Title
  A brief review of the archaeological evidence for Palaeolithic and
  Neolithic subsistence
Source
  European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 56(12) Dec 2002
Author
  Richards MP.

[snipped] Abstract
  Knowledge of our ancestor's diets is becoming increasingly important in
evolutionary medicine, as researchers have argued that we have evolved to
specific type of 'Palaeolithic' diet, and many modern nutritional disorders
relate to the mismatch between the diet to which we have evolved, and the
newer agricultural-based 'Neolithic' diets.
  However, what is the archaeological evidence for pre-agricultural diets.
This paper briefly introduces the three lines of evidence we have for
Palaeolithic and Neolithic diets;
(1)
 morphological changes,
(2) archaeological material evidence, and
(3) direct measurement of diet from bone chemistry.
The morphological changes, increasing gracilization of the mandible and
increasing brain size, have been interpreted as the move from plants to
higher-quality, more digestible, animal meat.

The archaeological evidence is especially weak, as many organic materials,
especially plants, do not survive well, and are therefore invisible in the
archaeological record. Artefacts, such as stone tools which are likely to
be used for hunting and animal bones with evidence of human processing and
butchering do indicate that hunting did occur at many times in the past,
but it is impossible to judge the frequency.

Direct evidence from bone chemistry, such as the measurement of the stable
isotopes of carbon and nitrogen, do provide direct evidence of past diet,
indicates the imp
ortance of animal protein in diets.
 _____________________
This is a good review article. It brings the non-specialist reader up to
date with research evidence published up to late 2002.  The snippets that
left the greatest impression on me were the more recent evidence from bone
chemistry:
(a) Australopithecines had skeletal carbon values indicating a diet most
like hyaenas
(b) Neanderthals examined had nitrogen values most similar to top level
carnivores, deriving the vast majority of their protein from large
herbivores
(c) Similar results applied to 13,000 year old skeletons from Southern
England
(d) Similar studies of 20-30,000 yo skeletons from various Eurasian sites
indicated greater incorporation of fish in the human diets
(e) Contemporary research is showing a deterioration in dentition between
the Paleolithic and the Neolithic which a reader of Weston Price would
expect.  Right o
n target.
(f) The author also quotes older research - mainly 1984 - concerning an
overall decrease in health and stature associated with the spread of maize
culture across North America.
[In the article, there are methodological qualifications surrounding each
of these findings - interesting in themselves.]

Keith

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The FAQ for Evolutionary Fitness is at http://www.evfit.com/faq.htm
To unsubscribe from the list send an e-mail to [log in to unmask]
with the words SIGNOFF EVOLUTIONARY-FITNESS in the _body_ of the e-mail.