Honey-collecting in prehistoric West Africa from 3500 years ago

AbstractHoney and other bee products were likely a sought-after foodstuff for much of human history, with direct chemical evidence for beeswax identified in prehistoric ceramic vessels from Europe, the Near East and Mediterranean North Africa, from the 7th millennium BC. Historical and ethnographic literature from across Africa suggests bee products, honey and larvae, had considerable importance both as a food source and in the making of honey-based drinks. Here, to investigate this, we carry out lipid residue analysis of 458 prehistoric pottery vessels from the Nok culture, Nigeria, West Africa, an area where early farmers and foragers co-existed. We report complex lipid distributions, comprising n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids and fatty acyl wax esters, which provide direct chemical evidence of bee product exploitation and processing, likely including honey-collecting, in over one third of lipid-yielding Nok ceramic vessels. These findings highlight the probable importance of honey collecting in an early farming context, around 3500 years ago, in West Africa.

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Regional asynchronicity in dairy production and processing in early farming communities of the northern Mediterranean

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1607810113 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 113 (48) ◽

pp. 13594-13599 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

Cynthianne Debono Spiteri ◽

Rosalind E. Gillis ◽

Mélanie Roffet-Salque ◽

Laura Castells Navarro ◽

Jean Guilaine ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Residue Analysis ◽

Meat Production ◽

Cultural Groups ◽

Northern Greece ◽

Near Eastern ◽

Farming Communities ◽

Ceramic Vessels ◽

Early Farming ◽

Sustainable Product ◽

Mediterranean Communities

In the absence of any direct evidence, the relative importance of meat and dairy productions to Neolithic prehistoric Mediterranean communities has been extensively debated. Here, we combine lipid residue analysis of ceramic vessels with osteo-archaeological age-at-death analysis from 82 northern Mediterranean and Near Eastern sites dating from the seventh to fifth millennia BC to address this question. The findings show variable intensities in dairy and nondairy activities in the Mediterranean region with the slaughter profiles of domesticated ruminants mirroring the results of the organic residue analyses. The finding of milk residues in very early Neolithic pottery (seventh millennium BC) from both the east and west of the region contrasts with much lower intensities in sites of northern Greece, where pig bones are present in higher frequencies compared with other locations. In this region, the slaughter profiles of all domesticated ruminants suggest meat production predominated. Overall, it appears that milk or the by-products of milk was an important foodstuff, which may have contributed significantly to the spread of these cultural groups by providing a nourishing and sustainable product for early farming communities.

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Pottery, Archaeology and Chemistry

Early Farmers ◽

10.5871/bacad/9780197265758.003.0018 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jessica Smyth ◽

Richard P. Evershed

Keyword(s):

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Residue Analysis ◽

Animal Husbandry ◽

Future Research ◽

Research Perspectives ◽

Interdisciplinary Project ◽

Early Farming ◽

Early Farmers ◽

Isotope Analyses

This chapter reflects on the collaboration on a recent interdisciplinary project, SCHERD (a Study of Cuisine and animal husbandry among Early farmers via Residue analysis and radiocarbon Dating), which involved undertaking systematic molecular and compound-specific stable isotope analyses, alongside radiocarbon dating, on lipid residues from c.450 Irish Neolithic pottery vessels. Somewhat unusually, analyses were carried out by an archaeologist, who was trained ‘on the job’. The project thus provided an ideal opportunity to combine different research perspectives and to engage in two-way communication between archaeology and science. The authors explore how this dialogue developed and its implications for the study of early farming societies, as well as for the role of pottery in future research.

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Regional diversity in subsistence among early farmers in Southeast Europe revealed by archaeological organic residues

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2018.2347 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 286 (1894) ◽

pp. 20182347 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Lucy J. E. Cramp ◽

Jonathan Ethier ◽

Dushka Urem-Kotsou ◽

Clive Bonsall ◽

Dušan Borić ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Residues ◽

Southeast Europe ◽

The Balkans ◽

Economic Practices ◽

Early Farming ◽

Transformative Process ◽

Climatic Range ◽

Early Farmers ◽

Early Pottery ◽

Neolithic Pottery

The spread of early farming across Europe from its origins in Southwest Asia was a culturally transformative process which took place over millennia. Within regions, the pace of the transition was probably related to the particular climatic and environmental conditions encountered, as well as the nature of localized hunter–gatherer and farmer interactions. The establishment of farming in the interior of the Balkans represents the first movement of Southwest Asian livestock beyond their natural climatic range, and widespread evidence now exists for early pottery being used extensively for dairying. However, pottery lipid residues from sites in the Iron Gates region of the Danube in the northern Balkans show that here, Neolithic pottery was being used predominantly for processing aquatic resources. This stands out not only within the surrounding region but also contrasts markedly with Neolithic pottery use across wider Europe. These findings provide evidence for the strategic diversity within the wider cultural and economic practices during the Neolithic, with this exceptional environmental and cultural setting offering alternative opportunities despite the dominance of farming in the wider region.

