CNN has reported on prehistoric remains found in North Africa that reveal more evidence that our primordial ancestors didn’t really eat a meat-heavy diet, but got their protein from plants:
But new research on a Paleolithic group called the Iberomaurusians, hunter-gatherers who buried their dead in Taforalt cave in what’s now Morocco between 13,000 and 15,000 years ago, is adding to a growing body of evidence that challenges the notion human ancestors predominantly relied on meat, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
Scientists analyzed chemical signatures preserved in bones and teeth belonging to at least seven different Iberomaurusians and found that plants, not meat, were their primary source of dietary protein.
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Researchers also spotted a higher number of tooth cavities among the Taforalt specimens than is typically seen with hunter-gatherer remains of that period. The evidence suggested that the Iberomaurusians consumed “fermentable starchy plants” such as wild cereals or acorns, according to the study. The findings raise some intriguing questions about how agriculture spread across different regions and populations.
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he isotope technique shows the amount of plants eaten but not the type. However, botanical remains of charred sweet acorns, pistachio, pine nuts, wild oats and pulses discovered at the site support the information gleaned from the human remains. Grinding stones unearthed at the site also suggest plant processing took place nearby.
However, the Iberomaurusians weren’t strict vegetarians, the study noted. Cut marks on the remains of Barbary sheep and gazelles, as well as ancient horselike and cowlike mammals, suggested that some animals had been butchered and processed for food.
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The isotope analysis also detected evidence of one case of early weaning, with starchy plant foods introduced into an infant’s diet before its death at between 6 and 12 months old.
“This contrasts with hunter-gatherer societies where extended breast-feeding periods are the norm due to the limited availability of weaning foods,” according to the study.
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You can read more of the Stone Age diet hints here, in Nature Ecology & Evolution.