The Oxford Handbook of Archaeology
Chris Gosden (ed.)
et al.
Published:
26 March 2009
Online ISBN:
9780191743443
Print ISBN:
9780199271016
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Contents
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Introduction Introduction
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The nutritional goals of diets The nutritional goals of diets
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Energy Energy
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Protein Protein
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Fats and oils (lipids) Fats and oils (lipids)
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Vitamins and minor and trace elements Vitamins and minor and trace elements
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Rhythms of consumption Rhythms of consumption
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The environment as source of food The environment as source of food
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Recognizing and interpreting the evidence for diet in the past Recognizing and interpreting the evidence for diet in the past
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Extra-corporeal evidence Extra-corporeal evidence
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Bone, tooth, and shell Bone, tooth, and shell
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Plant material Plant material
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Soils and sediments Soils and sediments
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Artefacts Artefacts
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Human remains Human remains
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Quantitative diet from the chemistry of hard tissues Quantitative diet from the chemistry of hard tissues
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The structure, formation, and alteration of bone The structure, formation, and alteration of bone
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Dietary inferences from trace elements Dietary inferences from trace elements
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Dietary isotope studies Dietary isotope studies
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Basis for isotopic measurement in diet Basis for isotopic measurement in diet
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The Major Causes of Variation in Varbon and Nitrogen Isotopes The Major Causes of Variation in Varbon and Nitrogen Isotopes
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Reconstructing diet from isotopic tracers Reconstructing diet from isotopic tracers
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Applying isotopic tracers to dietary reconstruction in archaeology Applying isotopic tracers to dietary reconstruction in archaeology
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Early hominins Early hominins
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Neanderthals and early modern humans Neanderthals and early modern humans
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From the late Upper Palaeolithic to the transition to agriculture From the late Upper Palaeolithic to the transition to agriculture
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Agriculture and social complexification Agriculture and social complexification
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Summary and overview Summary and overview
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Studies in More detail Studies in More detail
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1. Mesolithic marine resources 1. Mesolithic marine resources
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2. Freshwater fish consumption at the Iron Gates on the Danube 2. Freshwater fish consumption at the Iron Gates on the Danube
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3. Detecting milk residues in cooking pots 3. Detecting milk residues in cooking pots
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4. Status and dietary diverences 4. Status and dietary diverences
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References References
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Chapter
17 Studying Human Diet
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Robert Hedges
Robert Hedges
School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
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Robert Hedges, Professor of Archaeological Science and Deputy Director of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford.
Pages
484–516
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Published:18 September 2012
Cite
Hedges, Robert, ' Studying Human Diet', in Chris Gosden, Barry Cunliffe, and Rosemary A. Joyce (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Archaeology (2009; online edn, Oxford Academic, 18 Sept. 2012), https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199271016.013.0017, accessed 28 July 2026.
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Abstract
This article examines human diet in the context of archaeology. It discusses the nutritional goals of diet, the recognition and interpretation of evidence for diet in the past, and the application of isotopic traces to dietary reconstruction in archaeology. It considers the demands due to human nutritional biology and evaluates how these may be met through the supply of nutritional resources from the environment. It explores the human nutritional constraints involved in diet and analyses how the availability of environmental resources were modified by human technique.
Keywords:
human diet, archaeology, nutritional goals, isotopic traces, nutritional biology, nutritional resources, human technique
Series
Oxford Handbooks
Collection:
Oxford Handbooks Online
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