Tyumen Scientific Center, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 86 Malygina Street, 625003, Tyumen, Russia.
Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences, Dvortsovaya Nabereznaya 18, 191186, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 9;14(1):23551. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-74284-w.
The subsistence economies of prehistoric pastoralists of the Eurasian steppes have long been viewed through an oversimplified model of reliance on domesticated animals. This conceptualization has begun to shift dramatically through the introduction of scientific analyses, pivoting towards an evidence-based interpretation of economic flexibility and adaptive heterogeneity. Here we provide insights into the dietary practices of Iron Age pastoralists in Siberia through an archaeoparasitological analysis. Soil samples from the Tunnug 1 site in southern Siberia reveal the presence of helminth eggs of Taenia sp. (likely), Trichuris sp., and Dibothriocephalus sp. This indicates that the diet of the analysed prehistoric population might have included beef and did include freshwater fish, occasionally consumed in undercooked or raw form. Despite the primary reliance on pastoralism and possibly small-scale millet agriculture, these populations engaged in diverse dietary practices, including fish consumption. Additionally, the presence of Trichuris sp. eggs points to poor sanitary conditions, possible consumption of contaminated plant foods, and the contamination of drinking water with feces. By providing direct evidence of dietary habits, archaeoparasitology complements isotopic analyses and contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the subsistence strategies.
欧亚草原史前牧民的生存经济长期以来一直被简化为依赖家养动物的单一模式。随着科学分析的引入，这种概念发生了巨大转变，开始基于经济灵活性和适应性异质性的证据进行解释。本文通过考古寄生虫学分析，深入了解了西伯利亚铁器时代牧民的饮食方式。来自西伯利亚南部图努格 1 遗址的土壤样本中发现了带绦虫属（可能）、旋毛虫属和阔节裂头绦虫属的寄生虫卵。这表明，分析的史前人群的饮食可能包括牛肉，并且确实包括偶尔以未煮熟或生的形式食用的淡水鱼。尽管主要依赖游牧和可能的小米农业，但这些人群还从事各种饮食活动，包括鱼类消费。此外，旋毛虫属卵的存在表明卫生条件较差，可能食用了受污染的植物性食物，饮用水也受到粪便污染。考古寄生虫学通过提供饮食习惯的直接证据，补充了同位素分析，并有助于更细致地了解生存策略。
