A Bronze Age wooden container found in an ice patch at 2,650m in the Swiss Alps could help archaeologists shed new light on the spread and exploitation of cereal grains following a chance discovery.
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| Bronze Age wooden container found in an ice patch at 2,650m in the Swiss Alps [Credit: Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern] |
But instead they discovered lipid-based biomarkers for whole wheat or rye grain, called alkylresorcinols.
The team say the discovery of these biomarkers in the residue could be used as a new tool to help archaeologists map and trace the development of early farming in Eurasia.
The domestication of plants, such as wheat, was one of the most significant cultural and evolutionary steps of our species, but direct evidence of their use in early culinary practices and economies has remained frustratingly elusive.
Plants quickly degrade in archaeological deposits therefore archaeologists are increasingly using molecular techniques to look for their remains.
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| At the bottom of a Bronze Age wooden vessel, researchers discovered residues of cereal grains (central dark spot). Additionally, parts of a bent rim were found, indicating that the container must have been about 10 centimetres high. More fragments, perhaps parts of the top, still need to be examined [Credit: Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern] |
"This is an extraordinary discovery if you consider that of all domesticated plants, wheat is the most widely grown crop in the world and the most important food grain source for humans, lying at the core of many contemporary culinary traditions.
"One of the greatest challenges of lipid analysis in archaeology has been finding biomarkers for plants, there are only a few and they do not preserve very well in ancient artefacts. You can imagine the relevance of this study as we have now a new tool for tracking early culinary use of cereal grains, it really is very exciting. The next step is to look for them in ceramic artefacts," Dr Colonese added.
The team combined microscopic and molecular analyses to identify lipids and proteins using gas chromatography mass spectrometry, a technique routinely applied to ceramic artefacts. Over the last 30 years, thousands of ceramic artefacts from Europe have been analyzed for their molecular content, most revealing evidence of milk and meat products, but hardly any evidence of cereals.
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| The Bronze Age wooden container was been found in an ice patch at 2,650m in the Swiss Alps [Credit: Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern] |
Combining these two kinds of molecular analysis, along with microscopy, is strong evidence that cereals were being transported across this alpine pass."
"Detecting a molecular marker for cereals also has widespread implications for studying early farming. It enables us to piece together when and where this important food crop spread through Europe," Dr Hendy added.
Dr Francesco Carrer, from Newcastle University, said: "This evidence sheds new light on life in prehistoric alpine communities, and on their relationship with the extreme high altitudes. People travelling across the alpine passes were carrying food for their journey, like current hikers do. This new research contributed to understanding which food they considered the most suitable for their trips across the Alps."
The study is published in Scientific Reports.
Source: University of York [July 26, 2017]