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Identifying a changing diet of the deceased buried on rue Guynemer in Nîmes between the 5th-14th centuries AD through isotopic analyses of bone collagen and hydroxyapatite

Identification d’une évolution du régime alimentaire des défunts enterrés rue Guynemer à Nîmes entre les Ve et XIVe siècles grâce à des analyses isotopes du collagène osseux et de l’hydroxyapatite
Jane Holmstrom, Sylvie Duchesne et Marie Rochette

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1The excavation of a 330 m2 site at 1 rue Guynemer in Nîmes (2nd-14th centuries AD) in the south of France, revealed an ancient burial ground located along a road. The deceased were exclusively buried there, and the architecture of the tombs varied: burial chambers, lead coffins, wooden containers. In the second half of the 4th century, an early Christian church was built, possibly around one of the tombs. This coincides with the spread of Christianity. The cemetery further developed inside and outside the building. This site reflects a socially stratified community, as evidenced by the diversity in burial practices and associated grave goods. One approach to examining political and social change during this period is through the study of diet. To reconstruct dietary patterns among Guynemer’s medieval population (5th-14th centuries AD), stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses were conducted on bone collagen (n=31). The δ¹³C collagen values ranged from -20.5‰ to -18.5‰, while δ15N values varied from 8.9‰ to 15.8‰. In addition, carbon and oxygen isotopes from bone hydroxyapatite were analyzed, yielding δ¹³Capatite values between -14.3‰ and -10.5‰, and -4.8‰ to -2.3‰ for δ18OVPDB. The isotopic data suggest a primarily C3-based diet, with sporadic consumption of C4 resources. Additionally, evidence of breastfeeding and weaning practices are identified, as well as the likelihood of a small migrant population. Notably, greater dietary variability was observed during the 5th-8th and 8th-11th centuries, compared to the more homogeneous patterns seen between the 11th-14th centuries. This temporal shift in dietary diversity may reflect broader political and religious developments in the region over the medieval period.

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Jane Holmstrom, Sylvie Duchesne et Marie Rochette, « Identifying a changing diet of the deceased buried on rue Guynemer in Nîmes between the 5th-14th centuries AD through isotopic analyses of bone collagen and hydroxyapatite »Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris [En ligne], 38(S) | 2026, mis en ligne le 16 décembre 2025, consulté le 08 mars 2026. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/17191 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/15hi8

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Auteurs

Jane Holmstrom

Department of Anthropology, Macalester College, Saint Paul, USA ; jholmstr[at]macalester.edu

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Sylvie Duchesne

INRAP Midi-Méditerranée, Nîmes, France ; ASM UMR 5140, CNRS, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France

Marie Rochette

INRAP Midi-Méditerranée, Nîmes, France ; CAGT UMR 5288, CNRS, faculté de Médecine de Purpan, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France

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Le texte seul est utilisable sous licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont susceptibles d’être soumis à des autorisations d’usage spécifiques.

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