Mineralized dental plaque from the Iron Age provides insight into the diet of the Scythians

(Press-News.org) Researchers have deciphered the diet of an important nomadic people in Eastern European history. By analyzing dental calculus, they have provided the first direct evidence that the diet of the Scythians included milk from various ruminants and horses.

For centuries, the Scythians have been regarded as a nomadic horsemen people who roamed the vast steppes of Eurasia during the Iron Age. This image remains powerful to this day. In recent years, however, scientific research has challenged this simplified narrative. It shows that the so-called “Scythians” were not a uniform group, but consisted of a diverse, multi-ethnic population with different geographical origins. Their lifestyles were equally diverse: in addition to mobile cattle breeding, agriculture, local sedentarism, and complex social structures also played an important role.

An international team led by the University of Basel and the University of Zurich is now building on this more nuanced view of the Scythians with new findings. In the journal PLOS One, they provide detailed insights into the diets of population groups during the Scythian era.

Dental calculus as a biological archive

The research team led by Jaruschka Pecnik and Dr. Shevan Wilkin examined dental calculus – mineralized dental plaque – from 28 individuals found at the Bilsk and Mamai-Gora sites in what is now Ukraine. Dental calculus acts as a biological archive of an individual’s diet, as it traps tiny traces of the food consumed.

Using paleoproteomic analysis – a method that identifies preserved proteins – the researchers were able to determine for the first time which animal milk products Scythian communities actually consumed and from which species they derived. They found proteins in six individuals that indicate the consumption of milk and processed milk products from ruminants such as cattle, sheep, and goats. In one case, they also succeeded in detecting horse milk. The consumption of mare’s milk from Scythians had previously been suspected mainly from historical texts but had not been directly proven.

“The detection of horse milk proteins in ancient dental plaque from people living during the Scythian period is an important finding,” says Jaruschka Pecnik, lead author of the study. “It shows that horses were not only used for transportation, warfare, or symbolic purposes, but were also, at least occasionally, part of the food system.”

However, the fact that horse milk proteins were only detected in the remains of one person raises new questions. For example, whether this is due to the instability of the preserved proteins or whether it indicates cultural practices. Social hierarchies or a deliberate division of livestock, for example, would be conceivable.

Reservoir of personal history

The study also opens up new perspectives in terms of methodology. “Dental calculus is a remarkable reservoir of personal history,” explains study leader Shevan Wilkin. “Since dental plaque is gradually formed and mineralized throughout a person's life, it allows us a very direct look at the foods actually consumed – beyond general assumptions about lifestyles or economic systems.”

At the same time, the researchers emphasize that these findings are only a first step. Although the study provides clear evidence of the consumption of various dairy products, it does not yet paint a complete picture of the diet of Scythian communities. Further research is needed to better understand regional differences, social factors, and changes over time. Future studies will need to analyze the dental calculus of a significantly larger number of individuals from different regions of the Eurasian steppe in order to further explore the complex and dynamic dietary systems of the Iron Age steppe peoples.

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