Our study explores the potential relationship between infant feeding practices and settlement complexity in the Roman Empire through high-resolution Bayesian-modeled stable isotope measurements from incremental dentine. We compiled isotopic data from permanent first molars of individuals from various Roman sites: five from Bainesse (UK), 30 from Thessaloniki (Greece), along with new carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses from four individuals from Pompeii and six from Ostia Via del Mare (AVM). Our results reveal significant inter-site variability in breastfeeding durations, ranging from 1.5 years to approximately 5 years. Notably, individuals from the highly complex urban centers of Pompeii and Thessaloniki ceased breastfeeding around or below the 2-year weaning threshold recommended by Roman physicians. In contrast, individuals from the rural site of Ostia AVM and the site of Bainesse, near the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, generally ceased breastfeeding after 2 years of age. The link between settlement complexity and duration of breastfeeding observed in our study may have resulted from adherence to medical guidelines, support infrastructures, and/or strategies to mitigate financial constraints within households.

Here, we present the North American Repository for Archaeological Isotopes (NARIA), the largest open-access compilation of previously reported isotopic measurements (n = 28,374) from bioarchaeological samples in North America (i.e., Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and the United States of America) covering a time-frame of more than 12,000 years. This database consists of stable (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O) and radiogenic (87Sr/86Sr) isotope measurements from archaeological human, animal, and plant sources and their corresponding contextual information (e.g., location, chronology, cultural affiliation, etc.). This synthesis of isotopic measurements and other forms of data presents significant research potential for investigating past human lifeways, particularly in the realms of paleomobility, paleoenvironment, and paleodiet. Additionally, it serves to pinpoint spatial and temporal data gaps, offering valuable insights for future research directions.

We present Isotòpia, an open-access database compiling over 36,000 stable isotope measurements (δ 13 C, δ 15 N, δ 18 O, δ 34 S, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, 206 Pb/ 204 Pb, 207 Pb/ 204 Pb, 208 Pb/ 204 Pb, 207 Pb/ 206 Pb, and 208 Pb/ 206 Pb) on human, animal, and plant bioarchaeological remains dating to Classical Antiquity (approximately 800 BCE - 500 CE). These were recovered from different European regions, particularly from the Mediterranean. Isotòpia provides a comprehensive characterisation of the isotopic data, encompassing various historical, archaeological, biological, and environmental variables. Isotòpia is a resource for meta-analytical research of past human activities and paleoenvironments. The database highlights data gaps in isotopic classical archaeology, such as the limited number of isotopic measurements available for plants and animals, limited number of studies on spatial mobility, and spatial heterogeneity of isotopic research. As such, we emphasise the necessity to address and fill these gaps in order to unlock the reuse potential of this database.

Medieval southern Italy is typically viewed as a region where political, religious, and cultural systems coexisted and clashed. Written sources often focus on elites and give an image of a hierarchical feudal society supported by a farming economy. We undertook an interdisciplinary study combining historical and archaeological evidence with Bayesian modelling of multi-isotope data from human (n = 134) and faunal (n = 21) skeletal remains to inform on the socioeconomic organisation, cultural practices, and demographics of medieval communities in Capitanata (southern Italy). Isotopic results show significant dietary differences within local populations supportive of marked socioeconomic hierarchies. Bayesian dietary modelling suggested that cereal production, followed by animal management practices, was the economic basis of the region. However, minor consumption of marine fish, potentially associated with Christian practices, revealed intra-regional trade. At the site of Tertiveri, isotope-based clustering and Bayesian spatial modelling identified migrant individuals likely from the Alpine region plus one Muslim individual from the Mediterranean coastline. Our results align with the prevailing image of Medieval southern Italy but they also showcase how Bayesian methods and multi-isotope data can be used to directly inform on the history of local communities and of the legacy that these left.

The IsoMedIta database compiles 6304 stable isotope measurements (δ 13 C, δ 15 N, δ 18 O, δ 34 S, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) from archaeological sites in medieval Italy (c. 500–1500 ce ). The data is spatiotemporally referenced and includes bioarchaeological and paleo-environmental descriptions, alongside with other archaeological, biological, historical, environmental and technical metadata. IsoMedIta can be employed to address various historical questions at different spatial and temporal scales. It is also a resource for defining future research agendas and for heritage management.

Here we present the Compendium Isotoporum Medii Aevi (CIMA), an open-access database gathering more than 50,000 isotopic measurements for bioarchaeological samples located within Europe and its margins, and dating between 500 and 1500 CE. This multi-isotope (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, δ18O, and 87Sr/86Sr) archive of measurements on human, animal, and plant archaeological remains also includes a variety of supporting information that offer, for instance, a taxonomic characterization of the samples, their location, and chronology, in addition to data on social, religious, and political contexts. Such a dataset can be used to identify data gaps for future research and to address multiple research questions, including those related with studies on medieval human lifeways (i.e. human subsistence, spatial mobility), characterization of paleo-environmental and -climatic conditions, and on plant and animal agricultural management practices. Brief examples of such applications are given here and we also discuss how the integration of large volumes of isotopic data with other types of archaeological and historical data can improve our knowledge of medieval Europe.

