Prehistoric Men Drank Milk Much Earlier
posted in Humans |The prehistoric men consumed milk about 8,500 years ago-almost 2,00 years earlier than thought of. This was revealed in the discovery of the earliest known milk containers.
The findings indicate that the usage of animal milk was initially developed in northwest Turkey by the cow herds residing there. The initial milk users did not consume milk per se, but ate cheese, butter and yogurt.
Richard Evershed, professor of biogeochemistry, University of Bristol, United Kingdom and his team analyzed over 2,200 ceramic vessels taken from late Stone Age sites all over Turkey, Middle East and southeastern Europe.
Milk fats as against meat fats showed up quite clearly on the unglazed pots, which dated back to around 6500 B.C. taken from the Sea of Marmara region. Ancient bones of animals indicated that the use of dairy livestock were that of cattle, rather than sheep or goats.
These findings will be highlighted in the journal Nature (August 2008 issue).
Northwest Turkey provided the suitable environment for cattle rearing due greener grazing and “higher rainfall”. Pots became a convenient medium of the processing of milk into butter, cheese and yogurt.