Ananova:
Scientists discover 'milk of the ancients'
Scientists have found what ancient Britons may have eaten by looking at their broken dirty dishes.
Research from Bristol University found people could have been eating dairy foods as long as 6,000 years ago.
Although scientists knew settlers in prehistoric Britain kept domestic animals, it was uncertain whether they were raised for their meat, or for products such as wool or milk.
Now university chemist Dr Mark Copley has examined potsherds - ancient broken dishes - from archaeological sites across the country to discover ancient eating habits.
He and his colleagues looked at material from sites in Britain settled during the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages.
He said: "What we looked at are pots which have been used in cooking. When you boil meat or any food you get fats from the food and they get absorbed into the vessel itself. These survive for thousands and thousands of years."
Residues from each site indicated the presence of dairy products, but the age of samples involved differed from site to site, pointing to the gradual spread of dairying practice throughout Britain.
Of particular interest were three sites with dairy residues from the Neolithic era - a period when consumption of dairy products had previously been uncertain.
The researchers suggest the widespread availability of dairy products may have had major impacts on the diet, health and subsistence economy of ancient people.
The research paper is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, this week.
Story filed: 06:45 Tuesday 28th January 2003