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Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from bone collagen in skeletons from the Byzantine (5th-7th century AD) monastery of St. Stephen’s in Jerusalem were examined in conjunction with a review of historical sources detailing dietary practices during this period in the Levant. Relatively low delta C-13 ratios (-19.0 +/- 0.5 parts per thousand, 1 sigma) indicate a diet consisting primarily of C-3 sources and display continuity with textual records describing monastic daily life. Conversely, human delta N-15 values (9.6 +/- 1.2 parts per thousand, 1 sigma) are enriched in N-15 relative to local fauna (7.3 +/- 1.1 parts per thousand, 1 sigma) and point to the contribution of animal protein to the diet, an unexpected result based on both the rarity and expense of these luxury food items as well as dietary prohibitions associated with an ascetic monastic lifestyle. No sex-based differences in diet were detected for either delta C-13 or delta N-15 values, suggesting that men and women consumed isotopically similar foods. As the vast majority of monastic communities in the ancient Near East were located in the desert, the urban setting of St. Stephen’s monastery allows for a unique glimpse into a rarely-explored facet of Byzantine life. (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.