“…Open Sci. 7: 192016 Moreover, Narva pottery from 24 sites located in Northern Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Northeast Poland and Northwest Russia were sampled and are considered as a whole for the first time (some data reported in [30,46]). Since Narva pottery from present-day Estonia has already been extensively studied [30], a particular emphasis was placed on material from sites in Latvia (Icǎ, Osa, Zvidze) and Lithuania (Daktariškė5, Kretuonas 1).…”
The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter–gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe does not fit this paradigm, and its role within these communities is so far unresolved. To investigate the motivations for hunter–gatherer pottery use, here, we present the systematic analysis of the contents of 528 early vessels from the Baltic Sea region, mostly dating to the late 6th–5th millennium cal BC, using molecular and isotopic characterization techniques. The results demonstrate clear sub-regional trends in the use of ceramics by hunter–gatherers; aquatic resources in the Eastern Baltic, non-ruminant animal fats in the Southeastern Baltic, and a more variable use, including ruminant animal products, in the Western Baltic, potentially including dairy. We found surprisingly little evidence for the use of ceramics for non-culinary activities, such as the production of resins. We attribute the emergence of these sub-regional cuisines to the diffusion of new culinary ideas afforded by the adoption of pottery, e.g. cooking and combining foods, but culturally contextualized and influenced by traditional practices.
“…Open Sci. 7: 192016 Moreover, Narva pottery from 24 sites located in Northern Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Northeast Poland and Northwest Russia were sampled and are considered as a whole for the first time (some data reported in [30,46]). Since Narva pottery from present-day Estonia has already been extensively studied [30], a particular emphasis was placed on material from sites in Latvia (Icǎ, Osa, Zvidze) and Lithuania (Daktariškė5, Kretuonas 1).…”
The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter–gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe does not fit this paradigm, and its role within these communities is so far unresolved. To investigate the motivations for hunter–gatherer pottery use, here, we present the systematic analysis of the contents of 528 early vessels from the Baltic Sea region, mostly dating to the late 6th–5th millennium cal BC, using molecular and isotopic characterization techniques. The results demonstrate clear sub-regional trends in the use of ceramics by hunter–gatherers; aquatic resources in the Eastern Baltic, non-ruminant animal fats in the Southeastern Baltic, and a more variable use, including ruminant animal products, in the Western Baltic, potentially including dairy. We found surprisingly little evidence for the use of ceramics for non-culinary activities, such as the production of resins. We attribute the emergence of these sub-regional cuisines to the diffusion of new culinary ideas afforded by the adoption of pottery, e.g. cooking and combining foods, but culturally contextualized and influenced by traditional practices.
“…In Fig. 6, these data are plotted with data (Table S7) obtained from contemporaneous vessels (Cramp et al 2014a; Heron et al 2015; Piličiauskas et al 2018a) as well as δ 13 C values obtained from modern authentic reference animal fats from the circum-Baltic region (Dudd 1999; Oras unpublished; Oras et al unpublished; Pääkkönen et al accepted). Fig.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 98%
“…For example, all CWC individuals from Lithuania that have been analysed using stable isotopes (i.e. Benaičiai, Biržai, Plinkaigalis, Gyvakarai; Piličiauskas et al 2017a, 2018a) are from graves situated in river valleys whereas pottery producing habitation sites are usually located on coastlines and lakeshores (Fig. 3).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Moreover, supporting evidence from the analysis of botanical remains from settlement sites has been much less forthcoming due to the overall poor preservation of macroremains on ‘dry-land’ sites, and a lack of appropriate recovery techniques, especially for older excavations.Fig. 1Carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) stable isotope data obtained on human (coloured circles) and faunal bone (dashed boxes) collagen from the southeastern Baltic and adjoining regions dating from the Subneolithic to the Early Bronze Age (data from Antanaitis and Ogrinc 2000; Antanaitis-Jacobs et al 2009; Eriksson and Howcroft 2014; Eriksson et al 2003, 2008; Fornander 2013; Heron et al 2015; Laneman and Lang 2013; Piezonka et al 2013; Piličiauskas et al 2017a, b, 2018a; Reitsema 2012; Robson et al 2016; Sjögren et al 2016; Skipitytė unpublished data; Tõrv and Meadows 2015; this study) (Table S1)…”
With the arrival of the Early Neolithic Globular Amphora and Corded Ware cultures into the southeastern Baltic, ca. 2900/2800–2400 cal BC, a new type of economy was introduced, animal husbandry. However, the degree to which this transformed the subsistence economy is unknown. Here, we conducted organic residue analyses of 64 ceramic vessels to identify their contents. The vessels were sampled from 10 Lithuanian archaeological sites dating across the Subneolithic-Neolithic transition to the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2900/2800–1300 cal BC). Our results demonstrate that regardless of location or vessel type, many ceramics were used to process aquatic resources. Against our expectations, this association continued even after marked economic change concurrent with the migration of pastoralists from central and southeastern Europe, as evidenced by recent ancient DNA analysis of human remains. Moreover, we observed dairy fats in pottery from all cultures of the Early Neolithic (i.e. Rzucewo, Globular Amphora and Corded Ware) but unlike other regions of Europe, it seems that these were incorporated into indigenous culinary practices. Furthermore, some vessels were used to process plant foods, and others may have been used for the production and/or storage of birch bark tar. However, evidence for domesticated plant processing, for example millet, was absent. We show that organic residue analysis of pottery provides a different picture of past consumption patterns compared to the stable isotope analysis of human remains from isolated burials where a clear dietary shift is evident.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12520-019-00804-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
“…A similar function was suggested for antler products found at the Neolithic Syrian sites of Tell Aswad and Ramad (Stordeur, 1982:15-18). In Lithuania, bone tools intended for the same function and used as a kind of grinder/pounder for processing relatively hard and abrasive substances were identified among the inventory of a Corded Ware culture burial in Biržai (Piličiauskas et al, 2018). This survey indicates that bone tools used as pestles are rarely found or recognized at prehistoric sites.…”
Entre la rica colección de artefactos encontrados en los niveles Subneolíticos y neolíticos de varios yacimientos arqueológicos de Šventoji (Lituania), resalta un pequeño fragmento de la cabeza de un arpón, constituyendo un elemento realmente interesante. Las características de de las trazas de uso que fueron identificadas en la pieza sugieren que ésta fue reutilizada como una herramienta empleada en actividades de abrasión. Esta observación supuso un punto de partida para una discusión relativa a la presencia de tales prácticas en las sociedades prehistóricas de cazadores-recolectores de Europa y el significado de este tipo de objetos.
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