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Hissar (Haryana) – According to the study published in ‘Journal of Archeological Science’, the Indus Valley Civilisation, considered the oldest human civilisation, subsisted mainly on a diet of meat. The study based on the ceramic pottery, claims that beef was a predominant component of the diet. The research was led by Akshyeta Suryanarayan, a Ph.D. scholar from Cambridge University. She published this study in her paper titled ‘Lipid residues in pottery from the Indus Civilisation in northwest India’. The study is co-authored by former chancellor of Pune’s Deccan College and a renowned archeologist Prof. Vasant Shinde, Prof. Ravindra Singh of Banaras Hindu University.
A new study has shed some light on the culinary habits of the people who lived in the Indus Valley, some 4,500 years ago.https://t.co/Lgk6TRUBXJ
— Indiatimes (@indiatimes) December 10, 2020
- Suryanarayan told that her PhD research was based on ‘the type of food cooked in the Indus Valley Civilisation’. To study this, they looked for Lipid residues in the ceramic pottery found in archeological digs. Lipids are any of a diverse group of organic compounds including fats, oils, hormones, and certain components of membranes that are not water soluble
- “Out of domestic animals, cattle/buffalo are the most abundant, averaging between 50% and 60% of the animal bones found, with sheep/goat accounting for 10% animal remains. The high proportions of cattle bones may suggest a cultural preference for beef consumption across Indus populations”, the study revealed. (It is inappropriate to make such conclusion based on just cattle bones. Apparently, ancient Hindus domesticated cattle on large scale and with the sudden dissolution of Indus Civilisation, the bones of dead animals are found! – Editor)