The remains of the victims of the eruption of Vesuvius showed remarkable differences in the diets of men and women in ancient times

Archaeologists examining the remains of victims of the Vesuvius eruption say they have found new evidence on the eating habits of ancient Romans who reveal a notable difference between the diets of men and women within the social structure of the time.

According to the researchers, women in ancient Rome ate more animal products, fruits and vegetables which were grown locally, while men ate more expensive foods like fish.

The researchers, led by the BioArCh team at the University of York, have developed a new approach to analyze amino acids, the building blocks of protein, from 17 adult skeletons found after the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79

By measuring the isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in amino acids in bones, the researchers were able to reconstruct the diets of people living at the same time in much more detail than previously thought.

Lead author Professor Oliver Craig, director of BioArCH in the Department of Archeology, said the remains analyzed “They provide a unique opportunity to examine the ways of life of an ancient community that lived and died together.”

According to the professor, there are historical sources which often allude to differentiated access to food in Roman society, but which rarely provide direct or qualitative information.

“We found significant differences in the proportions of marine and terrestrial foods consumed between men and women, implying that access to food differs by sex.”Craig added.

A total of 340 individuals were exhumed from the beach and nine adjacent fornici (stone vaults) parallel to the seashore in Herculaneum, near Pompeii, where people took refuge against the pyroclastic flow.

The researchers said they were able to more accurately quantify the gender gap within the group, and men, on average, got about 50 percent more of their dietary protein from shellfish compared to women.

Men also obtained a slightly higher proportion of protein from cereals compared to their contemporaries, while women obtained a greater proportion of protein from animal products and locally grown fruits and vegetables.

“Our research is based on what we know that humans had greater access to marine fish in Herculaneum and, more broadly, in Roman Italy.” said lead author, doctoral student Silvia Soncin, from the Department of Archeology.

“Men were more likely to be directly involved in fishing and maritime activities, generally occupying more privileged positions in society, and were freed from slavery at an earlier age, giving them better access to expensive products, such as fresh fish. “added.

Using their new approach, the researchers were able to more precisely quantify old diets so that they could be compared to recent nutritional records. The team suggests that fish and shellfish made a larger overall contribution to the diets of Herculaneum compared to the modern average Mediterranean diet; the latter being increasingly dominated by animal products. While a similar proportion of cereals were consumed between the ancient and the modern.

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