The analysis of stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in bone collagen provides a powerful tool for reconstructing past diets, since it provides the only direct evidence of the foods that were actually consumed. The chapters that comprise this volume describe the application of this methodology to the archaeology of Greece, a country whose archaeobotanical remains have been isotopically studied more extensively than any other place in the world. The archaeological issues that can be addressed using stable isotope methods include the importance of fishing; the possible early introduction of millet; the nature of childrearing including weaning age and weaning foods; temporal shifts in protein consumption; differential access to certain foods associated with social status as well as gender and age; and cultural differences in dietary patterns. Additionally, diet is strongly correlated with health or stress markers in the teeth and bones. Knowing what people ate has vital implications for our understanding of past environments and economies, subsistence strategies, and nutrition.

This study analyses 161 individuals from the Alepotrya Cave, located on the west coast of the Tainaron Peninsula of Southern Greece. In it Papathanasiou outlines the history of the site, the history of this type of research and sets out the aims and methodology for her study. Her aims are primarily to look at the different burial practices represented within the assemblage of burials, to analyse the bones in detail to form a reconstruction of palaeodemography and palaeopathology at the site, and therefore to study local subsistence practices.