Ancient Humans Left Evidence from the Party that Ended 4,000 Years Ago
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 12:35
in Paleontology & Archaeology
(PhysOrg.com) -- The party was over more than 4,000 years ago, but the remnants still remain in the gourds and squashes that served as dishware. For the first time, University of Missouri researchers have studied the residues from gourds and squash artifacts that date back to 2200 B.C. and recovered starch grains from manioc, potato, chili pepper, arrowroot and algarrobo. The starches provide clues about the foods consumed at feasts and document the earliest evidence of the consumption of algarrobo and arrowroot in Peru.