The population of the first European cities in the regions that now belong to Ukraine and Moldova followed a predominantly vegetarian diet. This has been shown by a study published in the journal. PNAS.
Scientists have excavated the first megacities of the Trypillian culture, which arose almost seven thousand years ago on the territory of modern Ukraine and Moldova. About 15 thousand people lived in ancient cities with an area of up to 320 hectares. These megacities are not only the largest settlements of their time, but are also considered the oldest cities in Europe. They were probably even older than Mesopotamian cities. Archaeologists have long been trying to figure out how such large groups of people were able to obtain food using Stone Age technology alone.
By analyzing carbon and nitrogen isotopes in hundreds of samples (mostly animal, human and plant bones), scientists managed to find out what role plants and animals play in human nutrition. The fact is that when food is consumed, the atoms in its composition are used by the human body to produce its own molecules. Depending on what type of carbon or nitrogen atoms accumulate in human bones, major food sources can be determined.
It turned out that a significant part of the cattle and sheep were fed in fenced pastures. Animal manure was used especially for intensive fertilization of peas. Cereals and cereals formed the basis of human nutrition, which are not only high-calorie, but also contain a sufficient amount of essential amino acids. And labor-intensive meat production, which required waste of food resources to feed animals, was practically not used. The complex system of pastures and fields lasted until the 3rd millennium BC, when the cities of the Trypillian culture were divided into smaller settlements for social reasons.
Previously in southern Ukraine to create arrows made from human skin.