Isotopic Evidence for Diet Among Historic Bedouin of Khirbat al‐Mudayna, Jordan

Abstract

Interpreting the behaviours of nomadic groups from the archaeological record is particularly challenging owing to the ephemeral remains produced by their lifestyle. As such, human burialseven from isolated contextsprovide a wealth of information about these transient groups. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of a series of human skeletal remains (n = 22) from isolated burials were utilized to reconstruct the diet of historic (ca. 13 th -19 th century CE) Bedouin from the Khirbat al-Mudayna vicinity in modern-day Jordan. Carbon isotope values ranging from À17.7 to À12.5‰ point to variable dietary contributions from both C 3and C 4 -based foods, while corresponding faunal δ 13 C ratios (x = À19.0 ± 1.7‰, 1σ) exhibit depletion in 13 C characteristic of a predominantly C 3 diet. While mean human δ 15 N values ( x = 12.7 ± 1.9‰, 1σ) may suggest that the majority of protein consumed by these nomads came from animal and not plant sources, elevated δ 15 N ratios in some fauna may be indicative of 15 N-enriched soils as reported in some arid desert environments. Considerable variability in both δ 13 C and δ 15 N values also points to differences in individual life histories and subsistence economies over time. Despite a lack of temporal cohesion, these data illustrate the information that can be gleaned from the isolated interments of nomadic or semi-nomadic individuals.

Isotopic assessment of diet and infant feeding practices among Ottoman‐period Bedouin from Tell el‐Hesi

“…This could suggest that Bedouin from Tell el‐Hesi were growing or trading for only a few crops displaying narrow isotopic diversity. Elsewhere, at Khirbat al‐Mudayna, adult Bedouin δ 13 C values ( x̅ = − 15.7 ± 1.6‰, 1 σ ; median = −16.4‰; n = 11; Gregoricka & Judd, 2016) demonstrated a greater reliance on C 4 resources and are significantly different from those of the Hesi adults (Mann–Whitney U: U = 10, z = 2.54, p = 0.0055). Such differences may stem from variable access to cultivated crops across different geographic areas, disparate cultural preferences for particular cereals or other foods, or diverse feeding and grazing strategies where more or fewer C 4 plants were available as fodder.…”

“…In addition to pastoral lifeways, historic Bedouin communities exhibited considerable variability in subsistence strategies and in some cases supplemented their diets via small‐scale agriculture and/or trade with more sedentary groups in nearby regions (Abu‐Saad et al, 2001; Abu‐Saad, Shai, et al, 2009; Cribb, 1991; Kressel et al, 1991; Mustafa & Abu Tayeh, 2014; Palmer, 2002). C 3 cereals such as wheat and barley were boiled, roasted, and ground to make into breads and gruels and represented a major component of Bedouin diet (Abu‐Saad et al, 2001; Burckhardt, 1831; Groen et al, 1964; Palmer, 2002), while C 4 plants such as cultivated millet played a smaller role (Gregoricka & Judd, 2016). Produce consumed by these populations was similarly dominated by C 3 resources and included beans, legumes, figs, dates, olives, apricots, oranges, and cucumbers (Abu‐Saad et al, 2001; Groen et al, 1964; Palmer, 2002).…”

“…In the vicinity of Khirbat al‐Mudayna in Jordan, stable carbon isotopes from the bone collagen of ca. 13th–19th centuries CE Bedouin revealed mixed C 3 ‐C 4 consumption patterns ( x̅ = − 15.6 ± 1.5‰, 1 σ ; n = 18), with some individuals primarily consuming C 4 resources (Gregoricka & Judd, 2016). This fits with a reliance on the secondary products of C 4 ‐grazed herd animals alongside contributions from C 3 and possibly C 4 crops.…”

“…Broad δ 13 C ranges (−17.7‰ to −12.5‰) exhibited across sex and age groups might stem from dietary variability inherent among mobile populations, but could also point to temporal shifts in consumption patterns. Elevated δ 15 N values ( x̅ = 12.7 ± 1.9‰, 1 σ ; n = 18) unsurprisingly suggested that animal proteins played a central role in dietary intake (Gregoricka & Judd, 2016).…”

Bone morphologies and histories: Life course approaches in bioarchaeology

“…Gowland () recently emphasized the implications of the DOHaD hypothesis in the interpretation of patterns of health in the bioarchaeological record, particularly as they relate to fetal and maternal health in the past. Similarly life course approaches have been important to understanding aspects of diet and bone chemistry (White and Schwarcz, ; Sealy et al, ; Dupras and Tocheri, ; Reitsema and Vercellotti, ; Gregoricka and Judd, ) and other influences on bone remodeling over the life cycle (Rewekant, ; Agarwal, ; Schug and Goldman, ; Temple et al, ). Similarly, studies that have utilized life course approaches in osteobiographical accounts (Boutin, ; Stodder and Palkovich, ) or in theoretical discussions of embodied life history (Fuentes, 2013 Ingold, ; Sofaer, ) highlight the complex relationship between life experience and the physical body.…”