This paper compares stable isotope (δ
18O and δ
13C) records of early–middle Holocene land snail shells from the archaeological deposits of Grotta di Latronico 3 (LTR3; southern Italy) with modern shell isotopic data. No substantial interspecific variability was observed in shell δ
18O (δ
18Os) of modern specimens (
Pomatias elegans,
Cornu aspersum,
Eobania vermiculata,
Helix ligata and
Marmorana fuscolabiata). In contrast, interspecific shell δ
13C (δ
13Cs) variability was significant, probably due to different feeding behaviour among species. The δ
18Os values of living land snails suggest that species hibernate for a long period during colder months, so that the signal of
18O‐depleted winter rainfall in their δ
18Os is lost. This suggests that δ
18Os and δ
13Cs values of
Pomatias elegans from this archaeological succession provide valuable clues for seasonal (spring–autumn) climatic conditions during the early–middle Holocene. The δ
18Os values of fossil specimens are significantly lower than in modern shells and in agreement with other palaeoclimatic records, suggesting a substantial increase of precipitation and/or persistent changes in air mass source trajectories over this region between ca. 8.8 cal ka BP and 6.2–6.7 ka ago. The δ
13Cs trend suggests a transition from a slightly
13C‐enriched to a
13C‐depleted diet between early and middle Holocene compared to present conditions. We postulate that this δ
13Cs trend might reflect changes in the C3 vegetation community, potentially combined with other environmental factors such as regional moisture increase and the progressive decrease of atmospheric CO
2 concentration. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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