Dining together: Reconstruction of Neolithic food consumption based on the δ15N values for individual amino acids at Tell el-Kerkh, northern Levant

We report here stable nitrogen isotope values of amino acids and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of collagen in human (n = 18) and faunal remains from Tell el-Kerkh, which was a large settlement in the northern Levant during the Neolithic period. A unique outdoor communal cemetery involving > 240 individual burials was found in the Pottery Neolithic levels at Tell el-Kerkh. To test the hypothesis that the burial locations of individuals within the cemetery were determined by household units sharing food resources, we separated individuals from one layer into seven groups within the cemetery, and compared the isotope values of collagen, glutamic acid, and phenylalanine. The results of analysis of individual skeletons in the cemetery suggest that the early farmers had different isotope values based on their burial locations, perhaps indicating distinct household burial spaces.