Abstract
Dietary indicators in preserved human bone were studied and compared to reconstructed diet for a sample of individuals who lived in southern Ontario in the 19th century. Stable isotopes of carbon were analyzed in preserved bone collagen and in foods. Foods were prepared following recipes in historical documents and using traditional cookware. Raw ingredients and finished baked goods and stew were analyzed. Results indicate small differences in δ13c between raw and cooked foods, on the order of around 1.2‰ or less. A comparison of the mean δ13C value of the reconstructed diet with the δ13C values in human bone collagen provides an estimate of diet-to-collagen spacing of 5.6‰ before correction for the difference between the present and past foodweb carbon isotopic composition.
A number of trace elements were analyzed in food and in bone mineral. Trace element levels in foods varied considerably in some cases between raw and cooked foods. Most notably, iron was absorbed from the cooking pot and from water, particularly in foods such as barley and beef. Strontium values, which are higher in raw vegetables than in uncooked beef, homogenized in the stew such that cookedmeat and vegetables, were indistinguishable.
Stable isotope values for both carbon and nitrogen exhibit little variation between the sexes and among all age classes except for infants. Infant δ13N values are elevated due to the effect of breast-feeding. These findings match historic documents indicating that while food was plentiful, there was little variation in the daily fare.
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Katzenberg, M.A., Saunders, S.R., Abonyi, S. (2002). Bone Chemistry, Food and History: A Case Study from 19th Century Upper Canada. In: Ambrose, S.H., Katzenberg, M.A. (eds) Biogeochemical Approaches to Paleodietary Analysis. Advances in Archaeological and Museum Science, vol 5. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47194-9_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47194-9_1
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