Marine fats in ancient pots IRMS

The transition from hunter-forager-fishing to Neolithic farming is arguably one of the most significant transformations in our prehistoric past, having a profound and lasting impact. The northwest European archipelago, far from the cradle of agriculture in the Levant, displays elements of the Neolithic package only by ca.4000 BC. Evidence from coastal locations raised the intriguing possibility that Mesolithic fishing practices were abruptly replaced by terrestrial resources shortly thereafter. Our investigation of organic residues from >1000 prehistoric vessels, re-evaluated collagen stable isotope and archaeozoological data, demonstrates conclusively that marine foods were rapidly neglected being instantly replaced by widespread dairying.

The data comprises GC/C/IRMS runs from archaeological pottery residues