Earliest date for milk use in the Near East and southeastern Europe linked to cattle herding

Abstract

The domestication of cattle, sheep and goats had already taken place in the Near East by the eighth millennium bc. Although there would have been considerable economic and nutritional gains from using these animals for their milk and other products from living animals-that is, traction and wool-the first clear evidence for these appears much later, from the late fifth and fourth millennia bc. Hence, the timing and region in which milking was first practised remain unknown. Organic residues preserved in archaeological pottery have provided direct evidence for the use of milk in the fourth millennium in Britain, and in the sixth millennium in eastern Europe, based on the delta(13)C values of the major fatty acids of milk fat. Here we apply this approach to more than 2,200 pottery vessels from sites in the Near East and southeastern Europe dating from the fifth to the seventh millennia bc. We show that milk was in use by the seventh millennium; this is the earliest direct evidence to date. Milking was particularly important in northwestern Anatolia, pointing to regional differences linked with conditions more favourable to cattle compared to other regions, where sheep and goats were relatively common and milk use less important. The latter is supported by correlations between the fat type and animal bone evidence.

Low prevalence of lactase persistence in Neolithic South-West Europe

“…29,30 Organic residues preserved in archaeological pottery have provided the earliest direct evidence for the use of milk in the seventh millennium in the Near East. 27 But, although milking was particularly important in NorthWestern Anatolia, the data point to regional differences linked with conditions more favourable to cattle husbandry, compared with other regions, where milk usage was less important. 27 Thus, although some researchers suggest that dairy products would have been exploited rapidly after animal domestication, 31 others have suggested that early domestication was predominantly for meat and hides, postulating a 'secondary products revolution' 2000-4000 years after the first domestication of cattle, sheep and goats in the Near East and Europe.…”

“…27 But, although milking was particularly important in NorthWestern Anatolia, the data point to regional differences linked with conditions more favourable to cattle husbandry, compared with other regions, where milk usage was less important. 27 Thus, although some researchers suggest that dairy products would have been exploited rapidly after animal domestication, 31 others have suggested that early domestication was predominantly for meat and hides, postulating a 'secondary products revolution' 2000-4000 years after the first domestication of cattle, sheep and goats in the Near East and Europe. 32 In Europe, it is estimated that agriculture has been introduced from 8000 to 6000 YBP, 33,34 and specifically for the Basque Country around 7000 YBP.…”

“…We nevertheless can assume that it may have not been significant, considering that archaeological data show regional differences in milk consumption, which are associated with environmental conditions. 27 Also, archaeozoological data reveal that in this area wild animal remains from hunting activity represent a similar proportion as those from domestic animals, 28 and the analysis of teeth pathologies like caries patterns indicate, at least for the SJAPL population, a high consumption of carbohydrates from wild fruits and berries, which are rich in fermentable sugars (sucrose particularly) with a high cariogenic power, complemented with proteins of animal origin. It is thought that even from an early age, probably before weaning, there was a consumption of carbohydrates in this population (SJAPL).…”

Widespread exploitation of the honeybee by early Neolithic farmers

“…Most of the assemblages investigated comprised globular or bowl shape 'cooking' vessels, an interpretation supported by the finding of ruminant and porcine animal fats in significant numbers of vessels. No beeswax resi dues were detected during the intensive investigations of > 380 vessels from the Levant, although only 34 residues were detected 20 . Moving into eastern Anatolia, the site of Çayönü Tepesi revealed two beeswax residues from 83 vessels from the seventh millennium including an exceptionally well preserved residue containing all the biomarkers of beeswax (Fig.…”

“…The free n alkanols, dominated by C 30 and C 32 homologues, do not occur in fresh beeswax but are a feature of aged wax, due to hydrolysis of the wax esters. The high abundance of C 18:0 fatty acid suggests mixing with mammalian animal fat, the latter being common in other sherds in the assemblage 20 . The second sherd from this site contained a lower concentration of beeswax but all the bio markers were clearly evident.…”