Leïa Mion

In Southern France as in other parts of Europe, significant changes occurred in settlement patterns between the end of Antiquity and the beginning of the Middle Ages. Small communities gathered to form, by the tenth century, villages organized around a church. This development was the result of a new social and agrarian organization. Its impact on lifestyles and, more precisely, on diet is still poorly understood. The analysis of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bone collagen from the inhabitants of the well-preserved medieval rural site Missignac-Saint Gilles le Vieux (fifth to thirteenth centuries, Gard, France) provides insight into their dietary practices and enables a discussion about its transformation over time. A sample of 152 adult individuals dated from 675 to 1175 AD (75 females, 77 males) and 75 specimens from 16 non-human species were analyzed. Results show the exploitation of freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems as well as various breeding practices specific to each species. The use of both C 4 and halophyte plants for feeding domestic animals was also observed. Concerning human dietary practices, a change seemed to occur at the beginning of the tenth century with an increase of δ 15 N values and a decrease of δ 13 C values. This corresponds to the introduction of a significant amount of freshwater resources into the diet and could be related to the evolution of the Catholic doctrine. A concomitant diversification of access to individual food resources was also observed, probably linked to the increased diversity of practice inside a population otherwise perceived as one community.

In Southern France as in other parts of Europe, significant changes occurred in settlement patterns between the end of Antiquity and the beginning of the Middle Ages. Small communities gathered to form, by the tenth century, villages organized around a church. This development was the result of a new social and agrarian organization. Its impact on lifestyles and, more precisely, on diet is still poorly understood. The analysis of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bone collagen from the inhabitants of the well-preserved medieval rural site Missignac-Saint Gilles le Vieux (fifth to thirteenth centuries, Gard, France) provides insight into their dietary practices and enables a discussion about its transformation over time. A sample of 152 adult individuals dated from 675 to 1175 AD (75 females, 77 males) and 75 specimens from 16 non-human species were analyzed. Results show the exploitation of freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems as well as various breeding practices specific to each species. The use of both C 4 and halophyte plants for feeding domestic animals was also observed. Concerning human dietary practices, a change seemed to occur at the beginning of the tenth century with an increase of δ 15 N values and a decrease of δ 13 C values. This corresponds to the introduction of a significant amount of freshwater resources into the diet and could be related to the evolution of the Catholic doctrine. A concomitant diversification of access to individual food resources was also observed, probably linked to the increased diversity of practice inside a population otherwise perceived as one community.

Analyses of dietary patterns can provide indications on changing lifestyles and acculturation processes in populations over time. In this study, focusing on the specific context of northern Gaul between the third and the early fifth century AD, we attempted to identify the impact of Roman culture on dietary patterns. The aim was to contribute to this research question by analysing the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) contained in the organic and inorganic phases of the teeth and bones of adult subjects from the Îlot de la Boucherie site in Amiens (Somme, Northern France) defining the contemporary diet and how it evolved over the lifetime of individuals. The subjects sampled (N = 33) form a homogenous group regarding their diet, with no significant variation between childhood and adulthood. A comparison of δ13C values in humans and domestic animals (N = 28) showed that the human tissues were significantly richer in 13C, reflecting the consumption of either a type C4 resource such as millet or sea food resources at a low level in the food chain, such as shellfish. The relatively low δ15N values in the human sample suggest a diet containing little animal protein. The diet thus described in this population differs from the results published for the rest of the Roman Empire.