Stone Age people 'roasted rodents for food' - archaeologists

By Helen Briggs BBC News

Rodents appear to have been roasted for food by Stone Age people as early as 5,000 years ago, archaeological evidence suggests.

Bones from archaeological sites in Orkney show voles were cooked or boiled for food, or possibly for pest control.

This is the first evidence for the exploitation of rodents by Neolithic people in Europe, say scientists. 

Rodents were consumed later in history, with the dormouse regarded as a delicacy during Roman times.

The Orkney vole - found only on the archipelago - is thought to be a subspecies of the European common vole.

Charred bones suggest the vole was cooked, most likely for food.

The remains were found with waste products from other foods, suggesting voles may have been roasted in the fire. Alternatively, they may have been cooked or boiled in a pot. 

Continued