The diet of romans during 2nd Punic War in their camp Cerro de las Albahacas (Santo Tomé, Spain) from organic residue analysis in ceramic vessels by GC-MS, HPLC-APCI-MS and GC-C-IRMS methods

Abstract

This paper shows the results of chemical analyses performed on a set of ceramic vessels retrieved from the Roman camp built after the battle of Baécula (208 b.C.) on the site known as Cerro de Las Albahacas (Santo Tomé, Jaén, Spain). The paper also assesses the sampling strategy and its influence on the interpretation of the results. A set of 16 ceramic vessels of Iberian typology used by the Roman army was studied in order to analyse the chemical markers associated with their contents. The method consisted in joint use of GC-MS, HPLC-APCI-MS and GC-C-IRMS. The chemical markers identified beeswax and vegetable lipid, mainly in amphorae, while non-ruminant fat is associated with a different type of ceramic vessels. Based on the products identified, the paper puts forward interpretation on the types of food or beverages consumed by Italian-Roman soldiers at the time of the 2nd Punic War.