Reconstructing medieval diets through the integration of stable isotope and proteomic analyses from two European...

The combined study of stable isotopes and ancient proteins is a very promising approach to reconstructing past human diets. This study uses stable isotope carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) signatures from dental calculus, dentin, and bone of individuals from a monastic cemetery at Dalheim (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) dating to the ninth-twelfth centuries CE. In addition, we examined ancient proteins from the dental calculus of these individuals, complemented by the analysis of a second medieval site in Baar-Früebergstrasse (Zug, Switzerland) dating to the seventh century CE. Isotopic values from the collagen samples from the Dalheim individuals indicated a C₃ plant-based diet and a considerable consumption of proteins from terrestrial animals. The data from dental calculus were highly variable and less correlated with those from dentin or bone collagen. Proteomic analyses revealed dietary proteins from animal and plant sources, including peptides unique to the Fabaceae and Pentapetalae families. Both populations appear to have subsisted on C₃ plants and terrestrial animal meats, with possible dairy intake and additional evidence of freshwater fish consumption. Our study demonstrates that integrating stable isotope data with proteomic data is valuable for more nuanced palaeodietary reconstructions of ancient and historical human populations. However, limitations such as poor sample preservation and differential protein recovery in ancient proteomics must be considered.