The Ice Man's diet as reflected by the stable nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition of his hair

FASEB J. 1999 Mar;13(3):559-62. doi: 10.1096/fasebj.13.3.559.

Abstract

Establishing the diets of ancient human populations is an integral component of most archaeological studies. Stable isotope analysis of well-preserved bone collagen is the most direct approach for a general assessment of paleodiet. However, this method has been limited by the scarcity of well-preserved skeletal materials for this type of destructive analysis. Hair is preserved in many burials, but is often overlooked as an alternative material for isotopic analysis. Here we report that the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values for the hair of the 5200 year-old Ice Man indicates a primarily vegetarian diet, in agreement with his dental wear pattern. Whereas previous investigations have focused on bone collagen, the stable isotope composition of hair may prove to be a more reliable proxy for paleodiet reconstruction, particularly when skeletal remains are not well preserved and additional archaeological artifacts are unavailable.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids / chemistry
  • Animals
  • Carbon Isotopes / analysis*
  • Diet / history*
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Hair / chemistry*
  • History, Ancient
  • Hominidae / anatomy & histology
  • Hominidae / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Nitrogen Isotopes / analysis*
  • Tooth Abrasion
  • Tooth Attrition / history

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Nitrogen Isotopes