Oldest evidence of dairying on the East Asian Steppe

Dairying of cattle, sheep, and goats was established in northern Mongolia by 1300 BC

Date:  November 5, 2018

Source:  Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History

Although dairy pastoralism once made Mongolian steppe herders successful enough to conquer most of Asia and Europe, the origins of this way of life on the East Asian steppe are still unclear. Now an international team of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History has uncovered evidence that dairying arrived in Mongolia as early as 1300 BC through a process of cultural transmission rather than population replacement or migration.

Two thousand years before the armies of Ghengis Khan, populations in Mongolia were already living a pastoralist, dairying lifestyle -- similar to that which would enable future populations to conquer most of Asia and Europe. Although pastoralism has long been the primary means of subsistence on the East Asian steppe, the origins of this tradition have been unclear. Now, an international team of researchers has uncovered the earliest direct evidence to date of dairying in Mongolia -- around 1300 BC -- by tracking milk proteins preserved in tooth tartar. The livestock that were milked -- cattle, sheep and goats -- are not native to the region and were likely introduced by Western Steppe herders. However, ancient DNA evidence from Bronze Age Mongolians indicates minimal genetic contributions from Western Steppe herders, suggesting that the livestock and dairying technologies were transferred by cultural processes rather than a major population migration, in contrast to the pattern seen in Europe. The findings are published in PNAS.

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Widespread evidence of prehistoric dairying discovered along the Mediterranean coast

Date: November 15, 2016

Source: University of Bristol

An inter-disciplinary team of scientists and archaeologists have discovered widespread evidence of prehistoric milk production in southern Europe.

The study uncovered evidence that humans have been utilising milk and dairy products across the northern Mediterranean region from the onset of agriculture -- some 9,000 years ago.

The importance of meat and dairy production in the Neolithic Mediterranean area remains a topic of debate, with previous research showing that the attraction for milk may have been a driving force for the domestication of cud-chewing animals like cows, goats and sheep.

This study combined evidence of the presence of milk and carcass fats in more than 500 pottery vessels together with an examination of the ages at death of domesticated animals excavated from 82 sites dating from the 7th to 5th millennia BC.

The findings show varying intensities of dairying and non-dairying activities in the northern Mediterranean region, with the slaughter profiles of the animals mirroring the fats detected in cooking pots.

The research was brought to fruition by Cynthianne Spiteri, Mélanie Roffet-Salque and Roz Gillis, who undertook the analysis during their PhD research at the Universities of York and Bristol, and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, respectively.

Dr Cynthianne Spiteri said: "At the onset of food production in the northern Mediterranean region, milk was an important resource to these early farming communities.

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