The Pastena cave is located in central Italy, and its best-preserved sector is Grotticella W2, which is dated radiometrically to the Early-Middle Bronze Age. The aim of this paper is to explore human diet, animal husbandry, and plant management, analysing the findings there discovered. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis was carried out on 40 charred seeds, six faunal remains, and four human individuals, investigating the whole bio-archaeological material available. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first papers presenting stable isotope analysis on carpological remains dated to the Italian Early-Middle Bronze Age. The obtained results are consistent with a diet based on terrestrial protein, mainly on plants, and secondly on animal products. The data suggest that plants, especially broad beans, were partially subjected to human management, while livestock was managed through different husbandry strategies. The cooperation between archaeological studies and molecular analysis allows us to contribute to clarifying the economic strategies for a Central Italian community in a scenario that is still poor in published data.

Cortese, F., De Angelis, F., Achino, K., Bontempo, L., di Cicco, M., Gatta, M., et al. (2022). Isotopic reconstruction of the subsistence strategy for a Central Italian Bronze Age community (Pastena cave, 2nd millennium BCE). ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 14(10) [10.1007/s12520-022-01673-5].

Isotopic reconstruction of the subsistence strategy for a Central Italian Bronze Age community (Pastena cave, 2nd millennium BCE)

Rickards, O;Rolfo, MF
2022-01-01

Abstract

The Pastena cave is located in central Italy, and its best-preserved sector is Grotticella W2, which is dated radiometrically to the Early-Middle Bronze Age. The aim of this paper is to explore human diet, animal husbandry, and plant management, analysing the findings there discovered. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis was carried out on 40 charred seeds, six faunal remains, and four human individuals, investigating the whole bio-archaeological material available. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first papers presenting stable isotope analysis on carpological remains dated to the Italian Early-Middle Bronze Age. The obtained results are consistent with a diet based on terrestrial protein, mainly on plants, and secondly on animal products. The data suggest that plants, especially broad beans, were partially subjected to human management, while livestock was managed through different husbandry strategies. The cooperation between archaeological studies and molecular analysis allows us to contribute to clarifying the economic strategies for a Central Italian community in a scenario that is still poor in published data.
2022
Pubblicato
Rilevanza internazionale
Articolo
Esperti anonimi
Settore L-ANT/01 - PREISTORIA E PROTOSTORIA
Settore BIO/01 - BOTANICA GENERALE
English
Stable isotope analysis
Bronze Age
Central Italy
Crop management
Animal husbandry
Diet reconstruction
Cortese, F., De Angelis, F., Achino, K., Bontempo, L., di Cicco, M., Gatta, M., et al. (2022). Isotopic reconstruction of the subsistence strategy for a Central Italian Bronze Age community (Pastena cave, 2nd millennium BCE). ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 14(10) [10.1007/s12520-022-01673-5].
Cortese, F; De Angelis, F; Achino, K; Bontempo, L; di Cicco, M; Gatta, M; Lubritto, C; Salari, L; Silvestri, L; Rickards, O; Rolfo, M
Articolo su rivista
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Pastena Isotopico Cortese et al 2022.pdf

solo utenti autorizzati

Licenza: Copyright dell'editore
Dimensione 1.18 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.18 MB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia
Pastena_2022.pdf

accesso aperto

Licenza: Non specificato
Dimensione 1.18 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.18 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2108/311045
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 5
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 5
social impact