Growing with God: Using stable isotopes to compare childhood and adult diet among the Cistercian Nuns of Almanarre
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1The Cistercians are a Catholic religious order known for their strict adherence to the Rule of St. Benedict. Before entering the convent, Cistercian nuns came from various backgrounds, so their childhood diets would have reflected their family’s socioeconomic status, regional traditions, and local resources. The nuns of Saint-Pierre de l’Almanarre (13th-14th century) were believed to have come from local elite families. To reconstruct the diet of the nuns before they joined the monastery, carbon and nitrogen isotopes were analyzed from tooth dentin collagen of first (n=2) or second (n=7) permanent molars. The values for δ13C range from -19.2‰ to -18.1‰, and for δ15N range from 9.8‰ to 12.0‰. These data suggest a diet of terrestrial animals and freshwater fish which could reflect an upper-class upbringing. The narrow range of isotopic values in adulthood further the belief that diet in the church had strict rules when compared with childhood.
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Jane Holmstrom, Anna Runquist, Yann Ardagna, Tosah Dupras et David Ollivier, « Growing with God: Using stable isotopes to compare childhood and adult diet among the Cistercian Nuns of Almanarre », Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris [En ligne], 37(S) | 2025, mis en ligne le 16 janvier 2025, consulté le 12 février 2025. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/14993 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/133op
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