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Ancient proteins from ceramic vessels at Çatalhöyük West reveal the hidden cuisine of early farmers

  • Jessica Hendy
  • , Andre C. Colonese
  • , Ingmar Franz
  • , Ricardo Fernandes
  • , Roman Fischer
  • , David Orton
  • , Alexandre Lucquin
  • , Luke Spindler
  • , Jana Anvari
  • , Elizabeth Stroud
  • , Peter F. Biehl
  • , Camilla Speller
  • , Nicole Boivin
  • , Meaghan Mackie
  • , Rosa R. Jersie-Christensen
  • , Jesper V. Olsen
  • , Matthew J. Collins
  • , Oliver E. Craig
  • , Eva Rosenstock
  • Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
  • University of York
  • Kiel University
  • University of Oxford
  • Free University of Berlin
  • University of British Columbia
  • University of Copenhagen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

131 Scopus citations

Abstract

The analysis of lipids (fats, oils and waxes) absorbed within archaeological pottery has revolutionized the study of past diets and culinary practices. However, this technique can lack taxonomic and tissue specificity and is often unable to disentangle signatures resulting from the mixing of different food products. Here, we extract ancient proteins from ceramic vessels from the West Mound of the key early farming site of Çatalhöyük in Anatolia, revealing that this community processed mixes of cereals, pulses, dairy and meat products, and that particular vessels may have been reserved for specialized foods (e.g., cow milk and milk whey). Moreover, we demonstrate that dietary proteins can persist on archaeological artefacts for at least 8000 years, and that this approach can reveal past culinary practices with more taxonomic and tissue-specific clarity than has been possible with previous biomolecular techniques.

Original languageEnglish
Article number4064
JournalNature Communications
Volume9
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2018

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