Investigation of diachronic dietary patterns on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, Spain: Evidence from sulfur stable isotope ratio analysis

A new analysis of sulfur stable isotope ratios in bone collagen from Ibiza and Formentera, Spain, reveals that human diets across four chronological periods (Chalcolithic to Islamic) were predominantly terrestrial, with minimal marine protein consumption. The study found distinct δ(34)S values for different populations, indicating potential immigrants during the Punic, Late Antiquity-Early Byzantine, and Islamic periods. Notably, 18 of 20 individuals from the Islamic period exhibited sulfur isotopic signatures inconsistent with local diets, suggesting they were recent arrivals who had not yet adapted to the island's dietary baseline. This research builds on prior carbon and nitrogen isotope studies, offering a more nuanced understanding of dietary patterns and population dynamics in the Balearic Islands.

Nehlich, O., Fuller, B. T., Márquez‐Grant, N., & Richards, M. P. (2012). Investigation of diachronic dietary patterns on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, Spain: Evidence from sulfur stable isotope ratio analysis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 149(1), 115–124. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22104