A gap in the archaeologic record just prior to the arrival of agriculture in Britain has been filled by the bones of six mankind , possibly some of the state ’s last hunter - gatherers . The results are publish in theJournal of Archaeological Science .
The dearth of human remains during such a essential shift in the Late Mesolithic of Britain has strangle archaeologists ’ understanding of this era – a time of alteration in the living and ways of the people of the catamenia . However , a recent “ scientific revolution , labour by the diligence of new biomolecular method ” , as discover in the paper , has finally unearthed this moment in the country ’s history .
A team of archaeologists from the Universities of York , Cambridge , and UCL used a breakthrough analytic thinking technique on bone fragment from Cnoc Coig , a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland , via collagen sequences to substantiate the remnants as man and to radiocarbon date the sampling .
The previously hold possibility was that Orion - accumulator rapidly shifted their diets with the arrival of agriculture . However , late analysis suggests this shift was much more gradual , with hunter - gatherers still subsist off a diet heavy in marine foods .
" Analyzing antecedently unknown bone fragments shows us that both hunter - gatherer - fisher and farming lifestyles potentially co - live on the West slide of Scotland for several hundred old age , ” said booster cable author Dr Sophy Charlton , now a research comrade at the Natural History Museum in London , in astatement .
Bone fragments from the Cnoc Coig website , highlight the range of size and preservation . From top , L - R , ZooMS IDs : stamp , pig , residuum human . Charlton et al./Journal of Archaeological Science
The bone see to around 4,000 BCE during the Late Mesolithic , a transition catamenia from forage , sportfishing , and hunting to farming . static isotope analysis of the human remains expose a strong maritime isotopic signature . This suggests that hunting watch - gatherer kept their traditional devil dog - base diet for quite some time , even as husbandry take over far inland .
The discovery also provides further support for the novel collagen technique , as well as a launch off breaker point for further enquiry .
" Our finding also illustrate how information can be obtained from previously overlooked material , ” said Charlton . “ So much research electric potential lies torpid within ' unidentifiable ' prehistoric os fragments , and there is consequently significant potential for the future app of this method to other prehistoric sites . ”
