUX DE LCOLE FRANAISE DATHNES EN 2003 ET 2004

LES ACTIVITS DE LEFA: TUDES ET FORMATION LA RECHERCHEpar Dominique MULLIEZ ............................................................................................................................................................................ 679-687

Grce

THASOS par Marina SGOUROU, Francine BLOND, Arthur MULLER, Nicolas BEAUDRY,Markus KOHL, Tony KOZELJ, Giorgos SANIDAS, Jean-Yves MARC, Pierre MOUGIN,

Manuela WURCH-KOZELJ, Yves GRANDJEAN et Franois SALVIAT ........................................................ 688-693

ARGOS par Anne PARIENTE, Christos PITROS, Marcel PIRART,Laurence HAPIOT, Anna PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS et GillesTOUCHAIS ...................................................... 694-721


4/18

KOUPHOVOUNO (LACONIE)par William CAVANAGH, Christopher MEE et Josette RENARD ...............................................................722-727

DLOS par Jean-Charles MORETTI, Ccile DURVYE, Roland TIENNE,Claire HASENOHR, Hlne SIARD, Philippe FRAISSE,

Brigitte BOURGEOIS et Philippe JOCKEY..................................................................................................................................728-751MALIA par Sylvie MLLERCELKA, Robert LAFFINEUR, Isabelle BRADFER-BURDET,

Maia POMADRE et Martin SCHMID ............................................................................................................................................752-763

Chypre

AMATHONTE par Pierre AUPERT, Batrice BLANDIN, Thierry PETIT, Isabelle TASSIGNON,Jean-Paul PRTE, Tony KOZELJ, Manuela WURCH-KOZELJ, Pierre LERICHE,Claire BALANDIER, Floral DANIEL et Sabine FOURRIER .................................................................................. 764-789

Albanie

SOVJAN par Ptrika LERA, Gilles TOUCHAIS ...............................................................................................................................................790-809

APOLLONIA par Pierre CABANES, Jean-Luc LAMBOLEY, Bashkim VREKAJet Shpresa GJONGEAJ .....................................................................................................................................................................................810-833

BILLYS par Pascale CHEVALIERet alii ................................................................................................................................................................834-869

III. Chronique

FOUILLES ET DCOUVERTES ARCHOLOGIQUES CHYPRE EN 2003 ET 2004par Pavlos FLOURENTZOS .................................................................................................................................................................873-919

Rsums ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 921-922 .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................923-924

Abstracts ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................925-926


5/18

TUDES


6/18


7/18

Analyses of Middle Helladic Skeletal Material from Aspis,Argos

2. Stable Isotope Analysis of Human Remains

Sevi TRIANTAPHYLLOU, Michael P. RICHARDS,Gilles TOUCHAIS, Anna PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS, Sofia VOUTSAKI

INTRODUCTION

This paper presents the results of the stable isotope analysis of human skeletons found inintramural graves in the Middle Helladic settlement of the Aspis at Argos1. The analysishas been carried out by M. P. Richards at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary An-thropology (Leipzig), while the results have been processed and interpreted by

S. Triantaphyllou, who is also responsible for the osteological analysis of the skeletons2.While the osteological analysis was undertaken as part of the preparation of the Aspis

assemblage for publication by G. Touchais and A. Philippa-Touchais, the stable isotopesanalysis is part of a wider project, the Middle Helladic Argolid Project3. The aim of thisproject is to reconstruct the social organization of Middle Helladic communities and tointerpret the important social, political and cultural changes that took place in the Argolid

BCH130 (2006)

1. See S. V OUTSAKI, A. J.NIJBOER, A. PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS et al., in this volume, p. 43, n. 1.2. A. PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS, G. TOUCHAIS, with the contribution of S. TRIANTAPHYLLOU, Rapport sur les travaux de

lcole franaise dAthnes en 2001. Argos, Aspis, BCH126 (2002), p. 499-500.3. See S. V OUTSAKI, A. J.NIJBOER, A. PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS et al., in this volume, p. 44, n. 2.


