Even 4000 years ago, people in the Mediterranean they knew what was good for them. A new study found that the ancient Syrians ate in a similar way to what we now know Mediterranean dietwhich today is known for its many health benefits.
“The old phrase ‘you are what you eat’ really rings true here,” University of Leuven archaeological chemist Benjamin Fuller. said Elana Spivack at Inverse. “The technique of stable isotope ratio analysis allows direct determination of the type of food groups that were actually consumed.”
Researchers used this technique on large datasets of archaeological isotope measurements to examine the settlement history of Tell Tweini in Syria. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, this place was a major port for him The Ugaritic Kingdom.
The data included measurements of isotopes from 410 plant seeds, as well as 16 human bones and 210 other animals, spanning from 2600 to 333 BC.
The relatively low levels of nitrogen-15 isotopes measured in the human remains hinted at their occasional consumption of meat, suggesting that Tell Tweini’s inhabitants relied on their domesticated animals primarily for work, milk and fur. . In particular, between 2000 and 1600 BC, it appears that their diet consisted mainly of grains, fruits and vegetables, including an abundance of olives and grapes.
“The human diet was relatively low in animal protein and appears comparable to what is now considered a typical Mediterranean diet consisting of bread (wheat/barley), olives, grapes, legumes, dairy products, and small amounts of meat,” Fuller wrote. and colleagues. in their paper.
While their reliance on plant consumption may have grown out of necessity, freeing their animals for other uses, the ratio of meat to fruits, grains, and vegetables still turns out to be the healthiest option todayboth for our well-being and for the environment.
The high levels of carbon 13 isotopes in the preserved seeds suggest that Tell Tweini’s crops were tended and well watered throughout the site’s history. The use of animal manure would also explain the high levels of nitrogen-15 isotopes found in plants.
Where Tell TweiThe diet of the population does not depart from that of people in the Mediterranean today is that despite being less than two kilometers (a little more than a mile) from the coast and despite the great variety of fish that have been found at Tell Tweini, the people there long the Middle Bronze Age did not seem to eat much food from the sea. Nor did they eat much of the other waterways.
Members of ancient society must have been able to produce enough food from their crops, indicating that their soil was fertile. This is related to the well-known olive oil production in the region.
“Excavations at the site show that olive oil production became a major economic activity of Tell Tweini, and installations related to this activity could be found in every house during the Iron Age,” Fuller and team explain.
Shortly after 1200 BC, Ugarit collapsed. The decline of the kingdom was attributed to crop failure, social unrest and famine across the region, yet signs of Tell Tweini’s oil production reappeared soon after, with no signs of stress in the plant isotopes.
“We can conclude that the inhabitants of Tell Tweini coped with the increased drought during this period very well, and in most cases even better than in other contemporary settlements,” the researchers say.
These findings show that a Mediterranean-like diet has helped sustain humanity for millennia. But this diet also appeared in a fertile environment with a relatively stable climate.
“Ugarit… witnessed negligible displacement after the Late Bronze Age destruction,” Fuller and colleagues point out.
“Investigating whether less favorable environmental conditions or a lack of adaptive strategies among its inhabitants played a major role, in relation to Tell Tweini, requires further investigation.”
This research was published in PLOS ONE.
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