5000-year-old clay pot with burnt food remains discovered in Germany
In Germany, archaeologists have discovered a 5,000-year-old clay pot with the remains of burnt porridge. This is the oldest known find, indicating an attempt to cook food in the Stone Age.
The pot fragments were discovered at the site of a Neolithic settlement called Oldenburg LA 7. The settlement is considered one of the oldest villages in Germany. This is reported by Live Science.
Chemical analysis of the food remains showed that these are "food crusts" containing traces of ancient cereals, including spelt and barley. Scientists also found the remains of a white quinoa plant known for its starchy seeds.
"One clay sherd contained the remains of white quinoa, which is related to quinoa and rich in protein. There was also sprouted spelt, which has a sweetish flavor. It looked as if someone had mixed cereal grains with protein-rich seeds and cooked them with water," says Lucie Kubiak-Martens, lead author of the study.
According to the scientists, the porridge found was made from sprouted grains, which indicates that it was prepared in late summer, when the grain had already been harvested. In those days, people could not store grain for a long time, so they had to cook it immediately after harvesting.
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"This discovery is important because it gives us an idea of how people ate in the Stone Age," says Kubiak-Martens.
Previously, scientists have found the remains of wild oats that were attempted to be ground into flour 32,000 years ago. However, the broken pot is the first evidence found of an attempt to cook in the Stone Age.
The new study marks the first time archaeologists have come across someone's burnt dinner from the Neolithic period.
As a reminder, archaeologists discovered the "geometric miracle" tunnel while searching for Cleopatra's tomb.
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