8/18

during the Middle Helladic period. The task is pursued by means of an integrated analysisof funerary, skeletal and settlement data from the Middle Helladic Argolid4.

The contextual analysis of the funerary data has as its main aim to detect and interpretvariation between age, sex, status and burial/kin groups5. The main question is whether

variation in the type, construction and size of graves, as well as in the funerary offeringsaccompanying the dead represent real differences among the living community. The ana-lysis of the skeletal data provides us with information on the sex, age, health and oralstatus of each individual buried in the cemetery as well as the physical activities he/she en-gaged in during his/her life.

The reconstruction of the diet of past people is an important component of this ana-lysis, and has been the focus of human bone studies in recent years 6. In addition to themacroscopic evidence of dental lesions, more elaborate analytical methods, such as stableisotope analysis, have been widely adopted to the identification of dietary patterns7. Theaims of the stable isotope analysis in the Middle Helladic Argolid Project are:

to define the broad dietary patterns of the Middle Helladic communities; to investigate possible differences of the isotopic signals between population sub-

groups within the same cemetery e.g. between age and sex categories, or possible kingroups;

to explore the effect of weaning and breast-feeding on the population of the MiddleHelladic Argolid;

to explore whether there are variations between communities and between differentenvironmental zones (e.g. coastal/inland) within the Argolid.

In order to acquire as complete a picture of dietary variation as possible, we have de-

cided to undertake an extensive programme of analysis8. We have taken human bone

628 S. TRIANTAPHYLLOU, M. P. RICHARDS, G. TOUCHAIS, A. PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS, S. VOUTSAKI

BCH130 (2006)

4. Ibid., p. 44, n. 3.5. A. PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS, Les tombes intra-muros de lHelladique Moyen la lumire des fouilles de lAspis

dArgos, inA. BANAKA, S. HUBER(eds), Sur les pas de Wilhelm Vollgraff. Cent ans dactivits archologiques Argos,Actes du colloque international organis lcole franaise dAthnes par la IVephorie des antiquits prhistoriqueset classiques et lcole franaise dAthnes, 25-28 septembre 2003, RechFH4 (forthcoming).The analysis of thefunerary data from the large cemeteries of the MH Argolid (Lerna, Asine and Argos) is carried out by E. Milka,PhD candidate at the University of Groningen.

6. C. S. LARSEN, Bioarchaeology: Interpreting Behaviour from the Human Skeleton (1997).7. S. H. A MBROSE, Isotopic Analysis of Palaeodiets: Methodological and Interpretative Considerations, in

M.K.SANDFORD (ed.), Investigations of Ancient Human Tissue(1993), p. 59-130; M. P. RICHARDS, R. E. M.

HEDGES, T. MOLLESON, and J. C. VOGEL, Stable Isotope Analysis Reveals Variations in Human Diet at thePoundbury Camp Cemetery Site, JASc 25 (1998), p. 1247-1252; M. P. RICHARDS, J. A. PEARSON,T.I.MOLLESON et al., Stable Isotope Evidence of Diet at Neolithic atal Hyk, Turkey,JASc30 (2003),p.67-76.

8. While the sampling method is destructive, only a very small quantity (5-10g) of rib or other undiagnostic bonefragment is necessary.


9/18

samples from different age and sex subgroups, and from all large and well-documentedcemeteries of the Argolid. Broad age categories were defined as follows: 1) Neonate9 (0-1years), 2) Infant (1-6 years), 3) Child (6-12 years), 4) Juvenile (12-18 years), 5) Youngadult (18-30 years), 6) Prime adult (30-40 years), 7) Mature adult (40-50 years), 8) Old

adult (50 +years). As a result, we have taken 48 samples from Lerna10

, 38 from Asine11

and 7 from Aspis12. We also plan to take samples from the Argos tumuli (excavations bythe late Dr. E. Deilaki), the Prehistoric Cemetery at Mycenae and Midea. We have alsotaken 8 samples of animal bones (of both wild and domesticated animals) from Lerna13 inorder to acquire information over environmental and climatic changes during the period.

STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF PREHISTORIC DIET

Stable isotope analysis of the protein extracted from human bones provides direct infor-

mation on the diet people had during their lifetime. The technique was first applied toreconstruct past human diets in the late 1970s14 and is now increasingly used in manyareas of archaeology. The stable isotopes measured are of the elements carbon and ni-trogen. The isotopic ratio of two isotopes of carbon (12 and 13) is reported as 13C value,

SKELETAL MATERIAL FROM ASPIS. STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS OF HUMAN REMAINS 629

BCH130 (2006)

9. At the end, we did not take samples from neonates, since few rib, or unidentified bone fragments were preserved.

We were reluctant to destroy complete neonatal long bones just for the purpose of our analysis.10. S. TRIANTAPHYLLOU, M. P. RICHARDS, C. ZERNER, S. VOUTSAKI, Stable Isotope Analysis and Prehistoric Diet: a

Case-study from Middle Helladic Lerna, Argolid, Greece,JASc(in press).11. The results of the analyses of human skeletons from Asine will be published by A. Ingvarsson-Sundstrm,

University of Uppsala/Societas Archaeologica Upsaliensis, who is also responsible for the study of the humanskeletal material from Asine and Midea.

12. The number of samples from each cemetery largely depends on the size of the cemetery and the number ofrecovered/preserved burials.

13. We would like to thank Dr. David Reese who gave us permission to sample animal bones from Lerna, andselected the samples.

14. J . C. VOGEL, N. J. VAN DERMERWE, Isotopic Evidence for Early Maize Cultivation in New York State,American Antiquity42 (1977), p. 238-242; M. J. DE NIRO, S. EPSTEIN, Influence of Diet on the Distributionon Carbon Isotopes in Animals, Geoechemica et Cosmochimica Acta 42 (1978), p. 295-406; N. J. VAN DER

MERWE, A. C. ROOSEVELT, J. C. VOGEL, Isotopic Evidence for Prehistoric Subsistence Change at Panama,Venezuela, Nature292 (1981), p. 536-538; N. J. VAN DERMERWE, Carbon Isotopes, Photosynthesis andArchaeology,American Scientist70 (1982), p. 596-606; M. P. RICHARDS, G. J. VAN KLINKEN, A Survey ofEuropean Human Bone Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Values, in A. SINCLAIR, E. STATES, J. GOWLETT(eds.),Archaeological Sciences 1995. Proceedings of a Conference on the Application of Scientific Techniques to theStudy of Archaeology, Liverpool, July 1995(1997), p. 363-368.


10/18

while the ratio of two isotopes of nitrogen (15 and 14) is given as 15N value. As food-stuffs consumed by humans and animals are broken down in the body, carbon andnitrogen atoms from the food are re-deposited in body tissues. Since there are fractiona-tion effects in this process, body tissues have different 13C and 15N values than those of

the food eaten. For bone collagen, the13

C and15

N values indicate the sources of dietaryprotein eaten over many years. The 13C values of various foodstuffs are fairly well known,as are the magnitudes of fractionation effects in the body. It is therefore possible to mea-sure the 13C and 15N values of archaeological human bone collagen and infer what kindof food was consumed.

Stable isotope analysis has made five major contributions to the reconstruction of pasthuman diet:

1. The distinction between C3 and C4plants. The major differences in carbon isotope va-lues in plants occur between plants that use the C3 vs. the C4 photosyntheticpathways. C3 plants include temperate grasses, all trees and shrubs, all fruits and nuts

and cultivated roots and tubers. C4 plants are predominantly tropical grasses inclu-ding some important domesticates such as maize, millet and rice. C4 plants haveheavier 13C than do C3 plants15.

