Wilkin, Shevan, Ventresca Miller, Alicia, Taylor, William T T et al. (17 more authors) (2020) Dairy pastoralism sustained eastern Eurasian steppe populations for 5,000 years. Nature Ecology and Evolution. pp. 346-355. ISSN 2397-334X
Abstract
Dairy pastoralism is integral to contemporary and past lifeways on the eastern Eurasian steppe, facilitating survival in agriculturally challenging environments. While previous research has indicated that ruminant dairy pastoralism was practiced in the region by circa 1300 BC, the origin, extent and diversity of this custom remain poorly understood. Here, we analyse ancient proteins from human dental calculus recovered from geographically diverse locations across Mongolia and spanning 5,000 years. We present the earliest evidence for dairy consumption on the eastern Eurasian steppe by circa 3000 BC and the later emergence of horse milking at circa 1200 BC, concurrent with the first evidence for horse riding. We argue that ruminant dairying contributed to the demographic success of Bronze Age Mongolian populations and that the origins of traditional horse dairy products in eastern Eurasia are closely tied to the regional emergence of mounted herding societies during the late second millennium BC.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2020. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details. |
Keywords: | Animals,Horses,Humans |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 15 Apr 2020 08:20 |
Last Modified: | 15 Feb 2025 00:09 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1120-y |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41559-020-1120-y |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:159472 |
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