Numerous aspects of the bones and teeth provide information related to diet, including:  growth and development (stature and robusticity), oral pathologies (such as cavities), cranial lesions related to iron intake, cortical bone maintenance, macro- and microscopic patterns of dental attrition (tooth wear), and chemical analysis of the inorganic and organic fractions of bone.

At St. Stephen's, the dictates of the monastic lifestyle called for a strict vegetarian diet, accentuated by minimal caloric intake.  However, the skeletal evidence indicates a group of large, muscular men with no evidence of dietary stress, including iron deficiency.  Were the members of this community eating more than the literature on monastic diet indicates?  Were they ingesting animal protein, providing a rich source of bioavailable iron?

Ascetical practices related to diet are well-documented in the historical literature of the period, with strictly prescribed menus, food preparation procedures, dining times, and quantities consumed dictated.  Likewise, the archaeological record for the period and region provides further comparative information for reconstruction of monastic dietary practice.

Thus, a connection between subsistence patterns manifest in the bones and teeth, analyzed in conjunction with the textual evidence of ascetical practices related to diet, promise a further mechanism for demonstrating the importance of a holistic approach to studying life in antiquity.