Bioarchaeological evidence for ancient human diet and migration at Epidamnus/Dyrrachion and Apollonia in Illyria, Albania

We report preliminary carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope evidence for diet and migration during multiple periods in Albanian history, and compare isotopic evidence for diet to complementary evidence from oral pathology. The sites include two cities founded as Greek colonies: Epidamnus/Dyrrachion (modern-day Durrës) and Apollonia in Illyria. Skeletons date to the Archaic-Hellenistic periods (seventh–first centuries BC), Roman periods (first century BC to fourth century AD), Late Antiquity (fifth–seventh centuries AD), and the Medieval period (eighth–fourteenth centuries AD), a large time span which encompasses dramatic social and political changes and partial population replacements associated with colonization and warfare. Results from all periods show a diet based on C 3 , terrestrial foods. Despite no temporal trends, diet is most varied during Late Antiquity. Oral health of individuals interred within cities is worse than among individuals interred outside city walls, suggesting diet differences specifically linked to city life. Oral pathology variations are not mirrored in isotopic data, reflecting the fact that oral health is influenced not only by ingredients in the diet, but also by food processing techniques, hormones, oral hygiene, oral bacteria, and genetics. While two-thirds of the individuals from Epidamnus/Dyrrachion are estimated to have been born and raised elsewhere, none of the individuals from cemeteries outside Apollonia’s walls are, suggesting greater population movement associated with cities. This study joins other research showing stability in people’s diets across broad time scales, whether due to constraint, resilience, or resistance to change, and demonstrates a high level of migration to ancient Mediterranean cities.