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  1. Home
  3. Reconstructing Medieval Diets Through The Integration Of Stable Isotope And Proteomic Analyses From Two European Burial Sites.
  1. Home
  3. Reconstructing Medieval Diets Through The Integration Of Stable Isotope And Proteomic Analyses From Two European Burial Sites.

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

A Pedergnana1,2, J Grossmann3,4, R Turck5,6

  • 1Institute of Evolutionary Medicine (IEM), University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland. antonella.pedergnana@eurac.edu.

Scientific Reports
|July 21, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Stable isotopes and ancient proteins reveal medieval diets. Analysis of dental calculus and bone from Germany and Switzerland shows reliance on C3 plants, terrestrial animals, and some freshwater fish.

Keywords:
Ancient proteinsDental calculusMiddle agesPaleodiet reconstructionStable isotopes

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Area of Science:

  • Paleoproteomics
  • Stable Isotope Analysis
  • Bioarchaeology

Background:

  • Reconstructing ancient human diets is crucial for understanding past societies.
  • Stable isotope analysis and ancient protein studies offer complementary insights into dietary habits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reconstruct the diets of medieval populations using integrated stable isotope and proteomic analyses.
  • To compare dietary patterns between monastic (Dalheim, Germany) and secular (Switzerland) medieval sites.

Main Methods:

  • Stable isotope analysis (Carbon, Nitrogen, Sulfur) on dental calculus, dentin, and bone collagen.
  • Proteomic analysis of dental calculus to identify dietary proteins.
  • Comparative analysis of samples from two medieval sites (9th-12th centuries CE Germany and 7th century CE Switzerland).

Main Results:

  • Isotope data indicated a diet based on C3 plants and terrestrial animal protein.
  • Dental calculus isotope data showed high variability and less correlation with bone/dentin.
  • Proteomic analysis identified animal, plant (Fabaceae, Pentapetalae), dairy, and freshwater fish proteins.
  • Both populations consumed C3 plants and terrestrial meats, with evidence of dairy and fish intake.

Conclusions:

  • Integrating stable isotope and proteomic data provides a more nuanced understanding of ancient diets.
  • The study highlights the value of dental calculus as a source for palaeodietary reconstruction.
  • Limitations include sample preservation and protein recovery challenges in ancient proteomics.