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Petřík J, Slavíček K, Adameková K, Jaques VAJ, Košťál M, Tóth P, Petr L, Všianský D, Zikmund T, Kaiser J, Bátora J, Bickle P. Technology and provenience of the oldest pottery in the northern Pannonian Basin indicates its affiliation to hunter-gatherers. Sci Rep 2024; 14:19226. [PMID: 39160323 PMCID: PMC11333753 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-69208-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Consensus holds that pottery technology came to Central Europe from the Northern Balkans with independent pottery traditions existing concurrently in Eastern Europe. An unusual grass-tempered pottery dating back to around 5800 cal BC found in lake sediments at Santovka, Slovakia, predated the earliest known Neolithic pottery in the region (~ 5500 cal BC), suggesting unexplored narratives of pottery introduction. Analyses of the pottery's technology, origin, and grass temper shedding light on ceramic traditions' spread can unveil mobility patterns and community lifestyles. Our findings indicate a non-local provenance, low temperature firing, Festugc sp. grass temper and unique rectangular or cylindrical vessel shapes which align with Eastern European hunter-gatherer practices. Moreover, the pottery style and technology have no analogies in the contemporary Danubian pottery traditions and have more similarities to those of the Eastern traditions. The pottery's raw materials likely originated from distant areas, indicating extensive territorial access for its creators. Our findings imply late Mesolithic hunter-gatherers as the probable artisans and with implications for the site's significance in the late Mesolithic landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Petřík
- Department of Geological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czechia.
| | - Karel Slavíček
- Department of Geological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czechia
| | - Katarína Adameková
- Department of Geological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czechia
- Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Čechyňská 363/19, 602 00, Brno, Czechia
| | - Victory A J Jaques
- CEITEC ‑ Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 123, 612 00, Brno, Czechia
| | - Martin Košťál
- Department of Archaeology and Museology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1, 602 00, Brno, Czechia
| | - Peter Tóth
- Department of Archaeology and Museology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arna Nováka 1, 602 00, Brno, Czechia
| | - Libor Petr
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czechia
| | - Dalibor Všianský
- Department of Geological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czechia
| | - Tomas Zikmund
- CEITEC ‑ Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 123, 612 00, Brno, Czechia
| | - Jozef Kaiser
- CEITEC ‑ Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 123, 612 00, Brno, Czechia
| | - Jozef Bátora
- Institute of Archaeology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Akademická 2, 949 21, Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Penny Bickle
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, The King's Manor, York, YO1 7EP, UK
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Lundy J, Bondetti M, Lucquin A, Talbot HM, Murakami N, Nakayama S, Harada M, Suzuki M, Endo E, Stevens C, Crema ER, Craig OE, Shoda S. Culinary continuity in central Japan across the transition to agriculture. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2024; 16:97. [PMID: 38854990 PMCID: PMC11156723 DOI: 10.1007/s12520-024-01992-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Rice and millet arrived in Western Japan from Korea around 3,000 years ago and spread eastwards across the archipelago in the next 700 years. However, the extent to which agriculture transformed traditional Jōmon hunter-gatherer-fisher communities is debated. Central Japan is a key area of study as remodelling of radiocarbon dates shows a slowdown in the dispersal rate of rice agriculture in this area. Here, we examine and compare the use of pottery by Final Jōmon and Early to Middle Yayoi communities in the Tōkai and the Central Highland regions of central Japan, using lipid residue analysis. Although the identification of specific biomarkers for rice remains elusive, an increase in the ratio of E/H C18 APAAs with the arrival of rice and millet indicates a potential change in plant processing and consumption. We were also able to identify biomarkers for broomcorn millet (miliacin) in both Final Jōmon and Yayoi pottery. However, evidence for millet consumption is sparse and in all cases was likely mixed with wild hunted and foraged foods. We conclude therefore that, despite the introduction of rice and millet agriculture in central Japan, pre-existing diets and culinary habits of Jōmon hunter-gatherers remain important. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-024-01992-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine Lundy
- Department of Archaeology, BioArCh, University of York, York, YO10 5ND UK
| | - Manon Bondetti
- Department of Archaeology, BioArCh, University of York, York, YO10 5ND UK
| | - Alexandre Lucquin
- Department of Archaeology, BioArCh, University of York, York, YO10 5ND UK
| | - Helen M. Talbot
- Department of Archaeology, BioArCh, University of York, York, YO10 5ND UK
| | - Natsuki Murakami
- Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Nara, 630-8577 Japan
| | - Seiji Nakayama
- Research Institute of Cultural Properties, Teikyo University, Yamanashi, 406-0032 Japan
| | - Motoki Harada
- Aichi Asahi Site Museum, Kiyosu, Aichi 452-0932 Japan
| | - Miho Suzuki
- Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Nara, 630-8577 Japan
| | - Eiko Endo
- Centre for Obsidian and Lithic Studies, Meiji University, Tokyo, 101-8301 Japan
| | - Chris Stevens
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3ER UK
| | - Enrico R. Crema
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3ER UK
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DZ UK
| | - Oliver E. Craig
- Department of Archaeology, BioArCh, University of York, York, YO10 5ND UK
| | - Shinya Shoda
- Department of Archaeology, BioArCh, University of York, York, YO10 5ND UK
- Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Nara, 630-8577 Japan
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Evans M, Lundy J, Lucquin A, Hagan R, Kowalski Ł, Wilczyńki J, Bickle P, Adamczak K, Craig OE, Robson HK, Hendy J. Detection of dairy products from multiple taxa in Late Neolithic pottery from Poland: an integrated biomolecular approach. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230124. [PMID: 36938542 PMCID: PMC10014250 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The detection of dairy processing is pivotal to our understanding of ancient subsistence strategies. This culinary process is linked to key arguments surrounding the evolution of lactase persistence in prehistory. Despite extensive evidence indicating the presence of dairy products in ceramics in the European Neolithic, questions remain about the nature and extent of milk (and lactose) processing and consumption. In order to investigate past patterns of dairy processing, here we analyse ancient proteins identified from Late Neolithic Funnel Beaker ceramics, scrutinizing the principle that curd and whey proteins partition during the production of dairy foods from milk. Our results indicate the presence of casein-rich dairy products in these vessels suggesting the creation of curd-enriched products from raw milk. Moreover, this analysis reveals the use of multiple species for their dairy products in the Late Neolithic, adding to a growing body of evidence for the period. Alongside palaeoproteomic analysis, we applied well-established lipid residue analysis. Differential interpretations between these two approaches show that palaeoproteomics is especially useful where the effects from isotope mixing may underestimate the frequency of dairy products in archaeological ceramics, highlighting the potential utility of a multi-stranded approach to understand life histories of vessel use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda Evans
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
- Department of Archaeology, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
| | - Jasmine Lundy
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Alexandre Lucquin
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Richard Hagan
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Łukasz Kowalski
- Institute of Archaeology, Centre for Applied Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Szosa Bydgoska 44/48, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Jarosław Wilczyńki
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków, Poland
| | - Penny Bickle
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Kamil Adamczak
- Institute of Archaeology, Centre for Applied Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Szosa Bydgoska 44/48, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Oliver E. Craig
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Harry K. Robson
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Jessica Hendy
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
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The transmission of pottery technology among prehistoric European hunter-gatherers. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:171-183. [PMID: 36550220 PMCID: PMC9957732 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01491-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Human history has been shaped by global dispersals of technologies, although understanding of what enabled these processes is limited. Here, we explore the behavioural mechanisms that led to the emergence of pottery among hunter-gatherer communities in Europe during the mid-Holocene. Through radiocarbon dating, we propose this dispersal occurred at a far faster rate than previously thought. Chemical characterization of organic residues shows that European hunter-gatherer pottery had a function structured around regional culinary practices rather than environmental factors. Analysis of the forms, decoration and technological choices suggests that knowledge of pottery spread through a process of cultural transmission. We demonstrate a correlation between the physical properties of pots and how they were used, reflecting social traditions inherited by successive generations of hunter-gatherers. Taken together the evidence supports kinship-driven, super-regional communication networks that existed long before other major innovations such as agriculture, writing, urbanism or metallurgy.
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