The Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition in Portugal: Isotopic and Dental Evidence of Diet

Paired radiocarbon (AMS) and stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analyses of human bone collagen from Mesolithic and Neolithic Portuguese skeletons suggest a marked change of diet just prior to 7000 BP at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition. The Mesolithic diet was based on foods of both marine and terrestrial origins, while the Neolithic diet was more dependent on terrestrial food sources. A linear correlation trend between δ13C and δ15N for the Mesolithic samples implies that the marine component of their diet was isotopically homogeneous, and consisted either of a well-defined mixture of several species, or a single species that was consistently exploited. Changes in the rate and type of dental attrition and differences in dental pathology confirm that a change of diet was established by 7000 BP, but suggest that the trend had been initiated soon after 8000 BP.