Paleolitic diets

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Hi All,

The pdf for the below is available for those among us who may have interest in

what

our ancient forebears ate.

Dobrovolskaya MV.

Upper palaeolithic and late stone age human diet.

J Physiol Anthropol Appl Human Sci. 2005 Jul;24(4):433-8.

PMID: 16079593

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=16079593 & query_hl=10

Introduction

Undoubtedly, modern mankind is an omnivorous species.

Nevertheless types of diet changed at the time of

anthropogenesis. First of all, the appearance of the genus

Homo is connected with the herbivore—omnivore transition. It

is well known that most primate species are herbivores. They

feed on leaves, flowers, fruits, and other parts of plants. A few

species of anthropomorphic primates live on animal proteins.

According to Foley (1984), the early stages of anthropogenesis

were connected with diet structure change and the increase of

animal proteins as part of everyday nutrition. This point was

the basis for the progressive development of brain structures.

The role of hunting for Australopitecus, Homo erectus, and

Homo sapiens neandertalensis has been discussed from

different aspects (Foley, 1984; Brantingham, 1998; Bocherens,1997). ...

The data of palaeodietological analysis of Sunghirian bone

tissue gives us grounds to suppose that these people were not

only hunters. The term “hunters-gatherers” is more exact. As

archaeological studies have shown, the people of Sunghir site

were engaged in hunting and gathering. Warm and humid

periods of the sk interstadial can be of advantage to the

development of zoo- and phytogathering. Nevertheless, the fall

in temperature and relative dehydration of the climate, as we

assume occurred according to obtained results, did not lead to

any principal change in nutrition strategy.

In our opinion, the main feature of Sunghirian nutrition

strategy was usage of a wide range of food sources. Judging

from striking individual peculiarities, different types of

Sunghirian nutrition were to a considerable extent connected

with their social role in the community.

Apparently, the absence of nutritional specialisation was one

of the most important characteristics, ensuring the mobile

lifestyle of the Upper Palaeolithic population, including people

of the Sunghir site.

Perhaps the general tendency for a Holocene climate

resulted in a lesser energy requirement of the human body.

Thanks to that, high calorie content and the high nutritive

value of food became less crucial than they were before, and

the tendency for a wider exploitation of various food resources,

seen already in the Upper Palaeolithic, was further developed.

Two relatively new sources of protein began to be exploited on

a larger scale: small fish and invertebrates. Because all these

can be procured without any serious risk, they became a food

source during the hardest seasons. Availability of procurable

food makes life considerably easier for the least protected

members of community—women and children. As a result,

populations, especially those of Neolithic hunter-gatherers,

increased in size.

Al Pater, PhD; email: old542000@...

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