An international study published in Journal of Archaeological Research Questions the traditional view Diet Paleolithic era. Research shows that humans process and consume food vegetables At least 35,000 years ago, long before the advent of agriculture.
The team is led by Anna Florin (Australian National University) and Monica Ramsey (University of Toronto Mississauga), asserts that human dietary diversity and the ability to manipulate plants were fundamental to the evolution and expansion of our species.
In this sense, Florin stated, in a press release, that “our ancestors have already been grinding wild seeds, crushing and cooking the starchy tubers, and detoxifying bitter nuts for thousands of years.”
For his part, Ramsey highlighted the importance of processed vegetables in the early human diet: “Our species evolved as lovers of plants, food, and tool use, able to turn almost anything into dinner,” Ramsey explained.
For decades, it remained a hypothesis A broad-spectrum revolution (BSR), proposed by Kent Flannery in 1969, has dominated the explanation of human dietary diversification. This theory stated that the integration of different resources, including vegetables, was a modern response to food scarcity and a prior step to the domestication of plants and animals.
However, the new study confirms that the use and manipulation of plants is consistent with a deep and ancient adaptation, rather than a late innovation or one-time reaction. A review of the archaeological evidence shows that exploitation of plant resources and the development of technologies to process them took place Constants in human historyThey are not transitional stages towards agriculture.
Deposit analysis such as Ohalo II (on the southwestern shore of Lake Kinneret, Israel, dating back to 23,000 years ago) proved fundamental to this rethinking. Nearly 150,000 plant macrofossils have been found at that site, including wild grains, small grass seeds, fruits, and nuts. Grinding tools, remains of cooked foods, and structures intended for preparing plants were also identified.
in MagdbabyIn Australia, evidence dates back 65,000 years and includes remains of roots, tubers, fruits and seeds, as well as stone tools used to grind and process these foods. The analysis shows that the region’s early inhabitants used complex techniques to make the plants edible, which required various treatments, such as crushing, cooking and removing toxins.
This data adds to findings from sites in Africa, Europe, and Asia Plant microfossils The dental calculus of humans and Neanderthals, and plant remains are processed in archaeological contexts It is more than 100,000 years old.
According to research, the ability to process a wide range of plant foods allowed humans to access essential nutrients and adapt to extremely diverse environments. this Food versatility It would have been crucial to the successful spread of Homo sapiens across the planet.
The study also refutes the idea that diet diversification has always been just a coping mechanism for deficiency. In many cases, exploitation of plant resources occurred in contexts of abundance, where ecological knowledge and cultural practices favored the management and modification of the environment to ensure year-round food.
Florin and Ramsay created dialogues with currents such as Niche construction theoryIt confirms that humans have been active in transforming their ecosystems, and that dietary diversification can arise in rich environments, not just in critical situations.
The article points out the limitations of archaeological evidence, highlighting that the lesser preservation of plant remains compared to those of animal origin has biased previous interpretations. However, An abundance of grinding tools Plant remains at well-preserved sites indicate that plant processing was a widespread and fundamental practice since very ancient times.
These findings directly impact the debate about human diet and health today. The popular image of an almost exclusively meat-based “paleo diet” is being challenged by archaeological evidence. According to him Journal of Archaeological Researchwas the ancestral human diet More diverse and vegetable-based Than he thought.
The study calls on us to reconsider the evolutionary foundations of human nutrition and recognize its importance Dietary diversitywhether in the past or in the present.
The research by Florin and Ramsay redefines understanding of the ancestral human diet. Processing and consumption capacity Vegetarian foods It has been consolidated as a central adaptation in the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens. Global archaeological analysis supports the idea that humans have always been versatile eaters, able to transform their environment and diet according to the opportunities and challenges of each era.