In the Groove Analysis Pty Ltd., Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
Sci Rep. 2020 Dec 17;10(1):22151. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-79307-w.
Insects form an important source of food for many people around the world, but little is known of the deep-time history of insect harvesting from the archaeological record. In Australia, early settler writings from the 1830s to mid-1800s reported congregations of Aboriginal groups from multiple clans and language groups taking advantage of the annual migration of Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa) in and near the Australian Alps, the continent's highest mountain range. The moths were targeted as a food item for their large numbers and high fat contents. Within 30 years of initial colonial contact, however, the Bogong moth festivals had ceased until their recent revival. No reliable archaeological evidence of Bogong moth exploitation or processing has ever been discovered, signalling a major gap in the archaeological history of Aboriginal groups. Here we report on microscopic remains of ground and cooked Bogong moths on a recently excavated grindstone from Cloggs Cave, in the southern foothills of the Australian Alps. These findings represent the first conclusive archaeological evidence of insect foods in Australia, and, as far as we know, of their remains on stone artefacts in the world. They provide insights into the antiquity of important Aboriginal dietary practices that have until now remained archaeologically invisible.
昆虫是世界各地许多人重要的食物来源，但从考古记录中了解昆虫采集的悠久历史的人却寥寥无几。在澳大利亚，19 世纪 30 年代至 19 世纪中期的早期定居者的著作报告称，来自多个部落和语言群体的澳大利亚原住民成群结队地利用每年在澳大利亚阿尔卑斯山（该大陆的最高山脉）内部和附近迁徙的博根蛾（Agrotis infusa）。这些蛾类因其数量众多和高脂肪含量而被当作食物。然而，在最初的殖民接触后的 30 年内，博根蛾节已经停止，直到最近才恢复。从未发现过博根蛾采集或加工的可靠考古证据，这标志着原住民群体的考古历史存在重大空白。在这里，我们报告了在澳大利亚阿尔卑斯山南部山麓克洛格斯洞穴（Cloggs Cave）最近挖掘出的磨石上发现的磨碎和煮熟的博根蛾的微观残留物。这些发现代表了澳大利亚首次有确凿证据证明昆虫食物的存在，据我们所知，这也是世界上昆虫遗骸在石器上的首次有确凿证据。它们为了解重要的原住民饮食习俗的悠久历史提供了线索，这些习俗迄今为止在考古学上仍未被发现。
