Quantitative diet reconstruction of a Neolithic population using a Bayesian mixing model (FRUITS): The case study of Ostorf (Germany).

OBJECTIVES

The island cemetery site of Ostorf (Germany) consists of individual human graves containing Funnel Beaker ceramics dating to the Early or Middle Neolithic. However, previous isotope and radiocarbon analysis demonstrated that the Ostorf individuals had a diet rich in freshwater fish. The present study was undertaken to quantitatively reconstruct the diet of the Ostorf population and establish if dietary habits are consistent with the traditional characterization of a Neolithic diet.

METHODS

Quantitative diet reconstruction was achieved through a novel approach consisting of the use of the Bayesian mixing model Food Reconstruction Using Isotopic Transferred Signals (FRUITS) to model isotope measurements from multiple dietary proxies (δ C , δ N , δ C , δ S , C ). The accuracy of model estimates was verified by comparing the agreement between observed and estimated human dietary radiocarbon reservoir effects.

RESULTS

Quantitative diet reconstruction estimates confirm that the Ostorf individuals had a high protein intake due to the consumption of fish and terrestrial animal products. However, FRUITS estimates also show that plant foods represented a significant source of calories. Observed and estimated human dietary radiocarbon reservoir effects are in good agreement provided that the aquatic reservoir effect at Lake Ostorf is taken as reference.

CONCLUSIONS

The Ostorf population apparently adopted elements associated with a Neolithic culture but adapted to available local food resources and implemented a subsistence strategy that involved a large proportion of fish and terrestrial meat consumption. This case study exemplifies the diversity of subsistence strategies followed during the Neolithic. Am J Phys Anthropol 158:325-340, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.