So they found a 125,000 yr old Neanderthal fat rendering plant & I have thoughts.
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So they found a 125,000 yr old Neanderthal fat rendering plant & I have thoughts.
Knowing that they loved saturated fat SO MUCH that they industrialized to get as much of it as humanly possible?
Makes me feel seen, heard, supported, etc
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So they found a 125,000 yr old Neanderthal fat rendering plant & I have thoughts.
Knowing that they loved saturated fat SO MUCH that they industrialized to get as much of it as humanly possible?
Makes me feel seen, heard, supported, etc
Jokes aside, this place tells us:
-Large-scale food processing is ~100K+ yrs older than farming.
-So is shelf-stable, high-calorie convenience food.
-So is "thinking about labor & logistics."
-Romanticizing "cavemen" as tough & austere is really funny.
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Jokes aside, this place tells us:
-Large-scale food processing is ~100K+ yrs older than farming.
-So is shelf-stable, high-calorie convenience food.
-So is "thinking about labor & logistics."
-Romanticizing "cavemen" as tough & austere is really funny.
I love this because when we think of "how ancient people got their food," we like to think about the big game hunting part.
But getting a carcass is just step 1!
We don't think as much about what comes next! But we should!
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I love this because when we think of "how ancient people got their food," we like to think about the big game hunting part.
But getting a carcass is just step 1!
We don't think as much about what comes next! But we should!
If you're hunting large animals to stay alive, instead of just for recreation,
"turning them into shelf-stable food you can keep & eat for more than 3 days afterward" is the name of the game.
So Neanderthals brought bones from their kills to this spot by a lake, pounded them to bits, & melted out the fat.
Not just any bones! They brought mostly jaws, skulls, ribs, & the *ends* of leg bones w red marrow. These bones have lots of fat inside- but you have to break them apart to get it.
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If you're hunting large animals to stay alive, instead of just for recreation,
"turning them into shelf-stable food you can keep & eat for more than 3 days afterward" is the name of the game.
So Neanderthals brought bones from their kills to this spot by a lake, pounded them to bits, & melted out the fat.
Not just any bones! They brought mostly jaws, skulls, ribs, & the *ends* of leg bones w red marrow. These bones have lots of fat inside- but you have to break them apart to get it.
Smashing bones is lots of work! So why do it?
I'm not an archaeologist, but I do lots of food handling logistics.
So my money's on 3 things:
-it's free real estate (more food from game already killed)
-people who aren't able-bodied adults can do it
-RENDERED FAT IS SHELF-STABLE & TASTES AWESOME
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M malte@radikal.social shared this topic
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Smashing bones is lots of work! So why do it?
I'm not an archaeologist, but I do lots of food handling logistics.
So my money's on 3 things:
-it's free real estate (more food from game already killed)
-people who aren't able-bodied adults can do it
-RENDERED FAT IS SHELF-STABLE & TASTES AWESOME
@sarahtaber Any evidence that they smashed the bones raw or did they put them on the fire first? I've never done it myself, but that's how I've heard you do it.
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So they found a 125,000 yr old Neanderthal fat rendering plant & I have thoughts.
Knowing that they loved saturated fat SO MUCH that they industrialized to get as much of it as humanly possible?
Makes me feel seen, heard, supported, etc
Thank you for this very interesting and detailed thread!
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F folfdk@helvede.net shared this topic