2. The distinction between nitrogen-fixing and non-fixing plants. Because the 15N valueof atmospheric nitrogen is approximately 0 and the 15N of nitrogen in soils canbe much higher, plants which fix atmospheric nitrogen (i.e. legumes) often have lower15N values than plants which do not fix nitrogen16.

3. The distinction between marine and terrestrial foodstuffs. The main carbon source formarine plants and animals (dissolved CO2) has a 13C value approximately 0 whe-reas CO

2

in the atmosphere, the main source of carbon terrestrial plants and animals,has a 13C value of -7 . Therefore, mammals that consume only marine proteinhave 13C values approximately 7 per mil heavier than those that consume only ter-restrial protein. Similarly, 15N values of marine organisms are typically higher thanthose for terrestrial ones, with some values ranging above 20 %17.


BCH130 (2006)

15. W. F. KEEGAN, Stable Isotope Analysis of Prehistoric Diet, in M. Y. ISAN, K. A. R. KENNEDY(eds.), Recon-struction of Life from the Skeleton (1989), p. 223-236.

16. M. A. KATZENBERG, Advances in Stable Isotope Analysis of Prehistoric Bones, in S. R. SAUNDERS,M.A.KATZENBERG (eds.), Skeletal Biology of Past Peoples: Research Methods(1992), p. 105-119.

17. Ibid.


11/18

4. The distinction between freshwater and marine foodstuffs. The 13C values of aquaticplants (from lakes and rivers) and the fish that feed on them may vary widely reflec-ting the contribution of carbon or nitrogen sources respectively18. Often, the 13Cvalues are more terrestrial-like than marine plants and fish, yet have similarly high15

N values.5. It allows us to establish the effect of weaning and breast-feeding in past populations.

Breast-fed children have 15N values approximately three parts per thousand higherthan their mothers19. This is due to the so-called trophic level effect20 whereconsumer bone collagen 15N is enriched by 2-4 parts per thousand over average die-tary protein. By measuring the 15N values of a bone with a high turnover rate such asa rib it is possible to observe generally when weaning occurred in a past population21.

THE ANALYSIS OF HUMAN BONES FROM MIDDLE HELLADIC ASPIS

(i) The osteological analysis

The preliminary results of the osteological study of the Aspis intramural burials have beenpublished recently22, but it is useful to summarize here the main results of the study(Table 1). The population from Middle Helladic Aspis consists of 13 individuals reco-vered within or between the houses of the South-East sector of the settlement. The poorpreservation as well as the moderate skeletal representation of the majority of the skeletalremains put severe restrictions on the macroscopic examination.


BCH130 (2006)

18. H. P. SCHWARTZ, M. J. SCHOENINGER, Stable Isotope Analyses in Human Nutritional Ecology, Yearbook ofPhysical Anthropology34 (1991), p. 283-321.

19. M. L. FOGEL, N. TUROSS, D. OWSLEY, Nitrogen Isotope Tracers of Human Lactation in Modern and ArchaeologicalPopulations. Annual Report of the Director, Geophysical Laboratory, 1988-1989(1989).

20. M. SCHOENINGER, M. J. DE NIRO, Nitrogen and Carbon Isotopic Composition of Bone Collagen from Marine

and Terrestrial Animals, Geochemica et Cosmochimica Acta 48 (1984), p. 625-639.21. M. P. RICHARDS, S. MAYS, B. T. FULLER, Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Values of Bone and Teeth Reflect

Weaning Age at the Medieval Wharram Percy Site, Yorkshire, UK, American Journal of Physical Anthropology119 (2002), p. 205-210.

22. Table 1 contains updated information on the age and sex of the skeletons, and should replace the Table given inA. PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS, G. TOUCHAIS, with the contribution of S. TRIANTAPHYLLOU, loc. cit. (supra, n. 2) p. 500.


