A group of scientists partnered with a few organizations in Denmark and Greenland, working with one more partner from Australia, has found that early people living in Greenland ate a considerably more shifted diet than recently accepted. The review is published in Nature Human Way of Behaving.
Researchers concentrating on the historical backdrop of Greenland have frequently considered how early people might have made due in such a cool environment. Earlier research revealed four significant movements to Greenland: the Saqqaq, the Dorset, the Norse, and the Thule — but only the Thule became long-term occupants.The Saqqaq people arrived roughly a long time ago and stayed in Greenland until a solid cooling period drove them away after 1,700 years.Earlier examination endeavors have proposed that they ate fish, seals, and maybe even a few kinds of whales, in spite of their restricted toolset.
In this new exertion, the scientists investigated the eating regimen of the Saqqaq and the weight control plans of different gatherings that followed them—their work included leading a DNA examination of bone parts gathered from “kitchen middens,” a term utilized in Greenland to depict hills of bones abandoned by people as they were disposed of after feasts.
Then, concentrating on roughly 2,500 bone shards, the scientists found they had the option to recognize 42 types of animals eaten by early people, large numbers of which came as a shock. The group found, for instance, DNA from a wiped-out type of reindeer—one that was a lot more modest than those that live in Greenland today. They likewise tracked down proof of various sorts of whales: blade, sperm, narwhal, and bowhead. The bowhead were the most common, which, the analysts note, seems OK since they are somewhat easy to kill. On the whole, the scientists tracked down proof of 20 vertebrate species, nine sorts of fish (counting an amazing number that were tiny, suggesting the utilization of nets), and 13 kinds of birds.
The DNA proof reveals not simply the sorts of animals that were caught and eaten by early individuals, the analysts note, but in addition, it reveals insight into the specialized skills of the people who prevailed with regards to hunting them.
More information: Frederik V. Seersholm et al, Ancient DNA provides insights into 4,000 years of resource economy across Greenland, Nature Human Behaviour (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01454-z
Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour
