Analysis of Archaeological Bones for the Purpose of Reconstructing the Paleodiet of Medieval Inhabitants

Bone is one of the few materials that are consistently recovered from archaeological and paleontological sites; its chemical composition has the potential to provide valuable information about ancient human and faunal diet and health status. Diet is one aspect of the development of human culture; changes in dietary regimes occurred together with changes in the manner of food procurement. Gathering, hunting and, after domestication, cattle breeding, and finally agriculture, each stage of development of the dietary process also brought social stratification, which in turn led to a preferred diet for certain individuals (Smrcka 2005). The most frequently examined elements for the reconstruction of a paleodiet are Zn, Cu, Mg, Mn and Sr (Gilbert 1985). According to Gilbert (1985), Zn and Cu should be related to the supply of animal protein, while Sr, Ba, Mg and Mn could indicate the supply of vegetal food. Other elements, such as Cd and Pb, should give information about anthropogenic activities and environmental pollution.