The Black Death (1347–1352 ce ) is the most renowned pandemic in human history, believed by many to have killed half of Europe’s population. However, despite advances in ancient DNA research that conclusively identified the pandemic’s causative agent (bacterium Yersinia pestis ), our knowledge of the Black Death remains limited, based primarily on qualitative remarks in medieval written sources available for some areas of Western Europe. Here, we remedy this situation by applying a pioneering new approach, ‘big data palaeoecology’, which, starting from palynological data, evaluates the scale of the Black Death’s mortality on a regional scale across Europe. We collected pollen data on landscape change from 261 radiocarbon-dated coring sites (lakes and wetlands) located across 19 modern-day European countries. We used two independent methods of analysis to evaluate whether the changes we see in the landscape at the time of the Black Death agree with the hypothesis that a large portion of the population, upwards of half, died within a few years in the 21 historical regions we studied. While we can confirm that the Black Death had a devastating impact in some regions, we found that it had negligible or no impact in others. These inter-regional differences in the Black Death’s mortality across Europe demonstrate the significance of cultural, ecological, economic, societal and climatic factors that mediated the dissemination and impact of the disease. The complex interplay of these factors, along with the historical ecology of plague, should be a focus of future research on historical pandemics.

The Black Death is the most reknown pandemic in human history, believed by many to have killed half of Europe's population. However, despite the advances in ancient DNA research that allowed for the successful identification of the pandemic's causative agent (bacterium Yersinia pestis), our knowledge of the Black Death is still limited, based primarily on medieval texts available for single areas of Western Europe. In our study we remedy this situation and we focus in particular on the scale of the Black Death mortality. We collected data on landscape change from 261 coring sites (lakes and wetlands) located in 19 European countries. We used two independent methods of analysis to evaluate whether the changes we see in the landscape at the time of the Black Death agree with the hypothesis that half of the population died within a single year in each of the 21 regions we studied. We discovered that while the Black Death had devastating impact in some regions, it had negligible or no impact in others. The inter-regional differences in the Black Death mortality across Europe demonstrate the significance of cultural, ecological, economic and climatic factors that mediate the dissemination and impact of the disease. The complex interplay of these factors, along with the identification of the pathogen that caused disease outbreaks, should be the focus of future research on historical pandemics.

AbstractThe Compendium Isotoporum Medii Aevi (CIMA) gathers more than 50 000 isotopic measurements for bioarchaeological samples located within Europe and its margins dating between AD 500–1500. This volume of isotopic data, together with collected supporting information, offers multiple research opportunities. This is illustrated here using novel Bayesian modelling methods on selected case studies to reconstruct medieval human lifeways (i.e. human subsistence, spatial mobility), animal management practices, and paleo-environmental conditions. We also discuss how the integration of isotopic data with other types of archaeological and historical data can improve our knowledge of historical developments throughout medieval Europe.

We compiled data from histological sources on the formation ages for human mandibular and maxillary permanent first molars, lateral and central incisors and canines. From this we summarised the data by reporting weighted means for cusp initiation, crown completion and apex completion. This provides a reference for bioarchaeological and medical studies investigating early childhood. More specifically, this reference is a crucial element in the study of early childhood nutrition and morbidity from osteological analysis and stable isotope analyses of teeth and their growth increments.

We present the first study employing Bayesian modelling of isotopic measurements on dentine increments (five human upper first molars) to address Romano-British infant feeding practices at Bainesse (UK). The stable carbon and nitrogen isotope results modelled to 6-month intervals with novel OsteoBioR software revealed some common patterns, with weaning not starting before the age of 6 months and higher animal protein consumption after the age of seven. The latter possibly indicated a 'survival' threshold, evidenced by historical sources and osteological data, hence marking a rise in social status of children. The important role of Bainesse as commercial hub in relation to the fort of Cataractonium does not exclude a priori the possibility that medical treatises and Roman culture were known at the site. However, our results also showed significant intra-individual differences with weaning cessation taking place between 2 and 5 years, suggesting that these were followed only partially and other aspects influenced family decisions on infant feeding practices in Bainesse.

Amalthea is a global database of stable isotope measurements on tooth increments from archaeological and modern individuals spanning more than 7,000 years. The dataset includes c. 15,000 isotopic measurements from more than 700 individuals. In addition to isotopic data the database also includes information on the archaeological context and osteological features of recorded individuals. This database allows for the reconstruction of individual iso-biographies. In particular, the database allows for meta-studies on childhood diet and nutrition across time and space. The database is a collaborative effort and will be regularly updated.