An international group of scientists from Israel, the Netherlands and the USA studied the composition of the diet of primitive people in the Paleolithic era. Their discoveries challenged the conventional wisdom that ancient hunter-gatherers ate a lot of meat and little plant food. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The team discovered starch grains on basalt tools dating back about 780,000 years at an ancient settlement on the shores of Lake Hula in northern Israel.
Experts say the diet of early humans, also known as the Paleo diet, has been misinterpreted as primarily meat-based. The fact is that animal bones can be preserved for tens and hundreds of thousands of years, while traces of edible plants can be preserved very rarely.
However, the discovery of starch grains on ancient pestles and basalt slabs has provided a new understanding of the central role of plants, especially starchy tubers, nuts and roots, which are rich in carbohydrates vital for the energy needs of the human brain.
Stone tools from the Hula coast were used to prepare a variety of plants, including acorns, grains, legumes, and aquatic plants such as the yellow water lily and the extinct water chestnut.
The results of the research provided insight into the social and cognitive behavior of early humans. The use of tools to manipulate plants indicates a high level of cooperation and social structure, as hominids acted as part of larger social groups.
Earlier archaeologists I learnedthat the ancient Scandinavians ate thin porridge mostly with water.
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Source: Gazeta
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