Cave Remains From 40,000 Yrs Ago Indicate Greek Diet Mostly Comprised of Animal Proteins, Say Researchers

Researchers analyzed a cave in Greece and the evidence gave them plenty of insights regarding the dietary practices of prehistoric humans in the country. Archaeologists conducted an isotope study on the remains of Mesolithic and Neolithic humans as well as animals in Franchthi Cave, stated Phys.org. Researchers combined the findings garnered from excavations at the cave between 1967 and 1979 with the present analysis to conduct their study. Results have been published in the journal PLOS One.

Franchthi Cave was chosen as the focus of the study because it is one of the most prominent prehistoric sites located in the country. As per examinations, the site was occupied for around 40,000 years across the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. Several human and animal fossils from the periods were excavated by archaeologists during excavations at the site between 1967 and 1979. Isotope analysis at that time unveiled that the diet of humans from that period had minimal influence of marine resources.
In the present study the past finding is combined with high-resolution compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids in certain human and animal remains from the cave. The present test was done on bone collagen of five humans and six animals found inside the site. Researchers confirmed that two human remains belonged to the Lower Mesolithic period (8700–8500 BCE) and three were from Middle Neolithic times (6600–5800 BCE).
In the collagen, experts looked out for bulk stable isotopes of carbon-13 (δ13C) and nitrogen-15 (δ15N) as well as compound-specific isotopes associated with individual amino acids. Carbon-13 indicated the type of plants and animals that were involved in the diet, while nitrogen-15 showcased the position the being had in the food. A higher value of the latter implied that there was more consumption of animal proteins. The compound-specific isotopes associated with individual amino acids shed light on the source of protein that these humans were consuming. According to the examinations prehistoric humans in the location practiced a terrestrial-based diet along with a negligible amount of marine resources during the Lower Mesolithic and Middle Neolithic periods.
Results indicated that these humans depended on terrestrial resources, which primarily involved animal proteins. Researchers believe that these humans mainly relied on the sheep that grazed on the shore for milk as well as meat. Though the cave is filled with remains of shallow-water fish and sea shells, the consumption of marine resources was not high enough to leave a distinct isotopic signature. Experts believe that even if aquatic beings were consumed, it was at most occasional and not enough to leave a significant signature. The study does not include remains from the Late Upper Paleolithic, Upper Mesolithic, and Early Late Neolithic periods.
Analysis of human remains recovered from Franchthi Cave, a site that now overlooks Greece’s Bay of Koilada and was occupied for over 40,000 years, confirmed that their Mesolithic and Neolithic diets included a lot of animal protein, likely from sheep.https://t.co/L0KzGugav2 pic.twitter.com/fkzqsf9XeB
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Findings imply that the shoreline was farther from the cave during the Lower Mesolithic and Middle Neolithic periods. The results also aligned with previous claims that large portions of Kiladha Bay near the cave were above sea level in the Neolithic times. Agriculture thrived in those locations and beamed with livestock and farmland which possibly served as food sources for cave inhabitants.