Pottery Residues Reflect Neolithic Diet in Eastern China

News December 26, 2023

China Vessel Foodcrust
(University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)
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China Vessel Foodcrust

BEIJING, CHINA—According to a statement released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a team of researchers has detected the presence of rice, millet, fresh and marine fish, and mammals in carbonized residues on Neolithic pottery recovered from the Taihu Lake region of eastern China. The food remains were identified through the analysis of lipids and proteins in the residues on 57 pottery fragments, which had been dated to between 5,800 and 5,300 years ago. The study suggests that millet had spread southward to the region earlier than previously thought. To read about the spread of millet cultivation in ancient China, go to "You Are How You Cook."

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