Analysis confirms dairy farming in prehistoric Finland

Past Horizons ^ | Wednesday, July 30, 2014 | University of Bristol

[SunkenCiv]

By comparing the residues found in the walls of cooking pots from two separate eras and cultures, dating to circa 3900 BC to 3300 BC and circa 2500 BC, the more recent pottery fragments showed evidence of milk fats.

This coincided with the transition from a culture of hunting and fishing – relying mainly on marine foods – to the arrival of ‘Corded Ware’ settlements which we now know saw the introduction of animal domestication.

Lead author Dr Lucy Cramp, from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at Bristol University, said: “This is remarkable evidence which proves that four and a half thousand years ago, Stone Age people must have been foddering and sheltering domesticated animals over harsh winters, in conditions that even nowadays we would find challenging.”

The results also drew a connection between the ‘Corded Ware’ farming settlers – who were likely to have been genetically different to the hunting and fishing communities – and modern day Finns.

Fellow researcher Dr Volker Heyd added: “Our results show a clear link between an incoming pre-historic population, milk drinking and the ability to digest milk in adulthood still visible in the genetic distribution of modern Finland, which remains one of the highest consumers of dairy products in the world.”

[SunkenCiv]

Corded Ware sherds. Image; Finnish National Board of Antiquities

[SunkenCiv]

Happy Saturday, this is the weekly digest list ping.

[MeshugeMikey]

but but Louisi Farraklown says europeans were living like monkeys back then???

[blam]

Where Do The Finns Come From?

[Sherman Logan]

an incoming ... population

For some reason, Europeans moving into America or Australia are never described this way.

[Madam Theophilus]

Ah ha! So dairy should be included in the paleo diet after all! :-)

Low carb bing

[bandleader]

“Screwy Louie”was looking in the mirror again???

[MeshugeMikey]

Louie does display a particularly well honed ability to Project doenst he

[ConservativeInPA]

Lead author Dr Lucy Cramp, from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at Bristol University, said: “This is remarkable evidence which proves that four and a half thousand years ago, Stone Age people must have been foddering and sheltering domesticated animals over harsh winters, in conditions that even nowadays we would find challenging.”

I guess Dr. Cramp never heard of the Sami. My mother's side of family are Finns, actually Sami. They immigrated from Finland to Minnesota in the early 1890's and became dairy farmers. Previously they were reindeer herders ... And guess where the got their milk. This was in a time before electricity, combustion engines, chainsaws, tractors and other "necessities" of today. I suspect the Sami had been living that way for a very long time and it would be news to them it wasn't that way for a very long time.

[smokingfrog]

Got milk?

[Viiksitimali]

Neolithic dairy farming at the extreme of agriculture in northern Europe
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/281/1791/20140819.full

[Viiksitimali]

Solving the puzzle of why Finns have the highest IQ, but one of the lowest number of Nobel prizes in Europe
Highlights
•Finland does very well in PISA, but has very few Nobel Prize winners.
•Finns have the highest IQ in Europe but the smallest SD.
•Finns have high Conscientiousness and Agreeableness.
•This explains why they do well in education, but not in measures of significant creative achievement.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks CinPA!

[SunkenCiv]

;’)

[OldNewYork]

Interesting this is so in a non-Indo-European area.