12/18

TABLE 1. MIDDLE HELLADIC BURIALS FROM ASPIS

Skeleton no. Phase Grave type Grave goods Sex Age Pathologies

TA 1 MH IIIA Cist 1 small fine cup F 40-50 Vertebral arthritisTA 2 MH IIIA? Rock-cut pit 1 coarse cup F +30 Osteoarthritis

Vertebral arthritisTraumaMusculo-skeletal markers

TA 3 MH IIIA? Pit ? 14-15 Enamel hypoplasia

TA 4 MH IIIA - Pit Bottom of F 30-40 Vertebral arthritisMH IIIB? coarse jar Musculo-skeletal markers

Non specific infectionDental disease

TA 5 MH IIIA? Pit M 30-40 OsteoarthritisVertebral arthritisMusculo-skeletal markersEnamel hypoplasiaDental disease

TA 6 MH IIIA? Pit F 20-30 Enamel hypoplasiaDental disease

TA 7 MH I-II Simple F 18-30inhumation

TA 8 MH I-II Simple F? 30-40 Enamel hypoplasiainhumation Dental disease

TA 9 MH IIIA Simple ? 0-6inhumation mos23

TA 10 MH I- Jar Bowl as cover ? 0-6MH II - of burial jar mosMH IIIA?

TA 11 MH IIIA Simple ? Adult Osteoarthritisinhumation

TA 12 MH IIIA Simple Two cups ? 9-12inhumation mos

TA 13 MH IIIA Simple ? ?

inhumation


BCH130 (2006)

23. Mos stands for months in the case of neonates and early infants (0-1 year).


13/18

Starting with the demographic composition of the Aspis population, we can imme-diately observe that men are clearly under-represented (1 male: 6 female: 2 unsexed in-dividuals). The highest frequency of adult deaths can be observed in the age groups overthirty years old. Furthermore, there are three neonates (TA 9, TA 10 and TA 12) bet-

ween 0 and 12 months and one 14 to 15 years old juvenile individual.As regards the health status of the case study population, two general categories of pa-

thological conditions have been considered: 1) pathological lesions related to themusculo-skeletal system such as osteoarthritis, vertebral arthritis, trauma and musculo-skeletal markers, and 2) physiological stress markers such as non-specific infection,enamel hypoplasia and anaemia. The overall picture of health status is consistent with arelatively high frequency of changes in the musculo-skeletal system of the adult indivi-duals and a moderate development of physiological stress factors. Musculo-skeletalmarkers showed relatively high levels of arthritic changes, strong indications of muscularattachments as well as one case of a possible concurrent fracture on the two forearms of a

woman (TA 2) with evidence of long term healing. Physiological stress markers revealedonly some enamel hypoplasia defects in three individuals (TA 3, TA 6 and TA 8) sugges-ting the effect of stress factors, e.g. dietary or pathogenic, during their developmentalyears. The overall levels of health status of the Middle Helladic population of the Aspis areconsistent with those reconstructed for nearby Lerna24, and for the Argos tumuli25whichalso presented high levels of musculo-skeletal markers and stress factors. The absence ofanaemia from the Middle Helladic population of the Aspis can be attributed to the under-representation of cranial fragments which provide evidence for pathological lesionsrelated to anaemia such as cribra orbitalia on the orbits and porotic hyperostosis on thecranial vault.


BCH130 (2006)

24. S. TRIANTAPHYLLOU, Re-visiting Middle Helladic Lerna: a Re-examination of the Human Skeletal Remains, inAbstracts, 107th Annual Meeting, Archaeological Institute of America, Montreal(2006), p. 72; ead., Prospects forReconstructing the Lives of Middle Helladic Populations in the Argolid: Past and Present of Human Bone

Studies, in A. PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS, G. TOUCHAIS, S. VOUTSAKI, J. WRIGHT (eds.),Mesohelladika. The GreekMainland in the Middle Bronze Age, BCH Suppl. (forthcoming).25. We are here referring to the human skeletons recovered during rescue excavations in Argos by the late Dr.

