Traces of Neolithic Cheese Found on Pottery in Croatia

News September 5, 2018

(Courtesy Heriot-Watt University)
SHARE:
Croatia Neolithic cheese
(Courtesy Heriot-Watt University)

POKROVNIK, CROATIA—BBC News reports that traces of 7,000-year-old cheese were detected on pottery unearthed in Croatia by an international team of scientists. The fermented milk fats are thought to have clung to the sieve-like objects when Neolithic farmers strained curds out of whey to make cheese, which may have been more easily digestible than milk for lactose-intolerant adults. Clayton Magill of Heriot-Watt University explained that the resulting portable, long-lasting food product could have provided early farming populations with a good source of calories, protein, and fat that may have reduced infant mortality and boosted survival rates during droughts and famines. For more on evidence of ancient tastes in food, go to “The Neolithic Palate.”

  • Features July/August 2018

    The City at the Beginning of the World

    The only Maya city with an urban grid may embody a creation myth

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Timothy Pugh/Itza Archaeological Project)
  • Letter from England July/August 2018

    Inside the Anarchy

    Archaeologists explore the landscape of England’s first civil war

    Read Article
    (Kate Ravilious)
  • Artifacts July/August 2018

    Roman Boxing Gloves

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Vindolanda Trust)
  • Digs & Discoveries July/August 2018

    Sun Storm

    Read Article
    (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)