Contrasting patterns of prehistoric human diet and subsistence in northernmost Europe.
Sci Rep
; 8(1): 1148, 2018 01 18.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29348633
ABSTRACT
Current archaeological evidence indicates the transition from hunting-fishing-gathering to agriculture in Northern Europe was a gradual process. This transition was especially complex in the prehistoric North Fennoscandian landscape where the high latitude posed a challenge to both domestic animal breeding and cereal cultivation. The conditions varied, the coastal dwellers had access to rich marine resources and enjoyed a milder climate due to the Gulf Stream, while those living in the inland Boreal forest zone faced longer and colder winters and less diversity in animal and plant resources. Thus, the coastal area provided more favourable conditions for early agriculture compared to those found inland. Interestingly, a cultural differentiation between these areas is archaeologically visible from the late 2nd millennium BC onwards. This is most clearly seen in regionally distinct pottery styles, offering unique opportunities to probe diet and subsistence through the organic residues preserved in ceramic vessels. Herein, we integrate the lipid biomarker, compound-specific stable carbon isotopes (δ13C), and zooarchaeological evidence to reveal culturally distinct human diets and subsistence patterns. In northern Norway, some of the coastal people adopted dairying as part of their subsistence strategy, while the inhabitants of the interior, in common with northern Finland, continued their hunter-gatherer-fisher lifestyles.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Gorduras na Dieta
/
Produtos Agrícolas
/
Indústria de Laticínios
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Agricultura
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Dieta Paleolítica
Limite:
Animals
/
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article