Dietary behaviors and identity through stables isotopes analysis in the protestant cemetery of St. Matthew, Quebec City (1771-1860)

Summary

The objective of this study is to use stable isotope analysis on human remains of a sub-sample of the St. Matthew’s cemetery (Quebec, 1771-1860), to explore how dietary behaviors could have varied in relation to mobility patterns. As diet is closely related to original or adopted culture of an individual, it partly informs us on identity and ‘cultural’ changes through life.Preliminary stable isotopic projects focusing on bone collagen (C and N) allowed us to confirm that this Canadian population had a rather European-like diet. Further analyses focusing on the enamel portion (C, O, Sr) of second molars supported the various origins of the people buried in this cemetery as suggested by archives and gravestones. The latest study adds isotopic data (C, N, S) from the dentin (M2, M3), and results are compared with previous data to explore dietary variations throughout life, especially for those who migrated.

Cite this Record

Dietary behaviors and identity through stables isotopes analysis in the protestant cemetery of St. Matthew, Quebec City (1771-1860). Rémi Toupin, Isabelle Ribot, Jean-François Hélie, Fanny Morland, Denny Caron. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. 2014 ( tDAR id: 437409)

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): POS-98,30