Archaeologists have uncovered new insights into the dietary habits of early farmers on the Danish island of Funen, dating back 5,500 years. At a Neolithic settlement, a team of international researchers discovered 14 grinding stones and over 5,000 charred grains of naked barley, emmer wheat, and durum wheat. Contrary to previous assumptions, detailed analysis revealed that these ancient inhabitants did not use the grinding stones to produce flour or bake bread. Instead, they likely prepared porridge or gruel from starchy plants, suggesting that liquid porridges formed the basis of their diet.
The study, published in the journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, supports a hypothesis proposed by archaeobotanists and archaeologists elsewhere in Northern Europe. An international research team from Denmark, Germany, and Spain conducted the analysis of the grains and grinding stones. They examined microscopic mineral plant remains known as phytoliths and starch grains in small cavities on the surfaces of the stones. The researchers found only a few phytoliths and determined that the starch grains originated from wild plants rather than the cereal grains found at the site.
"When viewed under a microscope, the residues on the grinding stones were identified as remains of wild plants, not the cereal grains found at the site, which was unexpected," reported Archaeology Magazine. This finding challenges the typical interpretation of grinding stones from that time, which assumed that the inhabitants ground their cereals into flour to bake bread.
Welmoed Out, an archaeobotanist from Moesgaard Museum who led the study, expressed surprise at the results. "We have not identified the plants the starch grains originate from," she said, according to Archaeology Magazine. She noted that the most obvious candidates, including the cereals found at the settlement, were ruled out. This suggests that the grinding stones were used for processing wild plants rather than cultivated grains.
Niels H. Andersen, a senior researcher from Moesgaard Museum who co-led the study, provided further insights into the use of the grinding stones. He explained that the stones had been pounded and crushed with pestles, as indicated by marks on the stones. "We also found such pestles at the site, resembling rounded, thick stone sausages," he said, as reported by Archaeology Magazine. "However, we have not analyzed them for phytoliths or starch."
The grinding stones also lacked clear wear marks from the pushing motions typically used for grinding grain. This absence of wear patterns supports the conclusion that the stones were not used for flour production. Instead, the inhabitants likely prepared porridge or gruel from the grains using water, aligning with the hypothesis that liquid porridges were a staple in their diet.
Archaeologists noted that the ancient Danes washed down their meals with plain water, as no clear traces of brewing or making other drinks were found in the settlement. "No definitive traces of beer brewing have been found in Denmark before the Bronze Age," said Andersen, according to Gazeta.ru.
The discovery on Southern Funen is the most extensive find of grinding stones and grains from the Funnel Beaker Culture in the entire region it encompassed. The Funnel Beaker Culture was an early farming culture in Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe during the period circa 4000–2800 BCE. It marked the introduction of agriculture and cattle farming to Scandinavia. The name refers to the culture's commonly found clay beakers with funnel-shaped necks.
"This study only involves one settlement," emphasized Welmoed Out and Andersen, according to Phys.org. "While it supports other findings from the Funnel Beaker Culture, we cannot rule out the possibility of different results emerging when this method is applied to finds from other excavations." Their cautious approach underscores the need for further research to determine whether these findings are representative of broader dietary practices during that period.
The research team concluded that early farmers did not live on water and bread but rather on water and gruel, alongside berries, nuts, roots, and meat. This challenges long-held assumptions about Neolithic diets in Northern Europe and provides new perspectives on the culinary practices of ancient communities.
The study was a collaboration between researchers from Moesgaard Museum and Aarhus University in Denmark, Kiel University in Germany, and the Spanish National Research Council (IMF-CSIC) in Barcelona. It was the first time a combination of phytolith and starch analyses was performed on grinding stones from the first farmers in Northern Europe.
What the grinding stones were used for remains open to interpretation. However, the lack of evidence for flour production and the presence of wild plant residues suggest a diverse and resourceful approach to food preparation among the Neolithic inhabitants of Funen. The researchers' findings contribute to the understanding of early agricultural practices and dietary habits in Scandinavia.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq