Findings from a new study challenge the traditional view that a heavy reliance on plant-based diets started only with the advent of agriculture.
About 11,000 years ago, humans made a major shift from hunting and gathering to farming. This change, known as the Neolithic Revolution , dramatically altered our diets.
Using novel research techniques, we found evidence that our Late Stone Age hunter-gatherer ancestors in north Africa had a heavily plant-based diet, thousands of years before the advent of agriculture. Chemical traces in bones and teeth Imagine being able to tell what someone ate thousands of years ago just by examining their bones and teeth.
Together with an international team of scientists, I analysed the teeth and bones of people buried in Taforalt Cave in the north-east of Morocco. The burials were deliberate. Researchers have referred to the site as a cemetery due to the organised nature of the burials and the long period over which they occurred. The cave is one of the best-studied sites in north-west Africa for the Palaeolithic period. It is likely the oldest cemetery in north Africa.
We also used cutting-edge techniques involving zinc isotopes developed by one of my PhD supervisors, Klervia Jaouen, which we applied to tooth enamel. This method, combined with analyses of amino acids, allowed us to further differentiate between plant and animal sources in the diet. One of the interesting discoveries we made was that a baby started eating solid foods at the early age of around six to 12 months. This baby was apparently given plant-based foods, probably as porridge or soup. This gives us a fascinating glimpse into how hunter gatherers took care of their children in the past.
Animal Protein Diet Hunter-Gatherers Isotopic Analysis Later Stone Age Morocco Neolithic Period Neolithic Revolution North Africa Stone Age Teeth
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