Gestures from the past: Grinding stones and starchy food processing at the dawn of modern humans

Abstract

Here I present an integrated methodological approach to the identification and characterization of the function of grinding stones used to process plants in order to get staple food at the dawn of modern humans' colonization of Eurasia. The first achievement is to investigate the ancient dietary habits of humans at a crucial stage of human evolution by reconstructing the old gestures made in the past. The issue of processing plants like USOs (under surface storage organs), fruits and seeds, to get highly energetic staple food might be of interest in seeking for alimentary strategies carried out by Anatomically Modern Humans during their outs of Africa. Analysing the stone tools comes to be one of the direct investigations on behavioural modernity of the new species, with evident positive feedbacks on their nutritional capacity and hence on the demographic performance. A second goal is “bringing to life” almost forgotten museum collections (excavations dates back to the early XX century) by using innovative, non invasive analytical techniques like the potential contribution of 3D investigation, at various levels of detail and resolution, to identify wear-traces (due to utilization) and associated organic residues. The paper is reporting functional analysis demonstrating compound technologies related to the systematic use of grinding stones in order to process plant resources since the Aurignacian (Early Upper Palaeolithic). The reconstruction of old gestures and the related behaviour by means of heritage science approach can contribute to place museum collections under different light. An outcome of the research is to support lines of evidence to track the origins of some of present day diseases of civilization related to food. Investigating the roots of dietary breadth in archaeological remains can help in tracking food changes occurred back in time and let collections playing an actual social role.