Plant Use in the Mesolithic: Evidence from Staosnaig, Isle of Colonsay, Scotland

Mithen, Steven; Finlay, Nyree; Carruthers, Wendy; Carter, Stephen; Ashmore, Patrick

doi:10.1006/jasc.1999.0536

Cited by 65 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…As the method only measures protein intake, many low-protein foods that may have been important to the diet (i.e., high caloric foods like honey, underground storage organs, and essential mineral and vitamin rich plant foods) are simply invisible to this method. There are high-protein plant foods in Europe that Neanderthals and early modern humans could have consumed, such as hazelnuts [commonly consumed in the Mesolithic (49)] that would have been visible in the isotopic analyses, but they are simply not seen. Another important consideration is that this method tracks the bulk protein consumption over a number of years, and provides an average and proportional measure of the protein sources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic evidence for the diets of European Neanderthals and early modern humans

Richards

Trinkaus

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

314

168

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We report here on the direct isotopic evidence for Neanderthal and early modern human diets in Europe. Isotopic methods indicate the sources of dietary protein over many years of life, and show that Neanderthals had a similar diet through time (Ϸ120,000 to Ϸ37,000 cal BP) and in different regions of Europe. The isotopic evidence indicates that in all cases Neanderthals were top-level carnivores and obtained all, or most, of their dietary protein from large herbivores. In contrast, early modern humans (Ϸ40,000 to Ϸ27,000 cal BP) exhibited a wider range of isotopic values, and a number of individuals had evidence for the consumption of aquatic (marine and freshwater) resources. This pattern includes Oase 1, the oldest directly dated modern human in Europe (Ϸ40,000 cal BP) with the highest nitrogen isotope value of all of the humans studied, likely because of freshwater fish consumption. As Oase 1 was close in time to the last Neanderthals, these data may indicate a significant dietary shift associated with the changing population dynamics of modern human emergence in Europe.Europe ͉ isotopes ͉ collagen ͉ fishing

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic evidence for the diets of European Neanderthals and early modern humans

Richards

Trinkaus

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

314

168

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“…However, they are easily recognisable in contrast to other sources, particularly underground storage organs in the archaeological record; their role, therefore, may be overestimated . Their frequent occurrence may also be connected with their roasting, which facilitates hazelnut cracking and grinding, destroys contaminants, induces a nutty flavour and digestion and, last but not least, enables their synchronous harvest (Mithen et al 2001;Mears, Hillman 2007;Holst 2010). Large amounts of hazelnut shells are known, for instance, from the sites of Duvensee, Germany (Holst 2010) or Staosnaig, Scotland (Mithen et al 2001).…”

Section: Corylus Avellanamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their frequent occurrence may also be connected with their roasting, which facilitates hazelnut cracking and grinding, destroys contaminants, induces a nutty flavour and digestion and, last but not least, enables their synchronous harvest (Mithen et al 2001;Mears, Hillman 2007;Holst 2010). Large amounts of hazelnut shells are known, for instance, from the sites of Duvensee, Germany (Holst 2010) or Staosnaig, Scotland (Mithen et al 2001). In the Czech Republic, finds of hazelnut shells are reported from Okrouhlík, Dolský Mlýn, Máselník, Pod Zubem, Pod Křídlem, Arba, Sojčí Převis, Jezevčí Převis, Kristova Jeskyně, Schwarzenberg Lake, Údolí Samoty, Dvojitá Brána u Rohlin, (Opravil 2003;Pokorný 2003;Komárková 2005;Pokorný et al 2008;Žáčková 2008;Svoboda et al 2013;Divišová 2014).…”

Section: Corylus Avellanamentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant Use in the Mesolithic Period. Archaeobotanical Data from the Czech Republic in a European Context – a Review

