Anastasios Zisis, Angeliki Georgiadou, Elissavet Ganiatsou, Panagiota Xanthopoulou, Constantina Kallintzi, Christina Papageorgopoulou
Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Department of History and Ethnology, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece.
Ephorate of Antiquities of Xanthi, Greek Ministry of Culture, Emeritus Ephor of Antiquities, Archaeological Museum at Abdera, Abdera, Greece.
Archaeol Anthropol Sci. 2025;17(7):144. doi: 10.1007/s12520-025-02242-2. Epub 2025 Jun 14.
Abdera is an ancient Greek colony in northern Aegean. It exhibits a unique foundation history as it was first established in 654 BC by the Ionian city of Klazomenae and in 545 BC by the city of Teos. The first colonial endeavor failed due to harsh living conditions and conflicts with local populations. Exposed to unfamiliar challenges, the settlers faced physical strain and maladies, particularly affecting the subadults, who were deprived of proper care and nutrition during critical periods of life. After about a century, the city of Teos colonized Abdera under the pressure of the Persian attacks. The new colonial endeavor was successful, and the city managed to capitalize on its natural resources, flourishing through the centuries. This study reconstructs the diet of 109 adults and subadults from Abdera dating from the Archaic through the Roman times (654 BC-400AD) using stable isotope ratios of carbon (δC), nitrogen (δN) and sulphur (δS) from bone collagen. Bayesian modelling was implemented to quantify the relative consumption of different food sources in Abdera and compare it with other contemporary sites. Weaning duration was estimated to investigate the nutritional and health status of infants that is believed to have affected the fitness of the population in the long run. Our results indicate that the first settlers of Abdera primarily relied mostly on C plants, freshwater fish and less animal protein, while marine fish and C plants (millet) complemented the diet. This pattern persisted over time. Bayesian modelling revealed differences in consumption patterns within the site and among other contemporary populations. The first colonization phase was characterized by prolonged weaning indicating that harsh living conditions forced mothers to rely more on breastmilk as a nutritional buffer. The sulfur analysis revealed different migration and dietary patterns in Abdera females especially during the first colonial phase. Our study highlights the significance of diet as a key factor for studying the trajectory of a settlement, and for understanding the growth, the resilience, and the cultural evolution of the ancient Greek colonies.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-025-02242-2.
阿夫季拉是爱琴海北部的一个古希腊殖民地。它有着独特的建城历史，最初于公元前654年由爱奥尼亚的克拉佐门奈城建立，公元前545年又由忒俄斯城建立。第一次殖民尝试因恶劣的生活条件以及与当地居民的冲突而失败。由于面临不熟悉的挑战，定居者面临身体压力和疾病，尤其影响到未成年人，他们在生命的关键时期被剥夺了适当的照顾和营养。大约一个世纪后，忒俄斯城在波斯攻击的压力下对阿夫季拉进行了殖民。新的殖民尝试取得了成功，这座城市得以利用其自然资源，几个世纪以来繁荣发展。本研究利用骨胶原中碳（δC）、氮（δN）和硫（δS）的稳定同位素比率，重建了阿夫季拉从古风时期到罗马时代（公元前654年至公元400年）的109名成年人和未成年人的饮食。采用贝叶斯模型来量化阿夫季拉不同食物来源的相对消耗量，并将其与其他同时期的遗址进行比较。估计断奶持续时间以调查婴儿的营养和健康状况，据信这从长远来看会影响人口的健康状况。我们的结果表明，阿夫季拉的第一批定居者主要依赖C3植物、淡水鱼，动物蛋白摄入较少，而海鱼和C4植物（小米）补充了饮食。这种模式随着时间的推移持续存在。贝叶斯模型揭示了该遗址内部以及与其他同时期人群在消费模式上的差异。第一个殖民阶段的特点是断奶期延长，这表明恶劣的生活条件迫使母亲更多地依赖母乳作为营养缓冲。硫分析揭示了阿夫季拉女性不同的迁徙和饮食模式，尤其是在第一个殖民阶段。我们的研究强调了饮食作为研究定居点发展轨迹以及理解古希腊殖民地的增长、恢复力和文化演变的关键因素的重要性。
在线版本包含可在10.1007/s12520-025-02242-2获取的补充材料。
