A team of archeologists examining the remains of victims from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. have discovered coastal people of the time ate far more fish than modern Italians, with men getting more of the high-status food than women. The researchers, led by a team at the University of York, analyzed amino acids—the building blocks of proteins— in 17 adult skeletons excavated from the city of Herculaneum, a popular seaside resort that remained buried under volcanic ash until the 18th century. By studying the ratio of carbon and nitrogen isotopes of the amino acids and applying a statistical model, they were able to differentiate between food groups with a new level of precision, the team wrote in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday.

Tuna, seafood were high status foods in Roman society-Study. (2021, August 27). Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A13.