Diet of the Medieval Population in the Center of the East European Plain based on Isotope Data
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2025.4.199.207Keywords:
archaeology, paleodiet, Medieval population, social factor, spectral analysis, stable isotopesAbstract
This study deals with reconstructing the diet of various social strata within the medieval population (XII–XII centuries AD) on the territory of the contemporary Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. Materials from nine early medieval sites on the East European Plain were investigated: the necropolis nearby the village of Unorozh (Galich district, Kostroma region), a collective burial from the town of Pereslavl-Zalessky, an urban cemetery in Kostroma, the former Kursk cemetery, the Gochevo archaeological assemblage (Belaya district, Kursk region), two necropolises in the town of Plyos, an abandoned cemetery within the territory of the former Tver Kremlin, and the necropolis of the Upper Castle (Polotsk, Belarus). Based on our newly obtained data and previously published information, it can be concluded that the medieval aristocracy and urban population of central regions of Russia in the XI–XVI centuries primarily consumed animal-derived products, with plant-based food constituting a smaller portion of their diet. The diet of the rural population consisted mainly of plant products (cereal crops such as rye, wheat, oats, etc.). For the southern sites (Kursk and village of Gochevo), the consumption of cereals such as millet has been identified for the first time. Thus, the previously drawn conclusion that the diet of the medieval population in the center of the East Eurapean Plain was determined by social factors is largely confirmed by our new data.
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