Regional asynchronicity in dairy production and processing in early farming communities of the northern Mediterranean

In the absence of any direct evidence, the relative importance of meat and dairy productions to Neolithic prehistoric Mediterranean communities has been extensively debated. Here, we combine lipid residue analysis of ceramic vessels with osteo-archaeological age at death analysis from 82 northern Mediterranean and Near Eastern sites dating from the 7th-5th millennia BC to address this question. The findings show variable intensities in dairy and nondairy activities in the Mediterranean region with the slaughter profiles of domesticated ruminants mirroring the results of the organic residue analyses. The finding of milk residues in very early Neolithic pottery (7th millennium) from both the east and west of the region contrasts with much lower intensities in sites of northern Greece where pig bones are present in higher frequencies compared to other regions. In this region, the slaughter profiles of all
domesticated ruminants suggest meat production predominated. Overall, it appears that milk or by-products of milk was an important foodstuff, which may have contributed significantly to the spread of these cultural groups by providing a nourishing and sustainable product for early farming communities.