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Food and society. An anthropological and multi-proxy approach to reconstructing lifestyle, diet and mobility in late prehistory

Published inAnnales de la Fondation Fyssen, vol. 32, p. 155-174
Publication date2017
Abstract

Increasing archaeological evidence suggests that the Bronze Age in Europe was a very dynamic period, but several aspects concerning human behaviour must be clarified, such as the spread of new agricultural practices, changes in the management of local resources as well as the emergence of new networks of exchanges. This research, through a multi-proxy and multi-isotopic approach, aims to study changes in dietary habits and mobility of individuals in Western Switzerland, a region at the crossroads of Europe. Human teeth and bones were analysed in association with terrestrial and aquatic animalsandcrop remains. Concerning agricultural strategies, isotopic analyses carried outon carpological remains seem to suggest an increase in soil fertilization during the Bronze Age. The animal and human results indicate a diet based on terrestrial resources for all the communities considered, nevertheless, we can identify a change in human food choices during the Final Bronze age due to the consumption of new cereals, such as millet, compared to previous periods. Regarding mobility, sulphur analysesshowthat thehumangroups are locals, except for a few isolated individuals.

Keywords
  • Suisse
  • Age Du Bronze
  • Isotopes
  • Alimentation
  • Archéologie
  • Préhistoire
  • Mobilité
Citation (ISO format)
VARALLI, Alessandra. Food and society. An anthropological and multi-proxy approach to reconstructing lifestyle, diet and mobility in late prehistory. In: Annales de la Fondation Fyssen, 2017, vol. 32, p. 155–174.
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Article (Published version)
accessLevelPublic
Identifiers
  • PID : unige:159729
Journal ISSN0980-157X
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