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During the second Greek colonization (8th – 5th c. BC) numerous of colonies were founded across the region of Aegean Thrace. Abdera is a renowned and prosperous colony located in the littoral of Aegean Thrace. The geostrategic location in addition to fertile land and mineral resources turned Abdera into a notable commercial and political international hub. The colony shows a unique case of two-wave colonization. The city was firstly founded by Ionians from Clazomenae (c. 654 BC), but their endeavor did not succeed. Harsh environmental conditions and denoted aggression from local tribes, led the first colonists in demise within the first couple of generations. About a century later (545 BC), Abdera was re-founded by new settlers, from Teos, another Ionian city involved in colonial activity. Within these circumstances, previous anthropological research shows a high frequency of malnutrition expressed with the prevalence of infections and metabolic diseases in the population of Abdera, during its initial occupation phase. In this study, we present a diachronic dietary reconstruction from the ancient city of Abdera. We apply the established method of stable isotope analysis (δ15N, δ13C) in bone collagen of human skeletons from the cemetery of ancient Abdera. The sample has a vast chronological range beginning with the two phases of the city’s foundation and re-foundation (archaic period) and extends to the Roman era. Our dataset consists of 94 human skeletons (26 males, 31 females, 30 subadults and 7 indet. indiv.). Our preliminary results show a diachronic preference in terrestrial animals during both periods with lesser contribution of C3, C4 plants. Our pilot observations depict a diachronic trend of the dietary habits in Abdera and offer a window to the dietary differentiation during historically diverse periods.

EAA 2022: Abstract

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