Inconspicuous Consumption: Reconstructing Average Diets in the Ancient Mediterranean World Using Stable Isotope Analysis

Many research projects have used stable isotope analysis of skeletal material to determine average diets for inhabitants in the easternMediterranean region. Some of these projects have also attempted to correlate diet to factors such as gender, age, economic status, and local resources. This paper surveys results from those projects, discussing problems with the materials and possible implications for the study of ancient religious phenomena.