| Abstract [eng] |
The bioarchaeological material collected in Lithuania has been studied fragmentary until now and but it gave the possibility to better understand the past inhabitants’ lifestyles and their relationship with the environment, as well as to assess the distribution of food resources in past populations. The aim of the dissertation is to carry out a systematic analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of human and animal bioarchaeological material and to evaluate their variation in the aspects of palaeodiet and palaeoecology in various historical periods, including the Iron Age – Modern times. The stable isotope ratio method helped to understand how different dietary resources were distributed in the population, to compare individuals, and to relate the differences to the individual's age, status, region, and period of living, to assess the humans’ influence on the domestic animals’ diet. It was found that the basis of the human and animal diet consisted of C3 photosynthetic plants. In the early period (from the 2nd to the 13th century), the diet of men and women was differentiated, and the consumption of food of plant origin was higher in general, compared to the late period (from the 13th to the 19th century). As well as appear regional differences between urban, rural, coastal, and the social elites. |
