A study of pre-etruscan and etruscan human diets through analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes from San Giuliano, Italy

The Etruscans lived in what is now modern Italy from ~900-100 BCE. Archaeological evidence for the Etruscans is however, limited, and comes mostly from funerary contexts. This poses issues when attempting to understand the daily lives of the Etruscan people. An understanding of Etruscan diet is particularly elusive, and research on the topic is not extensive. In an effort to expand the knowledge of Etruscan food consumption, this project used stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N respectively) from collagen and biological carbonates to investigate the diet of the Etruscan humans who lived at the site of San Giuliano, Lazio, Italy. Thirty-three collagen samples and eight tooth carbonate samples were used within the scope of the project and compared to data from previously published works concerning Etruscan stable isotopes. With limited published isotope data on the Etruscans available, this project provides an opportunity to expand upon current dataset, as well as study people from smaller Etruscan community (a lesser understood section of the Etruscan population). From the results of this project, it appears that the Etruscans from San Giuliano shared a similar diet to other Etruscans. Their δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values indicate that the people living at San Giuliano subsisted off a diet of C3 plants and animals. This supports the conclusions of other stable isotope studies conducted on Etruscan remains and adds to a limited dataset.