GENDER-BASED DIETARY DIFFERENCES AT MERSIN CHAL CEMETERY DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE FIRST MILLENNIUM

Bakhtiari, Sahar; Mousavi Kouhpar, Mehdi; Nemati, Mohammadreza

doi:10.22034/jsbs.2026.543327.1105

GENDER-BASED DIETARY DIFFERENCES AT MERSIN CHAL CEMETERY DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE FIRST MILLENNIUM

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Sahar Bakhtiari ¹

Mehdi Mousavi Kouhpar ²

Mohammadreza Nemati ³

¹ Postdoctoral Researcher in Archaeology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

² Professor of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

³ Associate Professor of Archaeology, Iranian Center for Archaeological Research, Tehran, Iran.

10.22034/jsbs.2026.543327.1105

Abstract

The Mersin Chal cemetery is situated in the village of Telajim, within Mehdi Shahr city in Semnan Province. During the third season of archaeological excavations at the Mersin Chal cemetery in 2021, a total of 49 burials were identified, dating back to the second half of the first millennium BC. One of the main focuses in bioarchaeological research involves examining how physiological differences between sexes influence dietary patterns, often analyzed through the stable isotope δ¹⁵N. This research aimed to investigate the biological differences in the diets of individuals from the Mersin Chal cemetery through bioarchaeological analysis. Aligned with this goal, a question emerged regarding whether the gender differences between males and females result in variations in their nutritional mechanisms. This research addresses the question by analyzing human skeletal remains from 12 of the 49 excavated graves in the Mersin Chal cemetery. This research employs δ¹⁵N stable isotope analysis on dental collagen samples, combined with SPSS statistical methods, to interpret the findings. The analysis of δ¹⁵N stable isotope ratios from adult male and female skeletons in the Mersin Chal cemetery reveals that males exhibit slightly higher δ¹⁵N values compared to females. This suggests greater variation in the amount of protein consumed by males. This difference likely reflects greater protein intake in males, consistent with their higher proportional protein requirements relative to body mass.

Keywords

Stable Isotope Analysis

Human Tooth Collagen

Diet

Gender

&delta

¹⁵N

چکیده

گورستان مِرسین چَل در روستای تلِاجیم، در محدوده شهر مهدی‌شهر استان سمنان واقع شده است. در فصل سوم کاوش‌های باستان‌شناسی در گورستان مِرسین چَل در سال ۱۴۰۰، مجموعاً ۴۹ تدفین شناسایی شد که مربوط به نیمه دوم هزاره اول پیش از میلاد هستند. یکی از تمرکزهای اصلی در پژوهش‌های باستان‌زیست‌شناسی، بررسی چگونگی تأثیر تفاوت‌های فیزیولوژیکی بین جنسیت‌ها بر الگوهای غذایی است که اغلب از طریق ایزوتوپ پایدار δ¹⁵N تحلیل می‌شود. این پژوهش با هدف بررسی تفاوت‌های زیستی در رژیم غذایی افراد گورستان مِرسین چَل از طریق تجزیه و تحلیل باستان‌زیست‌شناسی انجام شد. در راستای این هدف، این سوال مطرح شد که آیا تفاوت‌های جنسیتی بین مردان و زنان منجر به تغییراتی در مکانیسم‌های تغذیه‌ای آن‌ها می‌شود؟ این پژوهش با تجزیه و تحلیل بقایای اسکلت انسانی ۱۲ قبر از ۴۹ قبر کاوش شده در گورستان مِرسین چَل به این سوال پاسخ می‌دهد. این تحقیق از تحلیل ایزوتوپ پایدار δ¹⁵N بر روی نمونه‌های کلاژن دندان، همراه با روش‌های آماری SPSS، برای تفسیر یافته‌ها استفاده می‌کند. تجزیه و تحلیل نسبت‌های ایزوتوپ پایدار δ¹⁵N از اسکلت‌های مردان و زنان بالغ در گورستان مِرسین چَل نشان می‌دهد که مردان مقادیر کمی بالاتر δ¹⁵N نسبت به زنان دارند. این نشان‌دهنده تنوع بیشتر در میزان پروتئین مصرفی توسط مردان است. این تفاوت احتمالاً نشان‌دهنده مصرف پروتئین بیشتر در مردان است که با نیازهای پروتئینی متناسب با توده بدنی بالاتر آن‌ها مطابقت دارد.

کلیدواژه: تحلیل ایزوتوپ پایدار، کلاژن دندان انسان، رژیم غذایی، جنسیت، δ¹⁵N.

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