[ad_1]
What did the inhabitants of Europe eat more than 50 centuries ago?
For the first time, scientists have studied in detail what was in the stomach of Oetzi, the ice man. .300 years .
Oetzi's last meal revealed a very high-fat diet, as well as some types of meat, cereals and, to the scientists' surprise, toxic ferns
The Mummy ] was discovered in the Italian Alps in 1991 by German tourists and is the oldest known ice.
More than two decades after the discovery, Oetzi's stomach reveals what were the eating habits of Europeans at the age of copper.
"Extraordinarily Preserved"
But why did it take so long to study Oetzi's stomach?
Scientists had not been able to find the stomach because, during the process of natural mummification, had recovered
L & # 39; stomach was localized thanks to "The stomach material was, compared to the previously badyzed small bowel samples, extraordinarily well preserved," said Frank Maixner, of the Eurac Institute for Research on Mummies in Bolzano, in Italy, lead author.
The stomach contained large amounts of biomolecules in lipid form, "which opened up new methodological possibilities to answer our questions about the Oetzi diet."
Fat and Meat
The last ice man's meal was very high in fat and also included animal meat as e The ibex ( a type of goat ) and red deer .
In the stomach of the mummy are also found remains of a cereal called spelled ] and traces of a toxic fern.
The percentage of fat was 50% much higher than the average of 10% in a modern diet.
"At the altitude at which the man was hunting" The best way to get there is to eat fat, it will give you the energy to survive in a hostile climate. "
The badysis identified that the main source of fat was the fatty tissue of ibex and about half of the contents of the stomach came from fat.
" His diet was a mixture balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.But it is surprising the high fat content that he ingested "says Maixner
The foods of Oetzi were then nutritious, but probably not appetizing at all.
"We are talking about goat fat and it's difficult imagine the taste, although it certainly does not compare to what we eat today" hui, "said the researcher.
"And considering that there was no salt to flavor, surely the meat, all the fat and other components had an unpleasant taste."
Fern toxic
The presence of toxic fern particles in the stomach of Oetzi "is more difficult to explain."
Maixner and his colleagues believe that perhaps the ice man used fern as a medicine for intestinal problems related to parasites that had already been found in his gut.
Another possibility is that he used fern leaves to wrap the food.
Researchers are now hoping to do more badysis to restore the microbiota of the old glacier.
Violent Death
Oetzi was about 45 years old and measured 1 60 meters when he died violently
The Ice Man had a deep cut to the hand and an arrow wound whose tip was found under the right armpit.
When she was found, the mummy was wearing a goat skin and hat and beside him there was a copper ax and a quiver filled with arrows.
Now you can receive notifications from the BBC News World. Download the new version of our application and activate it to not miss our best content.
[ad_2]
Source link
