Ref ID:	34600
Ref Type:	Journal Article
Authors:	Lubell, David M. Jakces, M. Schwarcz, H. Knyf, Martin Meiklejohn, C.
Title:	The mesolithic-neolithic transition in Portugal: Isotopic and dental evidence of diet
Date:	1994
Source:	Journal of Archaeological Science
Abstract:	Paired radiocarbon (AMS) and stable isotope (delta 13C and delta 15N) analyses of human bone collagen from Mesolithic and Neolithic Portuguese skeletons suggest a marked change of diet just prior to 7000 BP at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition. The Mesolithic diet was based on foods of both marine and terrestrial origins, while the Neolithic diet was more dependent on terrestrial food sources. A linear correlation trend between delta 13C and delta 15N for the Mesolithic samples implies that the marine component of their diet was isotopically homogeneous, and consisted either of a well-defined mixture of several species, or a single species that was consistently exploited. Changes in the rate and type of dental anthropology and differences in dental pathology confirm that a change of diet was established by 7000 BP, but suggest that the trend had been initiated soon after 8000 BP.
Date Created:	7/5/2001
Volume:	21
Number:	2
Page Start:	201
Page End:	216