Pumpkin spices 3,500 years old? Archaeologists Find First Use of Nutmeg as Food – ScienceDaily

Discovered at an archaeological site in Pulau Ay, a small island in the Banda Islands in central Maluku, Indonesia, the nutmeg has been found as residues on ceramic pots and is estimated at 3,500 years, approximately 2,000 years more than the use known until now. of the spice.

Peter Lape, professor of anthropology at the University of Washington and Curator of Archeology at the Burke Museum, led the study and two excavations carried out in 2007 and 2009, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Washington. 39 Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia, from the University of New South Wales to Australia and others.

The archaeological site of Pulau Ay was occupied between 2300 and 3500 years ago. Animal bones, terracotta pottery, stone tools and pole molds were found. The variety of artifacts found reflects changes in the way people have used marine food resources, pottery and pets over time.

During the first 500 years on the site, people switched from mainly fish-based diets to mostly domesticated pigs. In addition, the pottery was originally a thin-walled vase suitable for storing liquids that could allow people to survive on this water-poor island. A few hundred years later, thicker-walled pottery, better adapted to cooking, and pork bones appear.

"This site shows us how people have adapted in stages to life on these small tropical islands, whether they are used occasionally as fishing camps or permanently occupied," Lape said. "It's also fascinating to see such early use of nutmeg, a spice that changed the world a few thousand years later."

It's about pottery that Lape's co-authors, Judith Field and Adelle Coster, have found not only the nutmeg, but also the residues of six other plants, including sago and purple yam. These plants may have been harvested from wild or possibly cultivated plants.

Pulau Ay is a small island devoid of both native terrestrial mammals and surface water. This would probably not have fueled a permanent human population not benefiting from the technological advantages of domestic animals and water storage.

However, while exploring other archaeological sites, the study's authors suggest that the island has been regularly visited by people targeting its rich marine reef resources for several thousand years prior to that more permanent populations are established at the beginning of the Neolithic, at the end of the Stone Age. The most likely homeland for these visitors is the nearest large island, Seram, 100 kilometers to the east. Those with sufficient knowledge of Pulau Ay and navigation skills to regularly fly back and forth would also appear to be potential candidates for early Neolithic settlers.

About 2,300 years ago, the site was largely or totally abandoned, and no other site in the Banda Islands has yet been discovered until that date, between 2,300 and 1,500 years. Future work aims to determine why these isolated islands, which attracted highly connected residents before and after this period, would have been abandoned for 800 years.

Studies at sites such as this one can help illuminate complex cultural processes at work in Neolithic times, which have seen the introduction of many new plants, animals and technologies into the islands of the world. ;South East Asia. The results of this site show that these changes did not occur at the same time, but were gradually adopted and adapted to allow populations to use these tropical island seascapes in innovative ways.

As far as nutmeg is concerned, understanding its earliest origins in human use links the points to future international trades. In the 14th century (and perhaps earlier), long distance traders went to Banda for nutmeg; this precious spice brought the international renown of the Banda Islands at the beginning of the modern era.

The discovery offers a new perspective on a key ingredient that is still a valuable commodity – especially in a multi-billion dollar food and beverage industry.

Field work was supported by residents and government officials from Pulau Ay and Banda Naira. The 2007 fieldwork was conducted with the support of the National Geographic Society, with permission from Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (LIPI), as well as provincial and local governments in Maluku. It was a collaboration between Universitas Gadjah Mada, University of Washington, and Balai Arkeologi Ambon. The 2009 fieldwork, which included the same partners, was carried out with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, with the permission of Kementarian Riset dan Teknologi.