Redfern R C, DeWitte S N, Beaumont J, Millard A R, Hamlin C
Centre for Human Bioarchaeology, Museum of London, London, UK.
Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Ann Hum Biol. 2019 Aug;46(5):378-387. doi: 10.1080/03014460.2019.1662484. Epub 2019 Sep 25.
The population of Roman Britain are renowned for having elevated nitrogen (δ) stable isotope values, which have been interpreted as evidence for the increased consumption of marine products. However, such results are now understood to also reflect episodes of stress and disease, suggesting that new interpretations are warranted. To test a novel approach which combines hazard mortality analysis and stable isotope data to determine whether there is a relationship between age-at-death, elevated δN values and mortality risk. This study used published osteological and dietary stable isotope data for nitrogen (δN) and carbon (δC) of 659 1st-5th century AD individuals aged >12 years old excavated from Roman cemeteries in Britain. The relationship between diet and mortality risk was assessed using the Gompertz hazard model, and differences in median reported isotope values between the sexes was determined using a Mann Whitney test. It was discovered that higher δN levels are associated with elevated risks of mortality, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for δC, and males had higher median δC and δN values. This study successfully demonstrated that stable isotope data can be integrated into hazard models, allowing one to connect diet and mortality in past populations. It supports the findings of other isotope studies which have established that individuals with childhood stress/trauma will have different isotope patterns.
罗马不列颠时期的人口以氮（δ）稳定同位素值升高而闻名，这被解释为海产品消费增加的证据。然而，现在人们认为这些结果也反映了压力和疾病的发作，这表明有必要进行新的解释。为了测试一种将危险死亡率分析和稳定同位素数据相结合的新方法，以确定死亡年龄、升高的δN值和死亡风险之间是否存在关系。本研究使用了已发表的公元1至5世纪从英国罗马墓地发掘的659名年龄超过12岁个体的骨骼学和饮食稳定同位素数据，包括氮（δN）和碳（δC）。使用冈珀茨危险模型评估饮食与死亡风险之间的关系，并使用曼-惠特尼检验确定两性报告的同位素值中位数差异。研究发现，较高的δN水平与较高的死亡风险相关，而δC则呈现相反的模式，并且男性的δC和δN值中位数更高。本研究成功证明稳定同位素数据可以整合到危险模型中，从而能够将过去人群的饮食与死亡率联系起来。它支持了其他同位素研究的结果，这些研究表明童年经历压力/创伤的个体将具有不同的同位素模式。
