Evidence of Dairying Discovered by Researchers Along Mediterranean Coast

The significance of meat and dairy products in the Neolithic Mediterranean area is a debatable topic. Studies done in the past have proved that the attraction for milk may have been a driver for the domestication of animals like sheep, goats, and cow.

A new study headed by Dr. Mélanie Roffet-Salque from the University of Bristol examined the evidence of the presence of milk and cadaver fats that were found in 567 pottery vessels, along with a detailed analysis of the ages of the animals when they were killed from 82 sites dating between the 7th and 5th millennia BC.

The team synthesized both new and old evidence to create a wider perspective on the exploitation of domestic animals during the period across Anatolia and the northern Mediterranean. They tried to find out whether dairying started in response to some environmental feature or whether it was on account of cultural traditions that were prevalent in the Neolithic period.

The findings show that there were variations in the intensity of dairying as well as non-dairying activities, with the evidence of slaughter being detected through the collection of fats in cooking pots. According to the researchers, the exploitation of milk and its processing varied from region to region. However, a majority of communities started exploiting milk immediately after domestication started between 9,000 and 7,000 years back.

Dr. Cynthianne Spiteri of the University of York, the first author of the study, said that milk was a crucial resource for the farming communities, which were at a nascent stage. It's possible that milk played a crucial role in nourishing people as well as creating storable food products out of them for self-sustenance, which also made farming widespread in the western Mediterranean region, she added. Also, the choice of domesticating animals for milk was greatly impacted by the landscape around the communities, according to the authors.