The people of the Indus Valley civilization in northwestern India had a predominantly meat-rich diet, which included animals such as pigs, cows, buffalo and sheep, along with dairy products, according to a study published in Archaeological Science Magazine has shown.
High proportions of cattle bones were also found, which may suggest a “cultural preference for beef consumption” among Indus populations, according to the study, titled, Lipid residues in ceramics from the Indus civilization in northwestern India, said.
The research provides insights into the eating patterns of ancient South Asia by using lipid residue analysis to investigate what types of foods were used in ceramic pots by people from the settlements of the Indus Valley civilization in the northwest. of India, the present states of Haryana and Uttar. Pradesh.
Read the study here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440320302120?via%3Dihub
It was led by Akshyeta Suryanarayan as part of his PhD at the University of Cambridge.
“Our study of lipid residues in Indus pottery shows a predominance of animal products in containers, such as meat from non-ruminant animals such as pigs, ruminant animals such as cattle or buffalo and sheep or goats, as well as dairy products” Suryanarayan said. , according to a press release from the University of Cambridge.
The study of lipid residues involves the extraction and identification of fats and oils that have been absorbed into old ceramic vessels during their use in the past. Provides chemical evidence of milk, meat and possible product mixes and / or plant consumption. Lipids are relatively less likely to degrade and have been discovered in ceramics from archaeological contexts around the world.
On average, about 80% of the entire fauna at various Indus sites belong to species of domestic animals, according to the study. Of these, cattle or buffalo are the most abundant, with an average of between 50% and 60% of the animal bones found, and sheep and goats represent 10% of the animal remains..
“High ratios of cattle bones may suggest a cultural preference for beef consumption among Indus populations, complemented by lamb / mutton consumption, ”the research said.
Wild animal species such as deer, antelope, gazelle, hare, birds and river / marine resources were also found in small proportions, suggesting that “these various resources had a place in the Indus diet,” the study notes. “The pattern is similar at sites in northwestern India, where domestic and wild mammals, and smaller proportions of birds, reptiles, river fish and mollusks, were consumed,” he added.
There is also evidence that hares and birds are eaten, although little evidence was collected on whether chicken was part of the diet of Indus people, according to the study.
In addition, “rimmed jars and large storage jars in Harappa have been linked to the storage of liquids such as wine and oil,” he said.
Suryanarayanan said The Indian Express that the study was unique in that it examined the content of ceramic vessels recovered from the Harappan sites. “Normally there would be access to seeds or plant remains,” he added. “But through lipid residue analysis, we can safely determine that the consumption of beef, goat, sheep and pork was widespread, and especially beef.”
The Indus Valley was home to one of the world’s first great civilizations. It began almost 5,000 years ago in an area of present-day Pakistan and northern India. There were more than 1,400 towns and cities in the Indus Valley. The largest were Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Around 80,000 people lived in these cities.
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