ITALIAN ROMAN AND LATE ANTIQUITY STABLE ISOTOPES DATABASE

This dataset compiles stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope values from human, animal, and plant remains recovered from archaeological sites across Italy, dating to the Roman and Late Antiquity periods (ca. 1st century BCE – 7th century CE). The dataset comprises data from published literature and thesis/dissertations, and provides a comprehensive resource for exploring dietary practices, ecological relationships, and food economy in ancient Italy. Each record includes information on sample identification (site name, context, species), chronological attribution, isotopic values (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N), and associated metadata (e.g., period, references where available). Human data reflect diet and subsistence practices, while faunal and botanical data serve as ecological and isotopic baselines. The database aims to facilitate comparative analyses of ancient diets, agricultural strategies, and regional variation in isotope values. It supports research in archaeology, bioarchaeology, palaeodietary reconstruction, and palaeoecology. It is associated with the article "Diet and health in Roman and Late Antique Italy: integrating isotopic and dental calculus evidence", from Gentile et al. [PCA 15 (2025) ISSN: 2039-7895 (pp. 29-54) DOI: 10.69106/pca2025.02]. Temporal coverage: ca. 1st century BCE – 7th century CEGeographic coverage: Italian Peninsula (multiple regions and sites)Data types: δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values (‰, relative to VPDB and AIR standards, respectively)Subjects: Human, animal, and plant remainsFile format: CSV / XLSX Recommended citation: Neves et al. (2025). Carbon and nitrogen isotope database from Roman and Late Antiquity Italy [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16911599