Three pottery Ding-tripods from the Xielaozhuang site. Arrows indicate where crusts had formed.
Credit: Wei et al. 2024
A new study by archaeologist Xingtao Wei and his colleagues, published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, provides insights into some of the earliest forms of humans processing bones into powder for cooking, dating back nearly 8,000 years (6,085 and 6,369 BC).
The finding was made at the Xielaozhuang (XLZ) site in the Henan province of North China. The site belonged to the Peiligang culture (ca. 9,000–7,000 BP), which was one of North China's most significant Neolithic cultures. It was known for being among the earliest producers of fermented beverages, creators of the oldest tonal flutes, basic textile weavers and sewers, and possibly one of the earliest users of the Chinese script.
In 2017 and 2018, the site was excavated, revealing a settlement, a cemetery and three pottery Ding-tripods (鼎) with food-crust remains. Ding-tripods were a type of pottery vessel that stood on three legs. Initially made of ceramics, these would eventually be cast in bronze.
Based on both typologies and later confirmed via Accelerator Mass Spectrometry dating, it was determined that these Ding tripods were made between 6,085 and 6,369 BC.
The initial investigation by the researchers was motivated by the desire to study alcohol-making temperatures at XLZ, says Dr. Tianxing Cui, one of the researchers involved in the study. "At first, our real research's goal was about the temperature of alcohol-making in prehistory. [While] using the SEM, the bone-powder was found."
Using a multidisciplinary approach that combined Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and starch analysis, the researchers were able to analyze the chemical, mineral, and microscopic composition of the crust-residue.
More specifically, the research team found certain compounds and minerals, including hydroxyapatite, magnesium whitlockite, phosphate (PO43-), and carbonate (CO32-) groups, as well as key elements, including carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium, all of which are typical components found in bone.
However, the analysis also provided unique challenges, particularly in relation to the identification of ancient plant remains, explains Dr. Cui. "The analytical challenge was the multiple-discipline method, especially starch-granule analysis. Our team did not know how to recognize the species of the starch granules. But, finally, we did it."
They concluded that bone powder was likely ground up and cooked together with various wild plants, including acorns and Job's tears.
This was particularly interesting because, despite agriculture having been developed in China around 10,000 years ago, the Peiligang culture made limited use of cultivated crops and animals, including foxtail millet, common millet, rice, and pigs. In fact, no domesticated crops were found in the crust-residue at XLZ, and from previous zooarchaeological analyses, it was known that domesticated animals, such as pigs, only made up around 10% of all remains.
The researchers speculate that bone powder processing at XLZ represented an important survival strategy during the transition from hunting-gathering to farming. It has long been hypothesized that various Paleolithic societies used bone grease extraction methods to extract extra fat (grease) and nutrients from otherwise inedible resources.
However, prior to the advent of pottery, direct evidence of this method was scarce due to the organic nature of the vessels likely used in the process (wood and animal skins).
The discovery at XLZ provides some of the earliest evidence of this practice, with bones having been ground into an incredibly fine powder. Unlike the bone fragments found at previous sites, the XLZ powder is particularly fine, suggesting a more refined process of bone powder production likely facilitated by sandstone rollers (also found at XLZ).
Experimental studies have found that the finer the bone powder, the more calcium is released. These powders would then be added to boiling water, allowing for the extraction of grease. AT XLZ, this mixture was then likely added to various plant foods, creating a highly nutritious food supplement.
"This type of Ding is very widespread, but the residues are very rare," notes Dr. Cui. "Now we have got a sample from the same period at the Cishan site. But we do not know whether the analysis results are the same with this paper."
This research contributes to a growing body of evidence showing how early Neolithic societies developed sophisticated subsistence strategies during the transition from hunter-gatherer to farm-based societies.
It shows that while farming was emerging, certain communities like those at XLZ continued to rely heavily on wild resources. The use of bone powder residue, however, provided the necessary nutrients and supplementary minerals needed to maintain an increasingly sedentary lifestyle during this critical transition phase.
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