E. Deilaki (E. PROTONOTARIOU-DEILAKI, Oi tuvmboi tou vArgou~, PhD Diss., University of Athens [1981]). Allextant skeletons from the Argos tumuli (thirty one individuals) have been studied by S. Triantaphyllou; theresults of the osteological analysis will be included in the final publication of the Argos tumuli assemblage.


14/18

(ii) The stable isotope analysis

Seven individuals of different age and sex categories provided rib fragments (Table 2).Out of these seven individuals, one (TA 7) did not provide sufficient bone collagen, whiletwo individuals (TA 1 and TA 3) yielded poor C:N ratios and were therefore not included

in the analysis26.

TABLE 2. STABLE ISOTOPE VALUES FORTHE HUMAN BONE SAMPLES FROM MIDDLE HELLADICASPIS

S-EVA Skel no Sex Age (yrs) Date % 13C 15N %C %N C:NCollagen

1679 TA 1 F 40-50 MH IIIA 0.3 -21.2 10.0 32.8 8.9 4 . 3

1680 TA 2 F +30 MH IIIA? 1.0 -19.7 8.9 40.9 13.9 3 . 4

1681 TA 3 ? 14-15 MH IIIA? 0.3 -21.1 7.8 23.7 7.0 3 . 91682 TA 4 F 30-40 MH IIIA-MH IIIB? 0.5 -19.3 9.1 30.7 10.6 3 . 3

1683 TA 5 M 30-40 MH IIIA? 0.7 -18.9 10.1 36.2 13.0 3 . 2

1684 TA 6 F 20-30 MH IIIA? 0.7 -19.8 8.6 43.0 14.6 3 . 4

1685 TA 7 F 18-30 MH I-II 0.2

The Aspis human stable isotope values are plotted in Figure 1 alongside the animalbone values of Middle Helladic Lerna27 in order to provide a basis for the discussion. Themean human bone collagen 13C and 15N values for the Middle Helladic Aspis popula-tion are 19.4 0.4 and 9.2 0.7, respectively. The stable isotope values cluster in

an area representing a C3 terrestrial type of diet represented by plants such as wheat,barley and legume. However, some individuals, i.e. TA 5 the only male individual andTA 4 (an adult woman), have a slight tendency to show particularly high 15N values sug-gesting heavier reliance on animal protein (meat and dairy products). Interestingly, TA 4and TA 5 were placed one upon the other, which, if done on purpose, may suggest that


BCH130 (2006)

26. All samples that yielded collagen had well-preserved collagen with C:N ratios in the acceptable range (2.9 to3.6), M. J. DE NIRO, Postmortem Preservation and Alteration of in Vivo Bone Collagen Isotope Ratios inRelation to Paleodietary Reconstruction, Nature317 (1985), p. 806-809.

27. S. TRIANTAPHYLLOU, M. P. RICHARDS, C. ZERNER, S. VOUTSAKI, loc. cit. (supra, n. 10).


15/18

the two individuals were related28. It is interesting to note that in Lerna there is a slighttendency for men to exhibit more elevated 15N values than women, although the diffe-rence is not statistically significant. Furthermore, at Aspis there is no indication ofconsumption of marine resources; the same has been observed in nearby Lerna. Gene-rally, the narrow and equal range of values (2.32 in 13C and 2.38 in 15N) impliesa high degree of homogeneity in the diet. Again, similar conclusions were reached inLerna29.


BCH130 (2006)

28. A. PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS, loc. cit. (supra, n. 5); E. MILKA, Contextual Analysis of Middle Helladic Burials fromAspis, Argos, unpublished manuscript (n.d.).

