From the remains, it was possible to find out the diet of people of the Neolithic eraBioarchaeologists have re-examined the diet of the Stone Age, having studied the remains of people from early Neolithic sites in Greece. This is stated in an article published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.Discuss
It turned out that the diet of these people consisted of 58.7% – 70.1% of plant foods. This is much less than that of people from the older Anatolian site of Neval-Chori – their diet consisted of about 10% of animal products.
It is noted that the Neolithic population of Greece had a flexible economy: with the gradual development of animal husbandry, they did not give up hunting.
Contributed by Gisela Grupe and colleagues from the University of Munich. They examined the results of the analysis of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in bone collagen obtained from the study of the remains of adult people of the Neolithic era, which were found at sites dating back to 6600-3000 BC. e.
In all studied populations, the human diet consisted mainly of C3 plants: wild and domesticated cereals. For example, the diet of people whose remains were found in the Early Neolithic site of Mavropigi (6600-6000 BC) consisted of 69.4% C3 plants, an additional source of protein was roe deer meat – 14.6%, sheep and goats – 8.4%, as well as cattle – 7.5%.
A study of the remains from the coastal site of Alepotripa (6000 – 3200 BC) showed similar indicators: the diet of these people consisted of 58.7% C3 plants, 29.2% meat of domesticated animals, and 12% from deer meat. At the same time, they may have eaten fish and seafood, but they accounted for from 0% to 2.5% of the food consumed.
Location of monuments: M – Mavropigi; X – Xirolimni; T – Theopetra; F – Franhti; A – Alepotrypa; NC – Nevaly-Chori (6000-3000 BC) ate much more marine fish. Tuna made up 6% of their daily diet, but the main source of food still remained plants – 70.1%, as well as sheep and goat meat – 11.9% and deer – 12.2%.
Researchers have concluded that early Neolithic populations mostly lived on a vegetarian diet, and subsistence farming gradually changed due to increased consumption of meat. However, the meat obtained by hunting was gradually replaced by livestock products. At the same time, people of that time did not completely abandon hunting, which allowed them to get enough meat even at those moments when livestock died, for example, during epidemics. This flexibility has become an important aspect of their lives.