January/February 2019 Issue

INDONESIA: Thousands of years before it became a trendy ingredient in pumpkin-flavored autumn treats, nutmeg was already spicing things up. The oldest evidence—from some 3,500 years ago—for humans ingesting nutmeg has been detected on pottery sherds from Pulau Ay in the Banda Islands. Researchers do not know whether it was being used for its fruit, as a spice to flavor food, or for medicinal purposes. But Neolithic Indonesian communities were clearly familiar with its unique properties and flavor long before it became a sought-after global commodity.

CHINA: A 900-year-old tomb of a Chinese woman near Tieguai Village, Anhui Province, contained a fabric banner identifying her as the “Grand Lady.” Judging from her luxurious burial, she certainly merited the moniker. Her well-preserved body still bore gold and silver hairpins, silver bracelets, gold earrings, fancy robes, and embroidered shoes, and her grave was filled with more than 200 other objects. These include bundles of clothing, cosmetic tools, wooden figurines, bronze coins, porcelain bowls, and even a model courtyard house, complete with tiny furniture.

KENYA: Africa’s savannas, such as the Serengeti, are renowned for their biodiversity and pristine nature. A new study proposes that human intervention may have been instrumental in creating these ecosystems 3,000 years ago. Soil analysis from Neolithic sites associated with nomadic herders in southern Kenya shows that dung from corralled livestock created nutrient-rich “hotspots” across the prehistoric landscape. This led to an increase in fertile grasses thousands of years ago that, even today, attract a diverse array of wildlife.