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A team of archaeologists discovered traces of charred bread at a camp of Natufian collector hunters who lived 14,400 years ago. The discovery proves that bread was already manufactured four thousand years before the period when agriculture was supposed to have arisen.
The traces are the first proof of the making of bread of which there is knowledge. The 24 samples were found among hundreds of traces of food in two fires during a search known as Shubayqa 1 northeast of the Black Desert of Jordan
"The Discovery of Charred remains in Shubayqa 1 provides direct empirical data on production Four thousand years before the emergence of agriculture in South-West Asia.The results show that the inhabitants took advantage of wild cereals, but also consumed tubers " , said the article published in the scientific publication PNAS. "The making of food represents an important advance in sustenance and human nutrition, and we demonstrate here that Natufian hunter-gatherers have already practiced it."
"Natufian hunter-gatherers are of particular interest to us because they were living in a transitional period when people became more sedentary and their diets began to change," archaeologist Tobias told CNN. Richter, from the University of Copenhagen, who led the excavations.
Amaia Arranz Otaegui emphasized the importance of this discovery. study of the diet of this society. "The presence of hundreds of charred remains in Shubayqa 1 Chimneys is an exceptional discovery and has given us an opportunity to characterize the eating habits of 14,000 years ago," says the archaeologist. the University of Copenhagen and the first author of the report. at CNN.
According to the study, prehistoric bread was produced from wild cereals and tubers and would have a flattened shape. The team of investigators attempted to replicate the process followed by hunter-gatherers more than 14,000 years ago. Amaia Arranz Otaegui, who tasted the final product, says the bread would taste "slightly sweet and slightly salty and a grainy texture."
The samples are similar to traces that had previously been found in excavations in Turkey and the Netherlands. However, the remains of Jordan are the only ones before the emergence of agriculture.
The research team at the Universities of Copenhagen, College of London and Cambridge states that further studies are needed to further the conclusions of this discovery. The report speculates, however, that despite the discovery before agriculture, the making of this type of food will be trivialized later. "Cereal-based meals such as bread probably became essential when Neolithic farmers became dependent on growing domesticated cereal species for their livelihood."
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