Carbon and nitrogen isotope data of archaeological human, animal and fish bone collagen from medieval Guadalajara, Spain, c. 10th-15th centuries CE

Abstract

This dataset presents carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios on bone collagen of 46 human, 127 mammal, 30 bird and nine fish samples from seven medieval sites in western Guadalajara (Spain) dating to between 10th and 15th centuries CE, together with comparative human and fish data from Iberia published before by other researchers. These allow to discuss animal husbandry management strategies and human diet. They are especially interesting to assess the impact of changes in political rule between Islamic and Christian kingdoms on the provisioning of cities and fortifications. The analysis of contemporary cemeteries used by different religious communities also allows to explore the intersections between diet, faith and other identities. These data are particularly relevant as they represent the first comprehensive isotopic dataset for medieval Guadalajara, a region in central Iberia that has not been previously investigated at the regional scale.

Keywords

• palaeodiet
• animal husbandry
• C4 plants
• Christian
• Islamic
• reconquest