Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE: REPORTS, sa.61, ss.104919, 2025 (AHCI)
To investigate dietary habits in the Neolithic (6800 to 6100 cal. BC) population of Tepecik-Çiftlik in the Cappadocia region of Anatolia, the bulk bone collagen of 19 adult individuals and seven animals (domesticated caprids and cattle as well as wild horse and cat) were subjected to stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio analysis. The mean values of the sampled human adults are −19.5 ‰ ± 0.2 ‰ for δ13C (range 0.8 ‰ from −19.8 ‰ to −19.0 ‰), and 11.3 ‰ ± 1.1 ‰ for δ15N (range of 3.4 ‰ from 9.4 ‰ to 12.8 ‰). The stable isotope values of the Neolithic population of Tepecik-Çiftlik are very homogeneous, which suggests the consumption of very similar C3 plants and animals consuming C3 plants from a narrow environmental and ecological range. There is a slight but statistically significant difference in the δ15N values between males and females, with the indication being that males probably had a slightly greater input of protein in their diet. One interesting observation from this study is that despite the extensive connections and exchange networks that the settlement was involved in, as demonstrated through the distribution of locally sourced obsidian, the dietary habits and subsistence practices of the Neolithic Tepecik-Çiftlik population have a very local and micro-regional flavour. This was likely emphasised and enhanced by the immediate local geographical and environmental conditions with the site being located in a narrow valley surrounded by high mountains.