Isotopic Dataset to: Depaermentier, MLC, Kempf, M, Motuzaitė Matuzevičiūtė, G. "Environmentally adjusted δ13C thresholds for accurate detection of C4 plant consumption in Europe"

This dataset is a compilation of published stable carbon isotope values (δ13C, in ‰, vs V-PDB) and related quality criteria data from charred grains of C3 and C4 cereal crops originating from a total of 260 archaeological sites scattered across Europe and dated between 8000 BCE and 1800 CE. The isotope data was originally obtained from Isotope-Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS). For this paper, the data was collected until September 2025 from specific open access repositories: IsoArch (Salesse et al. 2018), MAIA (Farese 2023), Isotòpia (Formichella et al. 2023), IsoMedIta (Mantile et al. 2023) and CIMA (Cocozza et al. 2022), as well as from the literature (see the original references directly in the dataset). The dataset includes for each grain the following information: country, site, region (split into UK, North[ern], South[ern] and Central [/ Western] [Europe]), [approximative] longitude, [approximative] latitude, min[imum] date, max[imum] date, mean date, [climatic] period, grain family, grain species, common name [in English], Sample ID, measured δ13C (‰, vs V-PBD), [related] SD, [info on the] correction of δ13C in original publication, corrected δ13C (‰, vs V-PBD), correction, the original reference for the isotopic values and the reference abbreviation. When available, the dataset also provides: %C, air δ13C (‰, vs V-PBD), Δ13C (‰, vs V-PBD), %N, measured δ15N (‰, vs AIR), corrected δ15N (‰, vs AIR), correction, and the atomic C/N. The data was not uploaded to one of the above-mentioned specific repositories, because it often originated from one of those and because it was not generated by the author but only consisted in already published data. Reference (for the open access repositories): Salesse, K. et al. IsoArcH.eu: An open-access and collaborative isotope database for bioarchaeological samples from the Graeco-Roman world and its margins. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 19, 1050–1055; 10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.07.030 (2018). Farese, M. MAIA: Mediterranean Archive of Isotopic dAta. Pandora; 10.48493/55v1-xg54 (2023). Formichella, G., Soncin, S. & Cocozza, C. Isotòpia: A Stable Isotope Database for Classical Antiquity. Pandora v.1 19.09.2023; 10.48493/m0m0-b436 (2023). Mantile, N., Fernandes, R., Lubritto, C. & Cocozza, C. IsoMedIta: A Stable Isotope Database for Medieval Italy. Res. Data J Humanit. Soc. Sci. 8, 1–13; 10.1163/24523666-bja10032 (2023). Cocozza, C., Cirelli, E., Groß, M., Teegen, W.-R. & Fernandes, R. Presenting the Compendium Isotoporum Medii Aevi, a Multi-Isotope Database for Medieval Europe. Scientific data 9, 354; 10.1038/s41597-022-01462-8 (2022).