How Iron Age Italians carried childhood stress and daily meals in their smiles

Ancient DNA traces in teeth and genes reveal that insects played a minor role in prehistoric European diets.

Archaeologists uncover how a grain of millet—and a shift in protein access—quietly transformed Bronze Age society.

Learn how the hominins’ consumption of grasses led to changes in their teeth around 700,000 years later.

The article explores the contrast between modern and ancient Mediterranean diets, revealing that ancient diets were predominantly bread-based, with cereals forming the nutritional cornerstone. While today's Mediterranean diet emphasizes olive oil, vegetables, and fish, ancient peoples relied heavily on bread, pulses, and seasonal produce. Roman Emperor Julian praised bread as the most nourishing food, yet regional variations existed, with some cultures like the Ethiopians finding it unappealing. Galen, a Roman physician, detailed the importance of wheat processing and the role of bread in meals, noting that poor preparation could lead to indigestion. The article highlights how ancient diets varied by location, wealth, and season, with fish being a luxury for many. Modern interpretations of the Mediterranean diet selectively reconstruct ancient practices, omitting the heavy reliance on bread and cheese. This selective focus reflects a cultural narrative rather than an accurate historical account of ancient diets.

Stable isotope evidence reveals how a coastal Andean city adapted its food sources over millennia

New research suggests that maggots may be the secret ingredient responsible for extremely high nitrogen values found in Neanderthal remains.

Ancient teeth found in Thailand show that the practice of chewing on betel nuts emerged at least 4,000 years ago during the Bronze Age. Betel nuts are the fruit of the areca palm tree. The areca palm...

Maggots on rotting meat may have given Neandertals’ a fatty, nitrogen-rich boost, a study of their bones suggests.

A study of skeletons from a cave in Poland has revealed widespread evidence of cut marks and fractures suggestive of cannibalism.