Diet in the Neolithic Tavoliere (Puglia, Italy) using stable isotope analysis of amino acids

There is a general consensus that domesticated plants constituted the staple of early farmer diets in Italy, followed by a certain, but not well defined, portion of animal products and almost a total lack of either freshwater or marine fish. In the past few decades, a number of studies have applied stable isotope analysis (SIA) of bone collagen as direct evidence to either confirm or complement this scenario. However, SIA fails in discriminating well between animal products and cereals. In addition to this, it has been shown that the marine isotopic signal is less distinguishable in the Mediterranean compared to other settings, therefore making it difficult to assess the contribution of this source. Recently, Compound Specific Stable Isotope Analysis of Amino Acids (CSIA-AA) has proven to be successful at better defining the diet across Mediterranean individuals. Here, we apply CSIA-AA to explore dietary habits of Neolithic individuals living in the Apulian Tavoliere, Italy. The individuals analysed come from two middle Neolithic sites, Masseria Candelaro and Passo di Corvo, located approximately 10 km from one another in the Apulian Tavoliere. The Tavoliere is an alluvial plain of northern Puglia south of the Gargano promontory, characterised in the past by extensive wetlands and lagoons with freshwater discharges. Thanks to CSIA-AA, we are able to show that the majority of individuals have predominantly plant based diets, although animal products and fish were more dominant for some individuals, suggesting that the Neolithic diet was more variable than some have suggested. More broadly, we show that CSIA-AA is a powerful tool in disentangling diet-related questions in past Mediterranean contexts.