Dairy pastoralism sustained eastern Eurasian steppe populations for 5,000 years

Wilkin, Shevan; Ventresca Miller, Alicia; Taylor, William Timothy Treal; Miller, Bryan Kristopher; Hagan, Richard; Bleasdale, Madeleine; Scott, Ashley; Gankhuyg, Sumiya; Ramsøe, Abigail; Uliziibayar, S.; Trachsel, Christian; Nanni, Paolo; Grossmann, Jonas; Orlando, Ludovic; Horton, Mark; Stockhammer, Philipp W.; Myagmar, Erdene; Boivin, Nicole; Warinner, Christina; Hendy, Jessica

doi:10.1038/s41559-020-1120-y

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Dairy pastoralism sustained eastern Eurasian steppe populations for 5,000 years

MPS-Authors

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Wilkin, Shevan
Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons220893

Ventresca Miller, Alicia
Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons204292

Taylor, William Timothy Treal
Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons244569

Miller, Bryan Kristopher
Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons221741

Hagan, Richard
Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons221543

Bleasdale, Madeleine
Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons222952

Scott, Ashley
Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons245830

Horton, Mark
Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons207359

Stockhammer, Philipp W.
MHAAM, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons188575

Boivin, Nicole
Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons221103

Warinner, Christina
Kostbare Kulturen, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons205854

Hendy, Jessica
Kostbare Kulturen, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;

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Citation

Wilkin, S., Ventresca Miller, A., Taylor, W. T. T., Miller, B. K., Hagan, R., Bleasdale, M., et al. (2020). Dairy pastoralism sustained eastern Eurasian steppe populations for 5,000 years. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 4(3), 346-355. doi:10.1038/s41559-020-1120-y.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0007-30D5-2

Abstract

Dairy pastoralism is integral to contemporary and past lifeways on the eastern Eurasian steppe, facilitating survival in agriculturally challenging environments. While previous research has indicated that ruminant dairy pastoralism was practiced in the region by circa 1300 bc, the origin, extent and diversity of this custom remain poorly understood. Here, we analyse ancient proteins from human dental calculus recovered from geographically diverse locations across Mongolia and spanning 5,000 years. We present the earliest evidence for dairy consumption on the eastern Eurasian steppe by circa 3000 bc and the later emergence of horse milking at circa 1200 bc, concurrent with the first evidence for horse riding. We argue that ruminant dairying contributed to the demographic success of Bronze Age Mongolian populations and that the origins of traditional horse dairy products in eastern Eurasia are closely tied to the regional emergence of mounted herding societies during the late second millennium bc.