Cooked fish hominid
- Jordan River Valley, 780,000 years ago. A group of hominids ate cooked fish on the shores of Lake Hula. The remains of fish found by archaeologists at the Israeli site of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov made this surprising conclusion possible.
We knew that hominids started eating raw fish about 2 million years ago, but so far experts believed that man started processing food 170,000 years ago. Thus, the recent work published by a group of international researchers in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution shows that the human diet revolution happened much earlier than expected.
Firstly, numerous remains of missing fish species have been found at the site, indicating that consumption was common. In addition, traces have been found in several layers, a sign of prolonged consumption. One of these species was a large fish from the Cyprinus carpio or common zamo family. Crystals that form the dental enamel of fish increase due to heat. Analyzing these crystals it can be observed that these large tents were placed at the appropriate temperature for cooking and that they were not burned by a spontaneous fire. In short, these communities had a tradition of cooking fish.
When humans started eating prepared food, they had more time and energy to develop new social systems and attitudes.
The decomposition and digestion of raw food requires much more energy. So when the first men started eating prepared food, they had more time and energy to develop new social systems and attitudes. In addition, fish contains omega 3 acids, zinc iodine, substances that promote brain development.
Researchers believe that freshwater areas were fundamental to extend Homo erectus beyond Africa. Of course, they used fresh water to drink, but, as the animals were also close to drinking, they were suitable places for hunting. And fish also conditioned in part the hominid migratory routes: in shallow waters it was easy to catch fish and gave a great nutritional prize.
So this simple fish recipe helped shape the evolution, the environmental relationship and the migration of the human brain.
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