Food and drink in European prehistory

2000 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqui Wood
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Daily Diet ◽  
Food And Drink ◽  
Wetland Archaeology ◽  
Food Consumed

There is a wealth of archaeological evidence, from bones excavated in prehistoric middens, piles of fruit stones and sea shells, that give us concrete indications of food consumed at various prehistoric sites around Europe. In addition to this information, we have pollen analysis from settlement sites and charred plant macrofossils. Wetland archaeology informs us in much more detail about not only the types of foods that were being eaten in prehistory but also, in some cases, their cooking techniques. This paper will explore whether or not a popular misconception about the daily diet in prehistory has its roots in the analysis of stomach contents of various bog bodies found in Europe.

Temperature of Food and Drink Intake Matters

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaufui Vincent Wong
Keyword(s):  
Room Temperature ◽  
Caloric Intake ◽  
Thermal Capacity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Daily Diet ◽  
Food And Drink ◽  
Current Guidelines ◽  
Food Consumed

The U.S. Government determines the guidelines for daily diet of humans in their various life stages. The current guidelines for caloric intake are about 2800 cal daily for the adult male, and about 600 cal less for the adult female. This work brings up the point that with the growing diversity of the population, these caloric intake guidelines need to consider the effect of temperature at the time the food is consumed. The motivation of this study is diversity; it is recognized that the Chinese and South Korean cuisines typically have high temperatures when served, whereas much of standard American food is consumed at room temperature. The thermal capacity of the food consumed has not been taken into consideration. It is likely that the “empty” calories related to consumption of hot foods are helpful, in keeping the body warm without the risk of weight gain. They may also be used judiciously to lose weight.

Future uses of pollen analysis must include plant macrofossils

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary H. Birks ◽  
H. J. B. Birks
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Plant Macrofossils

Prehistoric Vegetation and Environment at Chaco Canyon

1988 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 582-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Hall
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Chaco Canyon ◽  
San Juan ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
San Juan Basin ◽  
Pine Trees ◽  
Pinyon Pine

Pollen analysis of woodrat (Neotoma) middens indicates that the local vegetation at Chaco Canyon and the regional vegetation of the San Juan Basin, northwestern New Mexico, have been shrub grassland since at least 10,600 years ago. Plant macrofossils in the same woodrat middens indicate that pinyon pine trees were present in the canyon during much of the Holocene, but low percentages of their pollen grains in both the middens and in adjacent alluvium suggest the trees were few, occurring as small stands or isolated individuals along canyon escarpments. The vegetation at Chaco Canyon during Anasazi times was an arid shrub grassland with a sparse escarpment population of pinyon and juniper. A climate-caused regional increase in pinyon at higher elevation sites occurred approximately at the time of Puebloan abandonment.

scholarly journals Can Palynology be used for Reconstructing the Evolutionary History of Maize Agriculture?

2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant D. Zazula
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
Fossil Pollen ◽  
Evolutionary Transition ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Maize Agriculture ◽  
History Of ◽  
Pollen Records

The lack of archaeological or macrobotanical evidence that directly links wild teosinte grass with early domesticated maize requires the exploration of alternative methodologies to document this evolutionary transition. The morphological characteristics and measurements for maize, teosinte and Tripsacum pollen are presented to determine if they display sufficient differentiation to be distinguished in fossil pollen records. Analysis of the data reveals a lack of distinguishing morphological characteristics between the pollen grains of these taxa and prevents palynology from be an effective method in documenting the evolutionary history of maize agriculture. Current methods of pollen analysis cannot be employed to document the evolution of teosinte to maize in the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico and pollen is not likely to provide an earlier record of this transition than what is found in the macrobotanical or archaeological evidence.

scholarly journals Historia de la vegetación del sitio Huapilacuy II durante el Holoceno Medio a partir del análisis polínico y de macrofósiles vegetales, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana Londoño Ortiz ◽  
Carolina Villagrán ◽  
Ismael Rincón ◽  
Luis Felipe Hinojosa ◽  
Giselle Andrea Astorga
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Plant Colonization ◽  
Sedimentary Sequence ◽  
Lake District ◽  
Closed Canopy ◽  
Northwestern Coast ◽  
Temperate Rainforests ◽  
Tree Composition

