found traces of beeswax in pottery shards from the ancient Nok culture, which emerged some 3,500 years ago in what is now Nigeria.
“This is a remarkable example of how biomolecular information extracted from prehistoric pottery, combined with ethnographic data, has provided the first insights into ancient honey hunting in West Africa 3,500 years ago,” Julie Dunne, a professor of chemistry at the
University of Bristol and the lead researcher of the study, said in a statement.
Studying ancient West African pots
For their study, Dunne and her colleagues analyzed over 450 pottery fragments from the Nok culture to investigate what foods Nok people ate. Named after the Nigerian village of the same name, the Nok culture flourished for 1,500 years in an area where farmers and foragers coexisted. It was known for its giant terracotta figurines and early iron production.
Honey: The golden resource shedding light on ancient civilisations
third year, Chemistry
Can you bee-lieve it? A team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, who have been studying the spread of honey cultivation within ancient human civilisations, have now found unique chemical evidence for its use in West Africa dating back over 3500 years ago.
Whether it is used as a sweetener or a marinade, honey is considered to be a delicacy by many around the world. Its admiration can also be seen in popular culture – through the word’s use as a term of endearment, all the way to being the favourite food a certain yellow bear. Even Manchester adopted the bee as its symbol, in order to praise their hard work ethic.
Weekly roundup of world briefs
By Marc Brodsky
(JTA) Julian Edelman, the New England Patriots wide receiver who has shown his Jewish pride on a number of occasions, will retire following a stellar 11-year career in which he won Most Valuable Player in Super Bowl LIII.
Edelman, who played in only six games last year due to a chronic knee injury, had his contract terminated Monday by the Patriots in a procedural move, ESPN reported. He announced his retirement in a video posted Monday to social media.
Edelman was at his best in the big games, finishing second all-time with 118 postseason receptions, trailing only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s 151. He was a member of three Super Bowl champions. Edelman will also finish second all-time among Patriots receivers with 620 catches, behind Wes Welker’s 672.
The unearthed pots showed that only kosher food, and no pork, had ever been cooked in them. St Aldates Church was the centre of Oxford’s Jewish neighbourhood in the 12th and 13th century after William the Conqueror invited Jewish people in northern France to settle in England - possibly so they could pay taxes to fund his wars. Recent excavations by Oxford Archaeology, ahead of some development works, revealed evidence of two houses which the 800-year-old Doomsday Book suggested belonged to two Jewish families. Amazingly it was able to show that one was owned by Jacob f. mag. Moses and called Jacob’s Hall, and was said to be one of the most substantial private houses in Oxford, and the other house was owned by an Elekin f. Bassina.