Divišová¹,

Šída²

2015

IANSA

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“…Clarke (1976) anticipated the importance of plant use in the Mesolithic many years ago and subsequent research has confirmed his hypothesis (e.g. Mason 2000; Mithen et al 2001;Zvelebil 1994). While macrobotanical remains were found at the long-term occupation site of Pod zubem, the application of microscopic residue analysis has yielded additional evidence for plant processing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Root and tuber remains include arrowhead, knotweed (Calowanie, Poland: Kubiak-Martens 1996), cattail, wild beet, bulrush, wood fern (NP3 and S51, Northern Netherlands: Perry 1999), wild garlic, pignut (Halsskov, Denmark: Kubiak-Martens 2002), and non-specific vegetative storage tissue (Roc del Migdia, Catolonia: Holden et al 1995). Hazelnuts are quite common at many Mesolithic sites (see Regnell et al 1995;Zvelebil 1994; among others), although it is difficult to estimate exactly how important they were in the Mesolithic diet (Mithen et al 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

TA 30 - Archaeological Science Under a Microscope : Studies in Residue and Ancient DNA Analysis in Honour of Thomas H. Loy

Haslam¹,

Kirkwood²,

Robertson³

et al. 2009

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terra australis 30Terra Australis reports the results of archaeological and related research within the south and east of Asia, though mainly Australia, New Guinea and island Melanesia -lands that remained terra australis incognita to generations of prehistorians. Its subject is the settlement of the diverse environments in this isolated quarter of the globe by peoples who have maintained their discrete and traditional ways of life into the recent recorded or remembered past and at times into the observable present.Since the beginning of the series, the basic colour on the spine and cover has distinguished the regional distribution of topics as follows: ochre for Australia, green for New Guinea, red for South-East Asia and blue for the Pacific Islands. From 2001, issues with a gold spine will include conference proceedings, edited papers and monographs which in topic or desired format do not fit easily within the original arrangements. All volumes are numbered within the same series. List of volumes in Terra AustralisVolume 1: Burrill Lake and Currarong: Coastal Sites in Southern New South Wales. R.J. Lampert (1971) Volume 2: Ol Tumbuna: Archaeological Excavations in the Eastern Central Highlands, Papua New Guinea. J.P. White (1972) Volume 3 The genesis of this collection was a symposium held to honour Tom's memory on 19 August 2006 at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, where he was Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Science. Papers delivered at that event have been augmented with invited contributions from colleagues not able to be present on the day. The symposium was memorable for the breadth of research presented (from residues on the tools of Homo floresiensis to the DNA of Henry VIII's warship) as well as for a stone knapping demonstration and discussion by Colin Saltmere of the Dugalunji Aboriginal Corporation, with whom Tom had established a strong friendship through his final field project near Camooweal in northwest Queensland. Following Tom's lead, many of the presentations recognised the responsibilities we as archaeologists bear towards both the past and present people that we deal with, a responsibility that requires vigilance in getting our stories straight. That recognition continues in the pages that follow. The central theme of this volume lies in using the detailed information recovered from microscopic and molecular archaeology to tell the most accurate stories we can about the human past, and doing so in a manner that encourages never-ending inquiry about the further avenues we may follow.Beginning with a reproduction of the keynote address given by Richard Fullagar at the symposium, the volume is divided into two main sections. The first is titled 'Principles: synthesis, classification and experiment' and includes overviews and experimental or collection-based studies that aim to strengthen the fields of microscopic residue and ancient DNA analysis by examining the underlying principles on which these disciplines operate. In soliciting papers, the editors aimed to present ...

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Plant Use in the Mesolithic: Evidence from Staosnaig, Isle of Colonsay, Scotland

Cited by 65 publications

References 18 publications

Isotopic evidence for the diets of European Neanderthals and early modern humans

Isotopic evidence for the diets of European Neanderthals and early modern humans

Plant Use in the Mesolithic Period. Archaeobotanical Data from the Czech Republic in a European Context – a Review

TA 30 - Archaeological Science Under a Microscope : Studies in Residue and Ancient DNA Analysis in Honour of Thomas H. Loy

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