2700-Year-Old Poop Reveals Iron Age Europeans Were Fond of Blue Cheese and Beer

As shown in a recent investigation of 2,700-year-old excrement from an Iron Age European salt miner, employees at the period ate blue cheese and drink alcohol, implying that they had a far more refined taste than initially believed.

The feces were collected at the Hallstatt-Dachstein salt mine where is currently western Austria and released in the peer-reviewed publication Current Biology on Wednesday.

Four excrement specimens were examined in this research: one in the Bronze Age, two from the Iron Age, and one from the 18th century.

The researchers discovered Genetics from Penicillium roqueforti and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, microorganisms that are still used to brew beer and blue cheese, in one of the 2,600-year-old Iron Age feces.

These two fungi are still commonly employed to make blue cheese and brews today, providing archaeologists with perspective on not just what our forefathers had, but also how advanced their meal and beverage-making skills was.

Iron Age Europeans Diet

According to microbiologist Frank Maixner of the Eurac Research Center for Mummy Studies in Italy, "genetic code study reveals that both fungi were engaged in fermented products and give the first scientific indication for blue cheese and alcohol intake throughout Iron Age Europe."

The experts utilized a variety of microscopy methods to expose the proteins, DNA, genetic code, and microorganisms within the specimens in order to determine the fungus. Plant pieces, such as fibre and panicles from various grains, were also plentiful.

The experts suggest that such Individuals' diets were heavy in fiber and carbs in the past. Supplemental to the primary nutrition were most certainly broad beans, fruits, nuts, and animal foods.

Gut microbiota research of further modern feces specimens from same activated complex that lifestyles were influenced by natural foods, fruits and vegetables up to the Baroque era - the mid-18th century. That demonstrates how new our Western influence dietary patterns are.

"It appears that the Hallstatt miners employed food fermentation technology using microbes that are being used in the commercial kitchen today," explains Maixner.

Blue Cheese and Beer During European Era

If you think 2,700 years is plenty of period to keep feces lingering, you're right: those subterranean salt mines are one of the few sites on Globe where conserved remains can be retrieved.

Normally, preserving feces necessitates a unique atmosphere. A dried cavern, such as this one, or a frosty environment, or even a grassland. Furthermore, the salt mines in Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut are cold throughout the year, which is beneficial.

Heavy drinking and cheesemaking were, two of the ancient known traditions, centuries old, but the results from Austria provide researchers with yet another significant data point in documenting dietary behaviors and nutrition.

"These findings throw significant fresh insight on the lives of historical salt miners in Hallstatt and offer up an entire fresh depth of knowledge of historical dietary habits in particular," says archaeologist Kerstin Kowarik of Austria's Museum of Natural History Vienna.

"It was becoming evident that not only were ancient cuisine techniques advanced, but also intricate processed products and the fermenting method also played a significant part in our ancient dietary culture."

The findings were reported in the journal Current Biology.