Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Anthropology

Major Professor

Robert Tykot, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jonathan Bethard, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Andrea Vianello, Ph.D.

Keywords

Isotopes, Plague, Venice, Diet, Mobility

Abstract

This thesis combined carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotope analysis and historical documentation to explore diet and mobility for 45 individuals whose remains were excavated from the Venetian island Lazzaretto Vecchio, where plague victims were quarantined, cared for, and buried between 1423 and 1700 CE. δ13C from bone collagen, bone apatite, and tooth enamel apatite was evaluated to determine terrestrial, aquatic, C3, and C4 contributors to diet. δ15N from bone collagen was evaluated to understand the individuals’ trophic levels. δ18O from tooth enamel apatite and bone apatite was evaluated to detect mobility over the life course. Adult diet was primarily based on terrestrial meats and other animal products and C3-based foods. Trophic levels indicated the consumption of terrestrial herbivores and omnivores, with some individuals appearing to have supplemented their diets with marine-based foods such as fish. Childhood diet was comparable to adult (or end of life) diet, with a slight increase in whole diet δ13C over the life course. The δ18O data suggest that many individuals in the sample set were not native-born to Venice proper or perhaps consumed artificially δ18O-enriched or -depleted drinking water. While geographic origin cannot be determined for these individuals with any confidence, the data were consistent with the various environmental zones of the Italian landscape and Venice’s trading partners. Lifetime mobility was evident for many (though not all) of the sample set.

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