29. S. TRIANTAPHYLLOU, M. P. RICHARDS, C. ZERNER, S. VOUTSAKI, loc. cit. (supra, n. 10).

Figure 1


16/18

Figure 2 presents the mean isotope values of Aspis together with the isotopic signals ofanother four Middle Helladic and Late Helladic populations in the Peloponnese: nearbyLerna30, Kouphovouno in Lakonia31 and Grave Circles A and B at Mycenae32. We canobserve that isotopic values are consistent with an overall C3 terrestrial type of diet, with

some variations ranging from a heavy reliance on plant resources (grains and legumes) inKouphovouno, to a larger intake of animal protein (meat and dairy products) in Aspisand Grave Circle A. Grave Circle A at Mycenae is exceptional, as it provided some evi-dence of consumption of marine resources along with a heavy reliance on animal protein.The overall isotopic signal of the dietary regime at the Aspis does not differ significantlyfrom that observed among the nearby populations of Lerna and Mycenae, Grave CircleB. This suggestion is strengthened if we compare the Aspis and Grave Circle B assem-blages only to the MH III skeletons from Lerna rather than to all Lerna skeletons from allperiods33. The mean 13C and 15N values of the MH III Lerna population are 19.6 0.3 and 8.7 0.7, while the mean 13C and 15N of the Grave Circle B burials (da-ting to MH III and LH I) are 19.4 0.6 and 8.6 1.9, respectively34. The Aspis

results present a slightly elevated mean 15N value (9.2 0.7) which would suggest aheavier reliance on animal protein foodstuffs by the Aspis inhabitants during the lastphase of the Middle Helladic period than their contemporaries in Lerna and Mycenae.The study of the faunal remains provides some evidence for meat consumption duringthe Middle Helladic period at the Aspis; more specifically, the consumption of pork in-creases during the MH II phase, but decreases somewhat in MH III when more beef isconsumed35.


BCH130 (2006)

30. Ibid.31. A. LAGIA, E. PETROUTSA, S. MANOLIS, Health and Diet during the MBA in the Peloponnese: the Site of

Kouphovouno, in C. MEE, J. RENARD (eds.), Cooking Up the Past: Food and Culinary Practices in the Neolithicand Bronze Age Aegean (2007), p. 313-328.

32. M. P. RICHARDS, R. E. M. HEDGES, Stable Isotope Results from the Sites of Gerani, Armenoi and Mycenae, inH. MARTTLEW, Y. TZEDAKIS, M. JONES (eds.),Archaeology Meets Science: Biomolecular and Site Investigations inBronze Age Greece(in print).

33. Most burials in the Aspis are thought to date to the MH III(A?) phase, but their dating is uncertain because of therarity of offerings and the complexity of the stratigraphy. It should be pointed out, however, that some burialsmay date to earlier phases of the MH period (see Table 1). Interestingly, the radiocarbon analysis suggests a date

in MH I-II for TA 4, TA 7 and TA 8. This early date is supported by stratigraphic observations in the case of TA 7and TA 8, but not in the case of TA 4 which has a relative date in the MH III period (S. VOUTSAKI, A. J. NIJBOER,A. PHILIPPA-TOUCHAIS et al., in this volume, p. 52-54.

34. S. TRIANTAPHYLLOU, M. P. RICHARDS, C. ZERNER, S. VOUTSAKI, loc. cit. (supra, n. 10).35. A. GARDEISEN, Trovpoi katanavlwsh~ kai ekmetavlleush~ twn zwvwn sth mesoelladikhv perivodo sto vArgo~ ,

unpublished manuscript (1998).


17/18

CONCLUSION

To conclude, the stable isotope analysis of the Aspis population provided interesting in-formation on peoples diet. The isotopic signal of human bones from the Aspis do notsuggest significantly different dietary regimes, while also the occurrence of pathologicalconditions, and therefore the overall levels of health status do not differ significantly fromthose reconstructed for nearby Lerna and the Argos tumuli. These are the main conclu-sions of the stable isotope analysis of Middle Helladic burials from the Aspis:

the diet of the MH population in the Aspis was fairly homogeneous;

however, the only male individual may have relied more heavily on animal protein,therefore gender may have played a role;

similar observations were made in nearby Lerna.


BCH130 (2006)

Figure 2


18/18

Triantaphyllou et al 2008 Stable isotopes analysis Aspis

Documents

Transcript of Triantaphyllou et al 2008 Stable isotopes analysis Aspis