Regional asynchronicity in dairy production and processing in early farming communities of the northern Mediterranean

Abstract

In the absence of any direct evidence, the relative importance of meat and dairy productions to Neolithic prehistoric Mediterranean communities has been extensively debated. Here, we combine lipid residue analysis of ceramic vessels with osteo-archaeological age-at-death analysis from 82 northern Mediterranean and Near Eastern sites dating from the seventh to fifth millennia BC to address this question. The findings show variable intensities in dairy and nondairy activities in the Mediterranean region with the slaughter profiles of domesticated ruminants mirroring the results of the organic residue analyses. The finding of milk residues in very early Neolithic pottery (seventh millennium BC) from both the east and west of the region contrasts with much lower intensities in sites of northern Greece, where pig bones are present in higher frequencies compared with other locations. In this region, the slaughter profiles of all domesticated ruminants suggest meat production predominated. Overall, it appears that milk or the by-products of milk was an important foodstuff, which may have contributed significantly to the spread of these cultural groups by providing a nourishing and sustainable product for early farming communities.

Studies of modern Italian dog populations reveal multiple patterns for domestic breed evolution

“…The formal recognition of the Pomeranian as a distinct breed in 1873 may have initiated the split between the populations. The Volpino Italiano regained popularity in 1968, after having fallen out of favor in the early 1900s (Peterson ). The rebuilding of the breed may have been aided by the classification of small spitz‐type breeds, initiated by the prior registration of Pomeranians, effectively concentrating the remaining Volpino Italianos through exclusion from other breed registries.…”

“…The flock guardian breeds of Italy present a surprisingly accurate reflection of human industry. Management of domestic sheep and goats has been a key need since early human occupation, with skeletal remains of domestic caprines and dogs found in the Neolithic settlements of Sicily (Debono Spiteri et al., ; Leighton, ). The importance of the sheep industry in Italy continued through the Roman era (Canfield, ; Lambert ).…”

“…Herding behavior is suggested to have arisen from multiple geographic and genetic backgrounds (Arnott, et al 2015;Storteig Horn, 2017;Parker et al, 2017) (Fregel et al, 2015), and the Mexican and Peruvian hairless breeds, Berger Picard (Frantz et al, 2016;Parker et al, 2017). Spiteri et al, 2016;Leighton, 1999).…”

“To ‘seafood’ or not to ‘seafood’?” An isotopic perspective on dietary preferences at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the Western Mediterranean

“…Even if wild resources are scarce in village-style settlements, wild resources contributed in a significant manner to the economy and diet at other types of settlements along the Mediterranean Sea (Manning et al, 2013). We should also not forget that domestic animals were providing secondary products such as milk and other dairy products (Debono-Spiteri et al, 2016), boosting the reliance on domesticates for Neolithic peoples. Remains from aquatic resources are, similarly as in most of the Mediterranean Mesolithic, not very abundant at the Neolithic levels of the Western Mediterranean.…”

Influence of porosity on lipid preservation in the wall of archaeological pottery

“…Thanks to the development of analytical techniques such as gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and isotopic ratio mass spectrometry, a wide diversity of natural substances were detected in archaeological pottery. The study of these organic residues provided valuable data to understand past communities and their changes over time by investigating pottery function (Salque et al 2013;Drieu et al 2018;Fanti et al 2018) and the exploitation of natural resources (e.g., Evershed et al 2008b;Craig et al 2011;Debono Spiteri et al 2016).…”