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

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1607810113
• Publication Date: 2016-11-15T03:30:41Z
• Authors: Cynthianne Debono...; Rosalind E. Gillis; Mélanie Roffet-Sa...; Laura Castells Na...; Jean Guilaine; Claire Manen; Italo M. Muntoni; Maria Saña Segui; Dushka Urem-Kotsou; Helen L. Whelton; Oliver E. Craig; Jean-Denis Vigne; Richard P. Evershed
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; milk; 1000; [SHS.ARCHEO] Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory; [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory; Lipid residue analyses; Mediterranean Region; 590; Agriculture; Ruminants; Lipids; 630; 12. Responsible consumption; Dairying; Milk; Archaeology; archaeozoology; Animals, Domestic; Animals; Humans; Cattle; Neolithic; Animal Husbandry; History, Ancient

Significance This unique research combines the analyses of lipid residues in pottery vessels with slaughter profiles for domesticated ruminants to provide compelling evidence for diverse subsistence strategies in the northern Mediterranean basin during the Neolithic. Our findings show that the exploitation and processing of milk varied across the region, although most communities began to exploit milk as soon as domesticates were introduced between 9,000 and 7,000 y ago. This discovery is especially noteworthy as the shift in human subsistence toward milk production reshaped prehistoric European culture, biology, and economy in ways that are still visible today.