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