Του Γιώργου Λεκάκη
Υπολείμματα λίπους
γαλακτοκομικών προϊόντων, σε αγγεία από την Κεντρική Ευρώπη, χρονολογούνται
πριν από 7.400 χρόνια.
Οι Richard Evershed και
Emmanuelle Casanova του Πανεπιστημίου του Μπρίστολ και οι συνάδελφοί τους
ανέλυσαν υπολείμματα από περισσότερα από 4,300 αγγεία που ανακτήθηκαν από 70
αρχαιολογικούς χώρους που ανήκουν στον «πολιτισμό Linearbandkeramik» (LBK) στην
δυτική Ευρώπη (Γαλλία, Ολλανδία και βορειοδυτική Γερμανία) και ανατολική Ευρώπη
(Πολωνία).
Η χρήσις γάλακτος εντοπίστηκε
σε περίπου 65% των νεολιθικών τοποθεσιών, εξήγησε ο κ. Evershed.
Στην συνέχεια, οι ερευνητές
έλαβαν χρονολογίες με ραδιενεργό άνθρακα για την κεραμική με υπολείμματα
γάλακτος. «Παρέχει σαφής απόδειξη ότι τα γαλακτοκομικά ήταν σε ευρεία
κυκλοφορία στην Πρώιμη Νεολιθική, παρά τις διαφορές στην κλίμακα δραστηριότητος»,
κατέληξε ο κ. Έβερσεντ.
ΠΗΓΗ: Emm. Casanova et.al «Dating the emergence of dairying by the first farmers of Central Europe using 14C analysis of fatty acids preserved in pottery vessels», 119 (43) e2109325118, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2109325118 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America / PNAS, 17.10.2022. «Pioneering research directly dates the earliest milk use in prehistoric Europe», Πανεπιστήμιο του Μπρίστολ. ΑΡΧΕΙΟΝ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΥ, 18.10.2022.
(A) Map of the LBK sites sampled in the southeastern, eastern, and
western areas. (B–D) Δ13C (= δ13C18:0 to δ13C16:0) values
plotted against the δ13C16:0 values of
FAs extracted from the selected potsherds from the southeast, west, and east
areas, respectively. Each dot corresponds to one vessel, and the ranges
correspond to modern references (5, 13). APC, Apc-Bereklja 1; BIS,
Bischoffsheim; CUI, Cuiry-lès-Chaudardes; ENS, Ensisheim; GEL, Geleen-Janskamperveld;
KAR, Karwowo 2; KON, Königshoven; KOP, Kopydłowo 6; KUC, Kuczkowo 5; LDW,
Ludwinowo 7; MAC, Maastricht-Cannerberg; MAK, Maastricht-Klinkers; RAD,
Radojewice 29; and ROZ, Rożniaty 2.
Abstract
Calendrical dating for the introduction of new food commodities affords
enhanced understanding of major changes in human food procurement. Here, direct
dating of milk residues from the Early Neolithic in Central Europe demonstrates
the use of this unique secondary product from animals arrived with the earliest
Linearbandkeramik settlers in the western (France, the Netherlands, and
northwestern Germany) and eastern (Poland) extensions of the cultural group. At
a time when most adult humans lacked the lactase-persistence gene variant, the
adoption and intensification of a dairy-based economy would have had
significant impact on human diet, evolution, and environment.
Direct, accurate, and precise dating of archaeological pottery vessels
is now achievable using a recently developed approach based on the radiocarbon
dating of purified molecular components of food residues preserved in the walls
of pottery vessels. The method targets fatty acids from animal fat residues,
making it uniquely suited for directly dating the inception of new food
commodities in prehistoric populations. Here, we report a large-scale
application of the method by directly dating the introduction of dairying into
Central Europe by the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) cultural group based on dairy fat
residues. The radiocarbon dates (n = 27) from the 54th century BC from the
western and eastern expansion of the LBK suggest dairy exploitation arrived
with the first settlers in the respective regions and were not gradually
adopted later. This is particularly significant, as contemporaneous LBK sites
showed an uneven distribution of dairy exploitation. Significantly, our
findings demonstrate the power of directly dating the introduction of new food
commodities, hence removing taphonomic uncertainties when assessing this indirectly
based on associated cultural materials or other remains.
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