© Dani Méndez-REVIVESA 3D reconstruction of La Bastida, one of the ancient sites from which samples were studied. The economy of La Bastida would have been more productive than other Argaric sites due to their fields being fertilised regularly by the grazing of livestock. The site's layout provide strong evidence of a marked social hierarchy
Knipper and colleagues conducted carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis at two different El Algar hilltop settlements: the large fortified urban site La Bastida (in present-day Totana, Murcia), and the smaller settlement Gatas (Turre, Almería). Their sample included remains of
75 human individuals from across social strata, 28 bones from domestic animals and wild deer, charred barley (75 grains total), and charred wheat (29 grains) from the middle and late phases of El Algar civilization across the two sites.
© Daily Mail
The sampled human individuals
showed no significant difference between isotope values for males and for females, suggesting that diets may have been similar between genders. However, "elite" individuals at La Bastida showed higher levels of both carbon and nitrogen. This might have implied that the people of La Bastida consumed higher levels of animal-based food,
but the authors suggest that the isotope value differences between La Bastida and Gatas could in fact have resulted from similar dietary compositions.
Nitrogen values are similar at both sites for barley, but higher for the domestic animals at La Bastida, meaning that diets with similar relative contributions of barley and meat/dairy products would have led to higher nitrogen values in the humans at La Bastida compared to Gatas.
Location of the site of La Bastida between the mountain ranges of Espuña and La Tercia, Spain. The arrow marks the summit of the hilltop settlement
The researchers found
a strong reliance on cereal farming, supplemented by livestock, in the El Algar economy. The range and values of carbon in the barley and wheat sample reflect
what was likely a dry, unirrigated landscape, though nitrogen levels in the cereal crops suggest the El Algar people applied animal manure to their fields. Cereals and their by-products appear to have contributed substantially to the forage of domesticated sheep/goats, cattle and pigs.Though the sample used in this study* is relatively small, and there are limitations to what can be sampled with this type of isotope analysis, this study shows the importance of considering the complete trophic chain in order to adequately interpret isotope data from human remains-and also demonstrates the sophistication of El Algar farming techniques.
Knipper adds: "It is essential to not only investigate human remains, but also comparative samples of different former food stuffs as well as to interpret the data in the light of the archaeological and social historical context."
Tomb at La Bastida - a ceramic vessel that had been used to store grain used in the burial of an adult woman. Tomb 21 of La Bastida
Article Source: PLOS One news release
*Knipper C, Rihuete-Herrada C, Voltas J, Held P, Lull V, Micó R, et al. (2020) Reconstructing Bronze Age diets and farming strategies at the early Bronze Age sites of La Bastida and Gatas (southeast Iberia) using stable isotope analysis. PLoS ONE 15(3): e0229398. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229398
Comment: The
Daily Mail provides a few more
details:
The three individuals found in the two wealthiest tombs at La Bastida - two women and one man - yielded a larger proportion of meat and dairy products in the analysis.
'La Bastida practised more intensive land management, combining agriculture and animal husbandry, and this allowed them to increase their farming economy and feed a considerably numerous population - one thousand people at that time,' said Cristina Rihuete at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
The team studied the Spanish El Algar community, one of the first 'complex' societies in Europe, who lived in hilltop settlements from 2,200 to 1,500 BCE.
The study also found that weaning human infants away from their mother's milk during the Bronze Age in the Iberian Peninsula occurred before the age of two.
Analysis of infant remains indicates that between 18 and 24 months, all infants had culminated the process of substituting breastfeeding with a diet mainly based on cereal pap.
The team say their study, published in PLOS ONE, shows the importance of analysing remains across the food chain - animal and cereal remains, as well as human - to reconstruct a prehistoric human diet.
WHAT WAS EL ARGAR?
The El Argar civilisation ruled southern Spain between 2200 and 1550 BC.
The civilisation was a centre of activity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Bronze Age.
The settlement covers much of modern-day southeast Spain.
El Agar settlements can be characterised by large protected hill settlements and distinctive metal and pottery production.
The beginning of El Argar marked the introduction of news means of production and tools, including moulds, anvils and grooved hammers.
The end of the civilisation is disputed, but it could have been due to an economic collapse from a subsistence crisis caused by the over-exploitation of their surrounding environment.
It's notable that, even though the sample size is small and therefore not conclusive, the authors themselves emphasize that they cannot see any clear divide between an 'elite' (other than those 3 skeletons) and the rest of society. It remains to be seen whether this will hold up in further research.
In earlier Neolithic societies in Iberia it has been shown that dietary and cultural practices differed quite markedly depending on whether you were living in the hills or in the valley, see:
Two megalithic groups in Spain found to have different diets, child-rearing and burial practicesSee also:
Comment: The Daily Mail provides a few more details: It's notable that, even though the sample size is small and therefore not conclusive, the authors themselves emphasize that they cannot see any clear divide between an 'elite' (other than those 3 skeletons) and the rest of society. It remains to be seen whether this will hold up in further research.
In earlier Neolithic societies in Iberia it has been shown that dietary and cultural practices differed quite markedly depending on whether you were living in the hills or in the valley, see: Two megalithic groups in Spain found to have different diets, child-rearing and burial practices
See also: