Got Milk?: Apparently humans did 8,500 years ago

by William Atkins

Friday, 15 August 2008

Page 1 of 3 ! British biogeochemist Richard Evershed of the University of Bristol has discovered ceramic pottery fragments from Turkey that contain milk. These fragments date as far back as the middle part of the seventh millennia B.C.—a full one thousand years earlier than what scientists previously thought prehistoric humans first consumed milk. Dr. Evershed (of the Organic Geochemistry Unit, in the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol) and his colleagues (from the United Kingdom, Greece, Turkey, the Netherlands, Romania, the United States, and Israel) analyzed over 2,220 pottery fragments from across Turkey, southeastern Europe, and the Middle East. Based on this research, Evershed’s team published an article in the journal Nature that suggests milk was processed and stored by humans at least 8,500 years ago—by 6,500 B.C. (within the seventh century B.C.) It was already known by scientists that early humans domesticated cattle, goats, and sheep as far back as 10,000 years ago. However, they only used their meat and hides, and did not use their milk. Milk was later consumed, but scientists thought such activity only occurred as far back as 7,500 years ago. With this study, the first consumption of raw milk by early humans is now believed to have occurred 8,500 years ago, or in the seventh millennium B.C, a full millennium earlier than previously believed. Evershed and his colleages measured carbon isotope ratios in organic residues on the shards of the unglazed pottery to determine that milk fat was present. The pottery was found in northwest Anotolia, which is now called Turkey. The area known as Asia Minor consists of the geographical region bordered by the Mediterranean Sea (to the south), the Black Sea (to the north), to Aegean Sea (to the west), and much of the Asian mainland (to the east). Continued on page two. << First page <   1 2 3 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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