Re-creating the complex cuisine of prehistoric Europeans
a day ago
- #ceramic analysis
- #ancient diets
- #archaeology
- Archaeologists study ancient diets using residues on prehistoric ceramic cooking pots.
- Early Eastern European hunter-gatherer-fishers foraged plants and hunted fish, combining ingredients for regional recipes.
- Research in 2020 analyzed chemical residues in 50 ceramic pots, finding evidence of meals in charred bits and patinas.
- Identifying plant remains in ancient diets is more challenging than animal remains.
- Latest study combined analytical techniques on 58 pottery pieces from 6th to 3rd millennium BCE.
- Researchers cooked ingredients in ceramic vessels over open fire to test hypotheses.
- Pottery shards from various ecological settings were selected, focusing on those with crusted food residues.
- Botanical records were examined to identify locally available plants.
- Residues were analyzed using microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, lipids, and bulk isotopes.