Early Greenlanders Enjoyed a Varied Diet

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—Phys.org reports that the Saqqaq people who lived in Greenland as early as 4,500 years ago ate a more varied diet than had been previously thought. An international team of researchers led by Frederik V. Seersholm of the University of Copenhagen identified 42 different creatures when they analyzed some 2,500 bone fragments recovered from middens on the island. The bones include the remains of a now-extinct species of small reindeer and 20 different mammal species; fin, sperm, narwhal, and bowhead whales; nine kinds of fish; and 13 types of birds. Knowing what the Saqqaq ate will shed light on their technology as well, the researchers said. Some of the fish, for example, were small enough that they are likely to have been caught with nets. For more on Greenland's middens, go to "Letter from Greenland: The Ghosts of Kangeq."