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Article

Exploring Burial and Dietary Patterns at the Copper Age Necropolis of Selvicciola (Viterbo, Italy): New Perspectives from 14C and Stable Isotope Data

by
Maria Rosa di Cicco
1,
Simona Altieri
1,*,
Noemi Mantile
1,
Patrizia Petitti
2,
Carlo Persiani
3,
Anna Maria Conti
3,
Luciana Allegrezza
3,
Claudio Cavazzuti
4 and
Carmine Lubritto
1,5
1
Department of Environmental Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology and Mediterranean bioArchaeological Research Advances (MAReA Centre), University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy
2
Independent Researcher, 10136 Torino, Italy
3
Società Cooperativa ARX, 00161 Roma, Italy
4
Department of History Cultures Civilizations, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40124 Bologna, Italy
5
National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Naples Department, 80126 Napoli, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Heritage 2024, 7(6), 3291-3309; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7060155
Submission received: 23 May 2024 / Revised: 10 June 2024 / Accepted: 12 June 2024 / Published: 14 June 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Archaeology and Anthropology of the Ancient World)
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Abstract

The Selvicciola necropolis is a large burial site dated to the Copper Age, located on the mid-Tyrrhenian side of Central Italy, in the Fiora river valley. Despite post-depositional disturbances, 32 prehistoric tombs were found, generally in a good state of preservation, with a total number of 119 individuals identified. In the present study, radiocarbon and stable isotope measurements on bone collagen are combined with skeletal data for 71 of these individuals. We aim to investigate possible changes in food practices and burial patterns throughout time. In detail, the results allowed us to define a timeframe for the use of the cemetery of at least 2000 years, with the two most ancient individuals found in tomb 17 and dated to around 3950 cal BC, assigning this a necropolis chronological investigation of the so-called Rinaldone culture. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis confirmed a predominantly agropastoral subsistence strategy for this prehistoric community. Although the plant intake consisted mainly of C3 species, we further discuss the fact that the stable isotope data suggest an increase in the consumption of C4 plants over time. The integration of radiocarbon and isotopic data with the skeletal evidence and material culture provides an interesting insight into the funerary world of this community, highlighting the importance of Selvicciola for the understanding of life in the Mediterranean at the transition between the fourth and the third millennia BC.
Keywords: burial practice; Central Italy; copper age; paleo diet; Rinaldone; radiocarbon dating; stable isotopes burial practice; Central Italy; copper age; paleo diet; Rinaldone; radiocarbon dating; stable isotopes

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MDPI and ACS Style

di Cicco, M.R.; Altieri, S.; Mantile, N.; Petitti, P.; Persiani, C.; Conti, A.M.; Allegrezza, L.; Cavazzuti, C.; Lubritto, C. Exploring Burial and Dietary Patterns at the Copper Age Necropolis of Selvicciola (Viterbo, Italy): New Perspectives from 14C and Stable Isotope Data. Heritage 2024, 7, 3291-3309. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7060155

AMA Style

di Cicco MR, Altieri S, Mantile N, Petitti P, Persiani C, Conti AM, Allegrezza L, Cavazzuti C, Lubritto C. Exploring Burial and Dietary Patterns at the Copper Age Necropolis of Selvicciola (Viterbo, Italy): New Perspectives from 14C and Stable Isotope Data. Heritage. 2024; 7(6):3291-3309. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7060155

Chicago/Turabian Style

di Cicco, Maria Rosa, Simona Altieri, Noemi Mantile, Patrizia Petitti, Carlo Persiani, Anna Maria Conti, Luciana Allegrezza, Claudio Cavazzuti, and Carmine Lubritto. 2024. "Exploring Burial and Dietary Patterns at the Copper Age Necropolis of Selvicciola (Viterbo, Italy): New Perspectives from 14C and Stable Isotope Data" Heritage 7, no. 6: 3291-3309. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7060155

APA Style

di Cicco, M. R., Altieri, S., Mantile, N., Petitti, P., Persiani, C., Conti, A. M., Allegrezza, L., Cavazzuti, C., & Lubritto, C. (2024). Exploring Burial and Dietary Patterns at the Copper Age Necropolis of Selvicciola (Viterbo, Italy): New Perspectives from 14C and Stable Isotope Data. Heritage, 7(6), 3291-3309. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7060155

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