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Elemental status of mediaeval individuals from Naklice burial site (Southern Croatia) was analyzed and their diet was reconstructed. Samples from different human bones were taken from 16 individuals who died in the 9th century and were recently excavated from Naklice burial site. The metal content of iron, lead, cadmium, magnum, zinc, copper, strontium, and calcium were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Mercury concentration was determined by direct consecutive measures taken with a mercury analyzer. When comparing our results to the modern bone heavy metal concentrations, it is obvious that Cu, Fe, Ca and Sr greatly exceeded the values while concentration of Zn and Pb were lower. Concentration of Sr was about ten times higher than in modern bone samples and five times higher concentration of Ca, then is commonly found in modern population bones. In correlation with elemental contents of various main food components known to have been used during the Early Middle Ages, we could reconstruct a menu. With exception of milk, all main dietary components, such as roots and tubers, meat, cereals, legumes and leafy vegetables are rich in Zn, especially the vegetables. Those elements are one of the main components in leafy vegetables. There was a good correlation between Sr/Ca relationship in leafy vegetables (0.0018) and our bone results (0.0012). Foods that are most saturated with Cu are legumes and cereals, in that order. Eating raw and poorly processed legumes and cereals ultimately leads to significant dental erosion, which is an obvious finding on one the excavated mandibles. According to our results we concluded that the probable main dietary components of individuals excavated from Naklice burial site from Early Mediaeval period, were leafy vegetables, legumes and small amounts of cereals, and that testing metal concentration levels of the bone material excavated from ancient burial sites can aid in better understanding of medieval living habits. |
