Eating in silence: isotopic approaches to nuns’ diet at the convent of Santa Catalina de Siena (Belmonte, Spain) from the sixteenth to the twentieth century

Abstract

Advances in geochemical and physical anthropological studies have provided new tools to reconstruct ancient lifestyles, especially of those minorities not commonly mentioned in historical texts. In comparison to males, little is known about everyday life in female monastic communities, and how it has changed over time. In this paper, we present a paleodietary (δ 13 C and δ 15 N in bone collagen) study of human (n = 58) and animal (n = 13) remains recovered from the former Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena in Belmonte (Cuenca, central Spain). Two funerary areas used by Dominican nuns were sampled: one dated to the sixteenth (n = 34) and the seventeenth (n = 15) centuries, and the other dated in the nineteenth and twentieth (n = 9) centuries. The isotopic values for sheep (n = 7) suggest the animals consumed at the convent came from diverse ecosystems or were raised under a range of management strategies. The human samples reflect a terrestrial diet, and those from the nineteenth to twentieth century, in some cases, reveal the presence of C 4 plants (millet, corn or sugar cane). Due to their religious practice, the consumption of terrestrial animal protein was restricted, and although they were allowed to eat fish, the isotopic signatures show little evidence of this. The individuals from the sixteenth and seventeenth century show a continuous shift in δ 15 N (9.7-12.7‰), with few significant differences in relation to the period, age, or pathologies (osteoporosis, periostitis, and brucellosis). The nineteenth-to twentieth-century samples can be divided into two groups: (a) one that fits the trend of previous centuries, albeit with a higher δ 15 N, possibly related to extensive access to animal protein; and (b) a second group with elevated δ 13 C values (up to − 15.7‰). Different customs in the assumed homogeneous monastic life are discussed as possible sources of isotopic variation, including access to luxury products such as animal protein or sugar, or the practice of periods of food abstinence, which were especially popular with these communities, according to historical records.

Paleodiet in the Iberian Peninsula: exploring the connections between diet, culture, disease and environment using isotopic and osteoarchaeological evidence

“…Entering the historic periods, we often have written documents as a key source of evidence for the economy and consumption patterns, but these generally tend to provide information restricted to the social elites. Where documents such as expenses books are available to offer further in-depth information, they rarely represent the everyday diet (Sarkic et al 2018). In combination with historical documents, isotopic and osteoarchaeological approaches applied to human remains provide rich information of the lived experience of an individual or group that can unlock information on the 'anonymous' lower strata of society.…”

“…Curto et al (2018) report higher animal protein intake among young vs. old adults in their population from Tomar. A slight dietary variation between adult age groups was found to be statistically significant among a community of post-medieval nuns (Sarkic et al 2018). At the Early Medieval site of Boadilla, juveniles exhibit lower δ 15 N values than the adults at the same site, interpreted as a lower intake in animal protein compared to adults (García-Collado et al 2018).…”

“…Curto et al (2018) interpret sulphur data alongside carbon and nitrogen to argue for the consumption of aquatic (freshwater) protein in Tomar as a result of religious dietary restrictions associated with the presence of the Christian military orders. Post-medieval nuns at the convent of Santa Catalina de Siena, however, probably consumed only small amounts of fish despite their Christian monastic status, instead they decreased their terrestrial animal protein intake, following the dietary restrictions of their order (Sarkic et al 2018). López-Costas and Müldner (2018) report clear evidence for marine fish consumption by Christian communities on the Atlantic coast, despite the presence of C 4 protein in the diets that led to only moderately 15 N-enriched nitrogen isotope values, a phenomenon also reported for other sites in coastal north-west Iberia (López-Costas and Müldner 2016).…”

“…In all cases, despite the apparent connection between isotopes and stress, a change in dietary preferences due to illness cannot be dismissed. The latter was hypothesised by Sarkic et al (2018), who compare isotopic values for carbon and nitrogen with the presence of chronic systemic pathologies such as osteoporosis, periostitis, and brucellosis. They found a significant increase in δ 13 C values that they connected to a possible preference for maize/sugar-rich diets in nuns with these conditions.…”

“…The use of C 4 plants as animal fodder in north-western Iberia has a strong connection with ethnobotanic practices in the area today (Moreno-Larrazabal et al 2015). The consumption of maize was also hypothesised for the post-medieval community of nuns in Belmonte (Cuenca, Central Spain) where a possible increase in C 4 plant consumption, (maize and/or sugar) occurred during the 19th and 20th centuries AD (Sarkic et al 2018). The authors suggest a possible relationship between pathology and high δ 13 C values that could relate to special diet rich in maize/sugar.…”