Reconstruction of the Diet at the Iron Age Site of Cvijina Gradina, Croatia

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Cvijina Gradina, located along the Zrmanja River in present day Croatia, was once one of the largest Liburnian settlements during the Iron Age period (6th – 1st century BC). The settlement was prominent in the region’s economic and sociopolitical sphere, leaving behind significant bioarchaeological evidence of diet to be researched. Based on the fragmentary skeletal material excavated at eight grave sites, the MNI is determined to be 41. This study reconstructs the diet of the Iron Age site of Cvijina Gradina through interpretations of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios. Previous research into the diet of Iron Age settlements at nearby sites suggested that Croatian Iron Age diet was composed predominantly of C3 plants and generally low δN15 values. Researchers theorize this diet was primarily herbivorous, with little contribution from marine food sources. This research contributes to our understanding of regional variability in Iron Age diets. It also establishes a baseline for considering how Romanization during the onset of the first millennium impacted the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24490