Socioeconomic differences in diet: An isotopic examination of post-Medieval Chichester, West Sussex.
carbon
collagen
nitrogen
paleodiet
status
Journal
American journal of physical anthropology
ISSN: 1096-8644
Titre abrégé: Am J Phys Anthropol
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 0400654
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
04 2020
04 2020
Historique:
received:
12
03
2018
revised:
20
11
2019
accepted:
26
11
2019
pubmed:
14
12
2019
medline:
18
12
2020
entrez:
14
12
2019
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Historical evidence suggests that social hierarchy pervaded all aspects of society in post-Medieval England. This study uses stable isotope analysis to explore the extent to which socioeconomic status and sex affected the dietary habits of the inhabitants of post-Medieval Chichester. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were measured on 40 human burials from the post-Medieval site of St. Michael's Litten (Chichester, West Sussex, England). Samples were selected from three burial types that denoted differing socioeconomic status with roughly equal numbers of males and females: tomb burials (n = 13) for high-status; single coffin burials (n = 14) for middle-status; and shroud burials (n = 13) for low-status individuals. The data showed a largely terrestrial diet with the possibility of some inclusion of marine resources. The isotope results indicate significant variation in the consumption of terrestrial meat (and marine protein) between high-status tomb burials and coffin and shroud burials, showing that socioeconomic status likely played a role in daily dietary patterns. However, the isotope data suggest sex did not influence an individual's diet. These results mirror trends established in status-based studies from elsewhere in post-Medieval England. However, notably absent from the data is evidence for significant marine resource consumption, which is a well-established dietary trend of the late Medieval and early post-Medieval periods. These results indicate post-Medieval Chichester was a socially stratified society with clear implications that the diet of higher status individuals differed significantly from lower status.
Substances chimiques
Carbon Isotopes
0
Nitrogen Isotopes
0
Types de publication
Historical Article
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
584-597Informations de copyright
© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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