During the Mesolithic in Europe, there is widespread evidence for an increase in exploitation of aquatic resources. In contrast, the subsequent Neolithic is characterized by the spread of farming, land ownership, and full sedentism, which lead to the perception of marine resources subsequently representing marginal or famine food or being abandoned altogether even at the furthermost coastal limits of Europe. Archaeologists have found direct evidence that seaweeds and submerged aquatic and freshwater plants were eaten in the Mesolithic, through the Neolithic transition to farming and into the Early Middle Ages, suggesting that these resources, now rarely eaten in Europe, only became marginal much more recently.
Seaweeds comprise approximately 10,000 species of macroalgae that live in intertidal and subtidal zones to around 300 m deep around many of the world’s coastlines.
Around 145 species of seaweed are eaten today, principally in Asia, sometimes with considerable health benefits.
Archaeological evidence for seaweed is only rarely recorded and is almost always considered in terms of non-edible uses, although seaweed was detected in masticated cuds from the 12,000-year-old site of Monte Verde in Chile.
“Today, seaweed and freshwater aquatic plants are virtually absent from traditional, western diets and their marginalization as they gradually changed from food to famine resources and animal fodder, probably occurred over a long period of time, as has also been detected elsewhere with some plants,” said University of Glasgow’s Professor Karen Hardy.
In the research, the authors examined biomarkers extracted from dental calculus from 74 individuals from 28 archaeological sites across Europe, from north Scotland to southern Spain.
The analysis revealed direct evidence for widespread consumption of seaweed and submerged aquatic and freshwater plants.
Samples where biomolecular evidence survived revealed consumption of red, green or brown seaweeds, or…
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