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Pottery Analysis Reveals Earliest Mediterranean Cheese Production 7,200 Years Ago
Sci-News.com ^ | Sep 7, 2018 | News Staff / Source

Posted on 09/07/2018 7:46:08 AM PDT by ETL

An analysis of fatty residue in pottery from two Neolithic archaeological sites in Croatia has revealed evidence of fermented dairy products (soft cheeses and yogurts) from approximately 7,200 years ago

Access to milk and cheese has been linked to the spread of agriculture across Europe starting around 9,000 years ago.

But evidence for cheese production in the Mediterranean has, until now, dated back only as far the beginning of the Bronze Age, around 5,000 years ago.

In a new study, Pennsylvania State University anthropologist Sarah McClure and co-authors analyzed stable carbon isotopes of fatty acids preserved on potsherds from two Neolithic villages — Pokrovnik and Danilo Bitinj — on the Dalmatian coast east of the Adriatic Sea and found direct evidence for much earlier production of cheese.

These villages were occupied between 6000 and 4800 BC and preserve several types of pottery across that age range.

The team’s analysis found evidence of milk, along with meat and fish, throughout this period and evidence of cheese starting around 5200 BC. ..."

These data indicate that cheese was established in the Mediterranean by 7,200 years ago when fermented dairy products, being easily storable and relatively low in lactose content, would have been an important source of nutrition for all ages in early farming populations.

“This pushes back cheese-making by 4,000 years,” Dr. McClure said.

“The presence of milk in pottery in this area is seen as early as 7,700 years ago, 500 years earlier than fermented products.”

“DNA analysis of the populations in this area indicates that the adults were lactose-intolerant, but the children remained able to consume milk comfortably up to the age of 10.”

The researchers suggest that cheese production and associated ceramic technology were key factors aiding the expansion of early farmers into northern and central Europe.

(Excerpt) Read more at sci-news.com ...


TOPICS: Cheese, Moose, Sister; Chit/Chat; Food; History
KEYWORDS:
Image result for Pottery Analysis Reveals Earliest Mediterranean Cheese Production 7,200 Years Ago
A suite of Middle Neolithic pottery including a typical Danilo ware, figulina, and rhyton. Image credit: Muzej Grada Šibenika.

Image result for Pottery Analysis Reveals Earliest Mediterranean Cheese Production 7,200 Years Ago

Image result for Pottery Analysis Reveals Earliest Mediterranean Cheese Production 7,200 Years Ago
Examples of pottery types from the Dalmatian Neolithic: (a) impresso ware; (b) figulina; (c) Danilo fine ware;
(d) rhyton; (e) fragment of a sieve. Image credit: Muzej Grada Šibenika

1 posted on 09/07/2018 7:46:08 AM PDT by ETL
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World’s Oldest Solid Cheese Found in 3,200-Year-Old Jar in Egypt
Sci-News.com ^ | Aug 16, 2018 | News Staff / Source

Ptahmes was Mayor of Memphis and high-ranking official under the Pharaohs Sethi I and Ramses II (1290-1213 BC) of the XIX dynasty.

His tomb is located in the south of the Causeway of the Pharaoh Unas which yields a number of tombs dated to the New Kingdom.

It was rediscovered in 2010 after a part of it was revealed in 1885 and lost under the sands at the end of the 19th century.

During the 2013/2014 excavation season, Cairo University archeologists found broken jars at the site.

One jar contained a solidified whitish mass, as well as canvas fabric that might have covered the jar or been used to preserve its contents.

A research team led by University of Catania archaeologist Enrico Greco wanted to analyze the whitish substance to determine its identity.

After dissolving the sample, the scientists purified its protein constituents and analyzed them with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

The peptides detected by these techniques show the constituting material was a dairy product obtained by mixing sheep/goat and cow milk.

“The characteristics of the canvas fabric, which indicate it was suitable for containing a solid rather than a liquid, and the absence of other specific markers, support the conclusion that the dairy product was a solid cheese,” the researchers said.

(Excerpt) Read more at sci-news.com ...

2 posted on 09/07/2018 7:47:35 AM PDT by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: ETL

Excellent pics!


3 posted on 09/07/2018 7:47:39 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

4 posted on 09/07/2018 7:48:35 AM PDT by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: All

Monty Python Cheese Sketch...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B3KBuQHHKx0


5 posted on 09/07/2018 7:49:50 AM PDT by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: ETL
Well aged by now.

6 posted on 09/07/2018 7:54:28 AM PDT by BitWielder1 (I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty.)
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To: ETL

That cheese would have gone well with this wine:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3685365/posts


7 posted on 09/07/2018 7:58:35 AM PDT by V_TWIN (oks like)
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To: ETL

Monty Python, after all these years........still not gettin’ it.


8 posted on 09/07/2018 7:59:53 AM PDT by V_TWIN (oks like)
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To: ETL

Blessed are the cheesemakers.


9 posted on 09/07/2018 8:14:04 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: ETL

It looks like someone has finally stumbled onto the location of the Sargento cheese factory — the world’s last remaining source for Neolithic petrified cheese.


10 posted on 09/07/2018 8:47:12 AM PDT by Ancient Man
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To: ETL

That is beautiful pottery.


11 posted on 09/07/2018 8:50:17 AM PDT by laplata (Leftists/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: V_TWIN
Monty Python, after all these years........still not gettin’ it.

I feel the same about crap like Modern Family and Big Bang Theory.

12 posted on 09/07/2018 8:56:33 AM PDT by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: ETL
Thanks ETL.

13 posted on 09/07/2018 9:07:02 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: ETL

Imagine being lactose intolerant before it was understood.


14 posted on 09/07/2018 9:56:09 AM PDT by SMGFan ( .)
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To: SMGFan
Imagine being lactose intolerant before it was understood.

Within the past few years I've realized that I am. Can't drink milk without stomach rumbling all day and night. Don't recall the problem when I was young. Never even heard of the condition before recently.

15 posted on 09/07/2018 10:03:07 AM PDT by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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