The research focused on food residues identified in dental stone of people buried in Tel Megiddo and Tel Irani (near Kiryat Gat). In the teeth, dating to the 16th century BC in Megiddo and the 11th century BC in Tel Irani, remains of various foods were found, including foods from Southeast Asia such as soybeans, bananas and turmeric
A new study by an international team, in which researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Antiquities Authority participated, reveals: as early as the 16th century BC, there was a significant global trade between India and Southeast Asia and the Land of Israel that included, among other things, the trade of exotic foods such as soybeans, bananas And turmeric - almost a thousand years before the first evidence of the presence of these foods in our region.
The research focused on food residues identified in dental stone of people buried in Tel Megiddo and Tel Irani (near Kiryat Gat). In the teeth, dating to the 16th century BC in Megiddo and the 11th century BC in Tel Irani, remains of various foods were found, including foods from Southeast Asia such as soybeans, bananas and turmeric.
The research was conducted by Prof. Philip Stockhammer from the University of Munich, in collaboration with researchers from various institutions around the world. Prof. Israel Finkelstein and Dr. Mario Martin participated in the study on behalf of Tel Aviv University From the Department of Archeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures named after Yaakov M. an alcove, and on behalf of the field of research and specializations in archeology at the Antiquities Authority, Dr. Yanir Milevsky and Dmitri Yegorov participated. The findings are published today in the journal PNAS.
Imported surprises in the local market
The researchers explain that when we imagine the urban market in Megiddo 3,700 years ago, we imagine local foods such as wheat, dates and sesame - and indeed ancient proteins and microfossils from these foods were found in the jaws. But together with them, remains of soybeans, bananas and turmeric were also found. According to the researchers, no older evidence of soybeans, bananas and turmeric has been discovered anywhere in the world outside of South and East Asia, and the discovery predates their presence in the Land of Israel and the Mediterranean basin by hundreds (turmeric) and even by a thousand years (soybeans). This means that already in the second millennium BC, there was a long-term trade in fruits, spices and exotic oils between South Asia and the Land of Israel, through Mesopotamia or Egypt - globalization in the Bronze and Iron Age. Obviously, no banana would have survived the journey from Southeast Asia to Megiddo, and apparently the bananas were consumed as dried fruits.
"This is clear evidence of trade with Southeast Asia as early as the 16th century BC - much earlier than researchers have assumed so far," explains Prof. Finkelstein. We discovered similar evidence of long-distance trade a few years ago in a study of molecular remains in pottery from the same period in Megiddo, a study that yielded evidence of the importation of vanilla. However, the hidden is more than the visible as far as the details of the trade routes and the way the goods are transferred."
"During the excavation we conducted at Tel Irani, we discovered, surprisingly, a cemetery from the Early Iron Age - about 3,100 years ago," say Dr. Yanir Milevsky and Dimitri Yegorov from the Antiquities Authority. "In some of the graves we found families buried together - children buried next to their parents. Next to the buried, we discovered burial offerings - bowls, jugs and pitchers, which were buried with the dead, out of the belief that the vessels would serve them in the next world. Animal bones were found in some of the vessels - mainly sheep and goats, food for the dead. We intend to investigate the tools that were uncovered, and check if some of them contain remains of bananas and sesame seeds, as were found in the teeth of the buried. In addition, we are conducting research with Prof. Stockhammer for DNA testing, with the aim of trying to understand who these people are and where they came from."
A new world of data will be discovered under a microscope
The soybean was first domesticated in the area of present-day China in the seventh millennium BC. The banana was first domesticated in New Guinea in the fifth millennium BC, and it reached West Africa 4,000 years later - but until now, no earlier spread of the fruit in the Middle East was known. The turmeric and soy proteins were found in the jaw of one person from Megiddo, and the banana proteins in two jaws from Tel Irani - so it is not known to what extent these foods were available to anyone from any social class. Although the researchers estimate that these are people who probably belonged to a relatively high class in the city-state of Megiddo. This is evident in the structure of the tombs and the offerings placed in them. In addition, the researchers found evidence of sesame consumption in jaws from both Megiddo and Tel Irani, a finding indicating that sesame became a distinct part of the local cuisine as early as the second millennium BC.
"The research demonstrates the possibilities inherent in the combination of the exact sciences and the natural sciences in modern archaeological research," Prof. Finkelstein concludes. "Traditional archaeology, which can be called macro-archaeology, provides visible data - such as buildings, pottery, jewelry and weapons. A whole world of other data, the importance of which is great, is revealed only to the eyes of the one observing the findings under a microscope and using advanced analytical methods."
More of the topic in Hayadan:
- Remains of a palace were uncovered at the Kyapa site in the Judean Lowlands. Researchers: Palace of King David; Prof. Finkelstein from Tel Aviv University: There is no inscription to prove this, it is likely that it is a building of the Kingdom of Israel
- Winner of the Dan David Prize, archaeologist Israel Finkelstein: Fortunately, there is no thought police in Israel
- The greatest spin in history * on the book Rashith Israel by Israel Finkelstein and Asher Silverman
