Post by UKarchaeology on Nov 11, 2015 14:59:16 GMT
Archaeologists from Germany and the United Kingdom have revealed insights into cuisine choices and eating habits at Durrington Walls, a Neolithic settlement thought to be the residence for the builders of nearby Stonehenge. Detailed analyses of pottery and animal bones have uncovered evidence of organized feasts featuring barbeque-style roasting, and an unexpected pattern in how foods were distributed and shared across the site.
Analyzing food residues remaining on several hundred fragments of pottery, the team – led by Dr Oliver Craig of the University of York – found differences in the way pots were used.
Pots deposited in residential areas were found to be used for cooking animal products including pork, beef and dairy, whereas pottery from the ceremonial spaces was used predominantly for dairy.
“Such spatial patterning could mean that milk, yoghurts and cheeses were perceived as fairly exclusive foods only consumed by a select few, or that milk products – today often regarded as a symbol of purity – were used in public ceremonies,” the scientists said.
“The special placing of milk pots at the larger ceremonial buildings reveals that certain products had a ritual significance beyond that of nutrition alone,” said Prof. Mike Parker Pearson of University College London.
“The sharing of food had religious as well as social connotations for promoting unity among Britain’s scattered farming communities in prehistory.”
Full story: www.sci-news.com/archaeology/science-stonehenge-builders-meat-eaters-03334.html
Analyzing food residues remaining on several hundred fragments of pottery, the team – led by Dr Oliver Craig of the University of York – found differences in the way pots were used.
Pots deposited in residential areas were found to be used for cooking animal products including pork, beef and dairy, whereas pottery from the ceremonial spaces was used predominantly for dairy.
“Such spatial patterning could mean that milk, yoghurts and cheeses were perceived as fairly exclusive foods only consumed by a select few, or that milk products – today often regarded as a symbol of purity – were used in public ceremonies,” the scientists said.
“The special placing of milk pots at the larger ceremonial buildings reveals that certain products had a ritual significance beyond that of nutrition alone,” said Prof. Mike Parker Pearson of University College London.
“The sharing of food had religious as well as social connotations for promoting unity among Britain’s scattered farming communities in prehistory.”
Full story: www.sci-news.com/archaeology/science-stonehenge-builders-meat-eaters-03334.html