Lipid residue analysis on Swifterbant pottery (c. 5000–3800 cal BC) in the Lower Rhine-Meuse area (the Netherlands) and its implications for human-animal interactions in relation to the Neolithisation process

Hunting before herding: A zooarchaeological and stable isotopic study of suids (Sus sp.) at Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands (5450–4250 cal BC)

“…However, a few domestic individuals (or the parts thereof) could have been present and would not be surprising given the presence of sheep/goat, which suggests the De Bruin occupants were familiar with livestock–or at least the products thereof. Other ‘Neolithic traits’ from this period include continued multi-seasonal use of the river dune [ 9 , 27 ] and the production of pottery [ 23 ], as well as the possible evidence for dairy processing in one of the ceramic vessels [ 129 ].…”

“…It is noteworthy though that at De Bruin there is much more emphasis on beaver and otter than on suids, in contrast to Brandwijk and Swifterbant. Additionally, at Brandwijk there is evidence for porcine fats in the pottery, in contrast to De Bruin where–other than the one possible dairy vessel–all yielded evidence for the processing of freshwater fish and ruminants [ 129 ]. Furthermore, at Brandwijk, after 3900 BC the biometric evidence, mortality profile, and body part representation also suggest the possible presence of domestic cattle populations, evidence which could not be established for De Bruin 4 [ 11 ].…”

High-resolution Bayesian chronology of the earliest evidence of domesticated animals in the Dutch wetlands (Hardinxveld-Giessendam archaeological sites)

“…Finally, De Bruin, as the highest and only dry dune in the area, served as a modest base camp between 4450 BCE and 4250 BCE (De Bruin 3). New dwelling structures were constructed on the top of the dune, this time featuring novelties such as a small number of domesticated sheep/goat, likely dairy production or consumption, and an appearance of significantly smaller specimens of Sus and Bos , albeit without signs of dietary or population management [ 15 , 16 , 18 , 21 ]. During this time frame, the presence of sheep and goat, also in low numbers, has been noted at another Swifterbant site in Scheldt valley, Bazel ‘‘Sluis” [ 60 ].…”

“…Among these, the sites of Hardinxveld-Giessendam Polderweg (hereafter ‘Polderweg’) and Hardinxveld-Giessendam de Bruin (hereafter ‘De Bruin’) are key to the understanding of the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic periods in the Netherlands [ Fig 1 ]. These sites feature the oldest Swifterbant pottery, the earliest remains of domesticated animals (sheep/goat, small-sized Sus and Bos ), and possible evidence of dairy production [ 16 ], while the dwellers retained a lifestyle where hunting and gathering were the primary subsistence strategies (the broad spectrum economy [ 13 , 16 – 19 ]). The presence of domesticated Sus and/or Bos was explored through morphometric and stable isotope analysis [ 15 ] and is currently undergoing aDNA study [Erven et al in prep.].…”

Lipid residues in ancient pastoralist pottery from Kazakhstan reveal regional differences in cooking practices

“…The relative abundance of iso-and anteiso-branched chain C 15 and C 17 fatty acids present in acidified methanol extracts was calculated to assess the contribution of aquatic resources to residues (C15ivstot = i15:0/i15:0 + a15:0, C17ivstot = i17:0/i17:0 + a17:0, Demirci et al, 2021). There was no significant difference between C15ivstot/C17ivstot values from the four sites (Katartobe: 0.38/0.42, Saba: 0.43/0.50, Tortoba: 0.42/0.41, and Akpan: 0.44/0.40), all of which demonstrated lower ratios than predominantly aquatic residues from Europe (C15ivstot range = 0.39-0.82 and mean = 0.61; C17ivstot range = 0.22-0.66 and mean = 0.53, Demirci et al, 2021) and corresponding values from modern fish (C15ivstot 0.59 ± 0.1; C17ivstot 0.59 ± 0.5, Hauff and Vetter, 2010).…”