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In the light of new data: The population of the first farming communities in the eastern Marmara region

Praehistorische Zeitschrift ◽

10.1515/pz-2020-0004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 95 (1) ◽

pp. 48-77

Author(s):

M. Songül Alpaslan-Roodenberg ◽

Jacob Roodenberg

Keyword(s):

Demographic Data ◽

Mortuary Practices ◽

Marmara Region ◽

Sea Of Marmara ◽

Degenerative Arthritis ◽

Farming Communities ◽

High Infant Mortality ◽

Early Farming ◽

Attitude Toward Death ◽

Early Farmers

AbstractFollowing on from a few decades of osteological analysis this study presents an assessment of the data retrieved from human population samples provided by four early farming sites, namely Ilıpınar, Menteşe, Barcın and Aktopraklık, located in the lake basins southeast of the Sea of Marmara. It highlights various aspects of that population such as demographic data, health, trauma, and ancient people’s attitude toward death. The research aims to identify and discuss similarities and dissimilarities between the studied Neolithic settlements in this region, especially with regard to paleo-demographic data and the use of violence. With exception of a small group of burials at Aktopraklık that contrasted with regular inhumations, it seems that mortuary practices barely differed from one community to another, and transcended across regional boundaries. The use of wooden planks covering the bottom of grave pits, which were first discovered at Ilıpınar, may serve as an example. Early farmers of the eastern Marmara region suffered mostly from joint diseases and degenerative arthritis. Their life expectancy was similar for adults of both sexes, at between 25–40 years, while two of the four communities showed high infant mortality.

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Residue Analysis of Cooking Vessels from Early Postclassic Xaltocan, Central Mexico

Latin American Antiquity ◽

10.1017/laq.2021.32 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

Kristin De Lucia ◽

Linda Scott Cummings

Keyword(s):

Fourier Transform ◽

Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Sixteenth Century ◽

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Residue Analysis ◽

Food Preparation ◽

Central Mexico ◽

Early Postclassic ◽

Ceramic Vessels

This article examines the use of cooking vessels from Early Postclassic (AD 900–1250) Xaltocan, Mexico, through residue analysis of ceramic sherds. The analysis combined phytolith and starch analyses with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Because our understanding of prehispanic foodways in central Mexico is based largely on sources that describe or depict Aztec practices in the sixteenth century, we ask how foods were similar or different prior to the Aztecs. We also seek a better understanding of how plainware vessels were used in prehispanic times. Although there is long-term continuity in the preparation of foods such as tamales and corn gruels, we find that additional foods such as tuber-based stews were prepared in the Early Postclassic. In addition, some ceramic vessels, such as comales and crude bowls, had a wider range of food preparation functions than expected.

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Ancient proteins from ceramic vessels at Çatalhöyük West reveal the hidden cuisine of early farmers

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-018-06335-6 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Jessica Hendy ◽

Andre C. Colonese ◽

Ingmar Franz ◽

Ricardo Fernandes ◽

Roman Fischer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ancient Proteins ◽

Ceramic Vessels ◽

Early Farmers

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Estimating the relative importance of demic and cultural diffusion in the spread of the Neolithic in Scandinavia

Journal of The Royal Society Interface ◽

10.1098/rsif.2018.0597 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (148) ◽

pp. 20180597 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Joaquim Fort ◽

Maria Mercè Pareta ◽

Lasse Sørensen

Keyword(s):

Cultural Transmission ◽

Spread Rate ◽

Hunter Gatherers ◽

Archaeological Data ◽

Cultural Diffusion ◽

Early Farming ◽

Wave Of Advance ◽

Early Farmers ◽

Parameter Values ◽

Demic Diffusion

Using a database of early farming sites in Scandinavia, we estimate that the spread rate of the Neolithic was in the range 0.44–0.66 km yr −1 . This is substantially slower (by about 50%) than the rate in continental Europe. We interpret this result in the framework of a new mathematical model that includes horizontal cultural transmission (acculturation), vertical cultural transmission (interbreeding) and demic diffusion (reproduction and dispersal of farmers). To parametrize the model, we estimate reproduction rates of early farmers using archaeological data (sum-calibrated probabilities for the dates of early Neolithic Scandinavian sites) and use them in a wave-of-advance model for the first time. Comparing the model with the archaeological data, we find that the percentage of the spread rate due to cultural diffusion is below 50% (except for very extreme parameter values, and even for them it is below 54%). This strongly suggests that the spread of the Neolithic in Scandinavia was driven mainly by demic diffusion. This conclusion, obtained from archaeological data, agrees qualitatively with the implications of ancient genetic data, but the latter are yet too few in Scandinavia to produce any quantitative percentage for the spread rate due to cultural diffusion. We also find that, on average, fewer than eight hunter–gatherers were incorporated in the Neolithic communities by each group of 10 pioneering farmers, via horizontal and/or vertical cultural transmission.

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The Earliest Maya Farmers of Peten: New Evidence from Buenavista-Nuevo San José, Central Peten Lakes Region, Guatemala

Journal of Anthropology ◽

10.1155/2017/8109137 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jeanette E. Castellanos ◽

Antonia E. Foias

Keyword(s):

Strong Interactions ◽

San Jose ◽

Maya Lowlands ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Time Period ◽

Early Settlement ◽

Early Farming ◽

Early Farmers ◽

New Evidence

The origins and cultural affiliations of the first sedentary agricultural and pottery-producing communities in the southern Maya lowlands remain hotly debated. Here, we describe the discovery of a new early farming settlement at the small site of Buenavista-Nuevo San José on Lake Peten Itza in northern Guatemala. Evidence for a pre-Mamom occupation (1000–700 BC) at this site was found in the deepest fill layers overlying bedrock, including pottery diagnostic of this time period and the remains of a post-in-bedrock dwelling. Because the evidence for this early settlement is from secondary contexts and because four radiocarbon dates cover a broad chronological range, the best evidence for the pre-Mamom occupation consists of the ceramics recovered in the excavations. The closest links of the pre-Mamom pottery at Buenavista-Nuevo San José are with the Eb complex at Tikal and the Cunil complex of Cahal Pech, Belize, suggesting strong interactions between these early groups. The discovery of pre-Mamom pottery at Buenavista also suggests that the early farmers were more widespread than previously suggested. Furthermore, the presence of Olmecoid symbols incised on the pre-Mamom pottery at Buenavista-Nuevo San José indicates that these early communities were immersed in broad pan-Mesoamerican spheres of interaction.

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