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Did the first farmers of central and eastern Europe produce dairy foods?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2015

Oliver E. Craig ,
John Chapman ,
Carl Heron ,
Laura H. Willis ,
László Bartosiewicz ,
Gillian Taylor ,
Alasdair Whittle  and
Matthew Collins
Oliver E. Craig
Affiliation:
Ancient Biomolecules Group, Drummond Building, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PD, UK. Current address for correspondence: Centro di antropologia molecolare per lo studio del DNA antico, Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Roma “Tor Vergata” 00133 Roma, Italy (Email: oliver.craig@uniroma2.it)
John Chapman
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
Carl Heron
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
Laura H. Willis
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
László Bartosiewicz
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
Gillian Taylor
Affiliation:
Ancient Biomolecules Group, Drummond Building, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PD, UK
Alasdair Whittle
Affiliation:
School of History and Archaeology, Cardiff University, Humanities Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU, UK
Matthew Collins
Affiliation:
BioArch, Departments of Biology & Archaeology, University of York, BOX 373, York, YO10 5YW, UK
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Abstract

Although the origins of domestic animals have been well-documented, it is unclear when livestock were first exploited for secondary products, such as milk. The analysis of remnant fats preserved in ceramic vessels from two agricultural sites in central and eastern Europe dating to the Early Neolithic (5900-5500 cal BC) are best explained by the presence of milk residues. On this basis, the authors suggest that dairying featured in early European farming economies. The evidence is evaluated in the light of analysis of faunal remains from this region to determine the scale of dairying. It is suggested that dairying—perhaps of sheep or goats—was initially practised on a small scale and was part of a broad mixed economy.

Keywords

dairyinglipidsstable isotopesceramicfaunal remains
Type
Method
Information
Antiquity , Volume 79 , Issue 306 , December 2005 , pp. 882 - 894
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2005

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