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New insights into Neolithic milk consumption through proteomic analysis of dental calculus
- Source :
- Charlton, S, Ramsøe, A D, Collins, M J, Craig, O, Fischer, R, Alexander, M & Speller, C 2019, ' New insights into Neolithic milk consumption through proteomic analysis of dental calculus ', Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, vol. 11, no. 11, pp. 6183-6196 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00911-7
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- There has long been debate over the origins of dairy consumption within European populations. Whilst it was previously assumed that lactase persistence (LP) was under positive selection following the advent of agriculture, recent genetic studies of prehistoric human remains have revealed LP may have only emerged in Europe in the last 4000 years. These findings stand in contrast to organic residue analysis of Neolithic pottery indicating the utilisation of dairy products, and zooarchaeological mortality profiles consistent with dairying herds at Neolithic sites. The recent discovery of the milk protein β-lactoglobulin (BLG) within human dental calculus presents a new method via which to explore dairy product consumption in the archaeological past. Here, we apply shotgun proteomic analysis to dental calculus samples from three British Neolithic sites, revealing the earliest identification of BLG in human dental calculus to date. The presence of BLG peptides in individuals who are unlikely to possess LP provides new insight into dairying in the British Neolithic, suggesting the potential processing of milk by Neolithic populations to reduce the lactose content of dairy products.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Archeology
060102 archaeology
Milk protein
business.industry
Positive selection
06 humanities and the arts
Consumption (sociology)
Biology
Prehistory
03 medical and health sciences
Lactase persistence
stomatognathic diseases
030104 developmental biology
Agriculture
Anthropology
Calculus
0601 history and archaeology
Pottery
business
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 18669565 and 18669557
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....5311a1b5ba2adbebd7950402d4042bb2