Here’s a few references which might be of use:
Marie Balasse, Hervé Bocherens, Anne Tresset, André Mariotti and
Jean-Denis Vigne (1997). "Emergence of dairy production in the
Neolithic? Contribution of isotopic analysis of cattle archaeological
bones." Comptes Rendus de l'Academie des Sciences - Series IIA - Earth
and Planetary Science 325(12): 1005-1010.
M.S. Copley, R. Berstan, A.J. Mukherjee, S.N. Dudd, V. Straker, S. Payne
and R.P. Evershed. (2003). "Direct chemical evidence for widespread
dairying in prehistoric Britain." Proceedings Of The National Academy Of
Sciences Of The United States Of America 100(4): 1524-1529.
Abstract:
Domesticated animals formed an important element of farming practices in
prehistoric Britain, a fact revealed through the quantity and variety of
animal bone typically found at archaeological sites. However, it is not
known whether the ruminant animals were raised purely for their tissues
(e.g., meat) or alternatively were exploited principally for their milk.
Absorbed organic residues from pottery from 14 British prehistoric sites
were investigated for evidence of the processing of dairy products. Our
ability to detect dairy fats rests on the observation that the
delta(13)C values of the C(18:0) fatty acids in ruminant dairy fats are
approximately 2.3 per thousand lower than in ruminant adipose fats. This
difference can be ascribed to (i) the inability of the mammary gland to
biosynthesize C(18:0); (ii) the biohydrogenation of dietary unsaturated
fatty acids in the rumen; and (iii) differences (i.e., 8.1 per thousand
) in the delta(13)C values of the plant dietary fatty acids and
carbohydrates. The lipids from a total of 958 archaeological pottery
vessels were extracted, and the compound-specific delta(13)C values of
preserved fatty acids (C(16:0) and C(18:0)) were determined via gas
chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The results
provide direct evidence for the exploitation of domesticated ruminant
animals for dairy products at all Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age
settlements in Britain. Most significantly, studies of pottery from a
range of key early Neolithic sites confirmed that dairying was a
widespread activity in this period and therefore probably well developed
when farming was introduced into Britain in the fifth millennium B.C.
[Journal Article; In English; United States]
M.S. Copley, R. Berstan, A.J. Mukherjee, S.N. Dudd, V. Straker, S. Payne
and R.P. Evershed. (2005). “Dairying in antiquity. III. Evidence from
absorbed lipid residues dating to the British Neolithic”. Journal of
Archaeological Science, 32 (4): 523-546.
Abstract:
Absorbed lipid residue analysis has previously demonstrated that
dairying was a major component of animal husbandry in Britain during
both the Iron Age and Bronze Age. As a continuation of this research
into the antiquity of dairying, the incidence of dairy fats associated
with pottery vessels from six Neolithic sites from Southern Britain is
presented herein. A total of 438 potsherds from Windmill Hill, Abingdon
Causewayed Enclosure, Hambledon Hill, Eton Rowing Lake, Runnymede Bridge
and Yarnton Floodplain were submitted for organic residue analysis. To
date, this constitutes the largest number of sherds investigated from
one particular archaeological period. The compound-specific stable
isotope values of the major fatty acid components in animal fats, namely
C16:0 and C18:0, enable absorbed lipids in pottery vessels to be
classified to commodity group, i.e. ruminant adipose, dairy and
non-ruminant adipose fats can be distinguished. The lipid extracts were
relatively well preserved, and dairy fats were observed in approximately
25% of all of the sherds, demonstrating that milk was a valued commodity
in the British Neolithic. These results confirm that dairying was an
established component of the agricultural practices that reached Britain
in the 5th Millennium BC.
O.E. Craig. (2003). “Dairying, dairy products and milk residues:
Potential Studies in European Prehistory”. In: M. P. Pearson (ed.),
Food, Culture and Identity in the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age.
Oxford, BAR International: 89-98.
best wishes
Mark
Dr. Mark Beech
Senior Resident Archaeologist
Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS)
P.O. Box 45553
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 - 2 - 6934515 (office)
Tel: +971 - 50 - 7527407 (mobile)
Fax: +971 - 2 - 6810008
Email:
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Websites:
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www-users.york.ac.uk/~mjb117/
-----Original Message-----
From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Orton
Sent: 07 November 2005 22:02
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ZOOARCH] Milk residues
I seem to remember a scientific article about two years back reporting
the detection of milk residues on some Neolithic pottery. I think it was
in either Science or Nature. Can anyone provide me with a reference for
this, or indeed for any work on the subject in the last few years?
Thanks,
David
