Compound specific isotope analysis of lipid residues provides the earliest direct evidence of dairy product processing in South Asia

Abstract

The early evidence of domesticated animals and human–animal interaction in South Asia can be traced back to the seventh millennium BCE; however, our understanding of their use is incomplete and limited to the analysis of animal bones from archaeological sites. By the third millennium BCE with the emergence of the Indus Civilization, cattle and water-buffalo became the primary domesticates and outnumbered any other animals at the majority of the Indus settlements. Based on the analysis of skeletal remains and ethnographic data, a number of studies have suggested that cattle and water-buffalo were utilized for their meat, dairy, hides, and other labor-oriented jobs. While some of these claims are backed by empirical data, others are primarily discussed as hypotheses, for example, the exploitation of dairy. In this paper, by analyzing the absorbed lipid residues from fifty-nine ceramic sherds recovered from an agro-pastoral settlement that was occupied during the peak of the Indus period around mid- to late third millennium BCE, we provide the earliest direct evidence of dairy product processing, particularly from cattle and possibly from some water-buffalo. By providing direct evidence of animal product processing, we identify the use of primary domesticated animals and other resources in the diet during the Indus Civilization.

Lipid residues in pottery from the Indus Civilisation in northwest India

“…Interestingly, a recent paper reports dairy processing in 8 out of 21 vessels, out of which 4 are bowls and one is a perforated vessel, from a contemporaneous Sorath Harappan settlement in Gujarat, Western India ( Chakraborty et al, 2020 ). Apart from the dairy evidence, the results obtained are similar in terms of the range of isotope values obtained in this study.…”

“…Until recently, only a single pottery sherd from South Asia had been studied via lipid residue analysis ( Bourgeois and Gouin, 1995 ). More recently, a study investigated ceramic lipid residues from 59 vessels from a single site in Gujarat ( Chakraborty et al, 2020 ). This paper presents the results of a much larger corpus of ceramic lipid residues across multiple Indus Civilisation sites in northwest India to investigate broader patterns of food consumption and vessel use.…”

To waste or not to waste: A multi-proxy analysis of human-waste interaction and rural waste management in Indus Era Gujarat

“…Animals were likely raised locally with seasonal movement to nearby grasslands and possibly supplemented with some agricultural leftovers (Chakraborty et al, 2018). Dairy from cattle/water buffalo, and meat from cattle/buffalo, goat, sheep and monogastric animals (such as pig), were likely a major part of their everyday diets, and possibly a source of surplus that tied into a regional interaction network (Chakraborty et al, 2018(Chakraborty et al, , 2020. Craft production beyond the household level of non-perishable goods has not been identi ed at this site.…”

Weather, Land and Crops in the Indus Village Model: A Simulation Framework for Crop Dynamics under Environmental Variability and Climate Change in the Indus Civilisation

“…In this paper, we have chosen to focus on environmental factors in crop choice, specifically regarding cereals. However, IC archaeologists have been working to explore the social aspects of agricultural and food choices made by IC farmers and people [11][12][13]65,[73][74][75][76][77], part of which is to be addressed in the remaining parts of the Indus Village model. Independently of the criteria behind it, we expect that the value of a crop can potentially counterbalance the perceived associated risks.…”