This study examines the new fossiliferous site Huapilacuy II of Mid-Holocene age (7,344±51-6,865±58 cal years BP.) located in the northwestern coast of the Isla Grande de Chiloé. This area was not affected by the successive Pleistocene glaciations, and therefore it presents a biogeographic relevance as a potential area of refugia and stability for the vegetation. The presence of plant macrofossils contained in a sedimentary sequence of ca. 300 cm thick, confers a special interest to the site, due to the scarce information available on this type of indicator in paleoenvironmental studies of southern Chile. Additionally, several pollen-based reconstructions from the southern Lake District of Chile (40-44˚ S), document the Holocene sequence of recolonization by the different temperate rainforests types that today occupy this region, although there are non-Holocene records for the Pacific coast of the region. The aim of this study is to reconstruct the local environmental conditions and paleoecology based on the stratigraphic context and the analysis of plant macrofossils at the site Huapilacuy II. In addition, based on the pollen analysis of the deposit, we provide new information to reconstruct the regional characteristics of the vegetation during the Middle-Holocene. In particular, the plant macrofossil record of marsh species contained in the sediments of the lower section of the studied sedimentary sequence, together with the pollen analysis of the same sequence, document a first phase of plant colonization at 7,344±51 cal yrs. BP, with predominance of Poaceae, ferns, and trees with regeneration capacity in open areas, such as Embothrium coccineum and Drimys winteri. The analysis of leaf macrofossils and palynomorphs recovered from several intercalated layers, from the middle section of the sedimentary sequence, show the local and regional development of dense and very humid forests dominated by Aextoxicon punctatum, associated with several species of Myrtaceae. The presence of soil moisture indicator species, such as Luma chequen, Myrceugenia sp. and Myrtaceae Blepharocalyx-type is consistent with the sedimentary environment and the local development of swamp or riverine forests. This hygrophile forest environment is also consistent with the assemblage of fossil mosses, dominated by species that grow today in dense closed-canopy forests, such as Weymouthia, Ptychomnium, Rigodium, Porothamnium and Eucamptodon. The regional correlation of the pollen spectra from Huapilacuy II and other records from the Lake District allows us to establish latitudinal and longitudinal differences of tree composition in the temperate-rainforests that expanded during the Early to Mid-Holocene. In particular, this study established for the northwestern coast of the Isla Grande de Chiloé the presence of the coastal association of the valdivian forest (As. Lapagerio-Aextoxiconetum), currently distributed along the Chilean coastline between 30˚- 43˚S. In contrast, the Valdivian associations recorded in other areas of the region exhibit the dominance of Eucryphia cordifolia, Caldcluvia paniculata, Weinmannia trichosperma and different species of Nothofagus. Despite the differences in tree composition, the fossil bryophyte species recorded in several of the sites compared are common with those reported for Huapilacuy II, thus showing the wide ecological range of Chilean bryophytes associated with closed-canopy temperate-rainforests.

Pollen Analysis of Fossil Packrat Middens from the Sonoran Desert

1977 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. King ◽  
Thomas R. Van Devender
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Sonoran Desert ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Sharp Contrast ◽  
Pollen Data ◽  
Regional Component

Pollen contained in 22 fossil packrat middens from the Sonoran Desert provides a complementary, but differing, view of the paleoenvironment from that derived by analysis of the associated plant macrofossils. The regional component of the pollen data is in sharp contrast to the locally oriented macrofossils. A total of 84 macrofossil taxa and 47 pollen taxa were identified; only 18 taxa were common to both. The low Index of Similarity, 0.4, indicates that the two sources of fossil information are providing different sets of paleobotanical data. When combined with plant macrofossils and good radiocarbon dating control, the pollen spectra derived from fossil middens are compatable with other paleoenvironmental sequences.

Temperature of Food and Drink Intake Matters

2016 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaufui Vincent Wong
Keyword(s):  
Room Temperature ◽  
Caloric Intake ◽  
The United States ◽  
Thermal Capacity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Daily Diet ◽  
Food And Drink ◽  
Current Guidelines

The United States of America government determines the guidelines for daily diet of humans in their various life stages. The current guidelines for caloric intake are about 2800 kcal daily for the adult male, and about 600 kcal less for the adult female. This work brings up the point that with the growing diversity of the population, these caloric intake guidelines need to consider the effect of temperature at the time the food is consumed. The motivation of this study is diversity; it is recognized that the Chinese and South Korean cuisines typically have high temperatures when served, whereas much of the standard American fare is consumed at room temperature. The thermal capacity of the foods consumed has not been taken into consideration. It is likely that the “empty” calories related to consumption of hot foods are helpful, in keeping the body warm without the risk of weight gain. It is suggested that they may also be used judiciously to lose weight.

A study of the food eaten in conventional Royal Navy submarines

1985 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-24
Author(s):  
J. R. Gilbert ◽  
G. J. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Advisory Committee ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
National Average ◽  
Healthy Diet ◽  
Royal Navy ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Fibre Intake ◽  
Daily Diet ◽  
Food Consumed

SummaryA detailed study of the food eaten at sea in three conventional submarines was performed. The composition of the ships’ companies’ diet was taken from forms which detailed daily transfers from store to galley. The constituents were analysed by computer using a database drawn from The Composition of Foods (HMSO).From this investigation it is evident that during the period studied (62 days at sea in total) in comparison with the national average the submariners' daily diet contains 50-100% excess salt, fat, sugar, protein and energy. Due to this general excess of consumption, the daily fibre intake was found to be greater than the national average but less than advised by the National Advisory Committee on Nutrition Education (NACNE).In view of the present consensus, as expressed in the NACNE report, on what constitutes a healthy diet, it was felt that the food consumed in the sample would contribute in the short term to loss of overall fitness and predispose in the long term to disease. This has implications for the efficiency of the Submarine Service if the sample was truly representative.

Feeding ecology of two megrims Lepidorhombus boscii and Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis in the western Mediterranean (Gulf of Valencia, Spain)

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salomé Morte ◽  
Manuel J. Redón ◽  
Antonio Sanz-Brau
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Dietary Overlap ◽  
Main Food ◽  
Food Consumed

The stomach contents of 344 four-spotted megrim, (Lepidorhombus boscii) and 159 megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis), off the eastern coast of the Gulf of Valencia (Spain), were analysed. The two species examined do not appear to have very similar diets, based on the species composition of prey. The vacuity coefficient is not high for any of the species, the main food being Crustacea (Decapoda and Mysidacea). Also Amphipoda and Teleostei are components of the diet. Variations in the food of both fish related to their length show few small crustaceans as prey of the major specimens. Finally, there was evidence for seasonal variation of the quality and quantity of the food consumed. There was no great dietary overlap between these two species.

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