Archaeologists used isotopes — variants of a chemical element — to analyze the diet of a Neolithic community in Valais, Switzerland. They found that not only did the community have quite a lot of “foreigners”, but it may also have been remarkably egalitarian.

Everyone gets food

The landscapes of the Swiss Alps are among the most picturesque sites on Earth. They’re also home to one of the most affluent societies in the current time, and one of the most egalitarian. Apparently, the Swiss have been doing this for a long time.

Recent research employing isotopic analysis has shed light on the diet and mobility of the first alpine agro-pastoral societies in Valais, Switzerland, revealing intricate details about their lifestyles and social structures.

In Switzerland, The Neolithic period marks the advent of settled farming communities in the region. These early settlers, primarily pastoral farmers from northern Italy, brought innovations such as cereal cultivation, animal husbandry, and distinctive pottery styles. To understand more about the society, researchers have been analyzing two necropolises called Barmaz I and II. These necropolises have provided a wealth of information about these early alpine societies.

In the new study, researchers analyzed 49 individuals.

Ancient Isotopes

Researchers used isotopes to study the diet of ancient Neolithic societies. Specifically, they focused on the stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), and sulfur (δ34S) found in bone collagen. All these isotopes can offer different types of information.

Carbon isotopes help distinguish between different types of plants consumed. Meanwhile, nitrogen isotopes indicate the trophic level of the diet, revealing the balance between plant and animal protein intake. Sulfur isotopes can differentiate between marine, freshwater, and terrestrial food sources. So, by comparing these isotopic signatures with known dietary baselines, researchers could infer the specific dietary habits of the individuals, including the types of food they consumed and their sources.

The isotope ratios show that all the members of the community had access to the same food resources. So, it seemed, the society was egalitarian when it came to food distribution.

“These results suggest equal access to food resources between the different members of the group, whatever their origin or sex,” said study author Deborah Rosselet-Christ. This is all the more remarkable because 14% of the sampled people were not locals — they came from other regions. These immigrants also had access to the same food resources, the team concludes.

They still had social roles

However, although the society was egalitarian when it came to food resources, they likely still had social statuses. And this status was marked by burial sites.

The burial practices at Barmaz I and II offer insights into the social organization of these Neolithic communities. The distinct isotopic signatures between the two burial sites suggest variations in diet and possibly social status. The higher rates of traumatic injuries among individuals buried at Barmaz II could indicate their involvement in specialized, riskier activities or reflect social conflicts within or between groups.

The lack of significant differences in dietary practices between genders suggests a relatively egalitarian society in terms of resource access. However, the presence of non-local individuals in Barmaz I and their specific burial locations hint at a complex social landscape where mobility and origin played roles in social identity and status.

“Taken all together, the results suggest the existence of a possible reserved area in the burial zone, even if coming from ’elsewhere’ did not seem to have any influence on access to food resources. However, if being male or female did not seem to play an important social role in this population, it seems that it is the location of their burial that gives more information about their status,” the researchers conclude in the study

Ultimately, this Neolithic agro-pastoral society in Switzerland offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of Neolithic communities adapting to a challenging mountainous environment. It’s remarkable how much we can figure out about them.

Through the lens of isotopic analysis, we can reconstruct their dietary habits, mobility patterns, and social structures with remarkable detail. These ancient people were not only skilled farmers and herders but also navigated a dynamic landscape, forging connections with distant regions and maintaining intricate social networks, while offering vital resources to everyone. Perhaps we may learn a thing or two from them.