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Neolithic

Culinary Weekend

Culinary Weekend
Date
-

Country

  • the Netherlands

Pierre Wind is busy both days with insect snacks from prehistoric times, Roman dishes for young and old, to medieval roasts.

Dug Boat Dance: Contemporary Body and Prehistoric Experience

Dug Boat Dance: Contemporary Body and Prehistoric Experience
Author(s)
Jenni Sahramaa 1,
Riitta Rainio 1 ✉
Publication Date
Prehistoric rock art in Northern Europe repeatedly shows people standing, jumping, and dancing in a boat. Especially in Finland, rock paintings and the related offerings were made specifically from a boat. In 2023, dancer Arttu Peltoniemi conducted an artistic-scientific experiment called Dug Boat Dance to explore whether it is possible to dance in a boat, and what kind of movements and bodily sensations this might generate. The three-month-long experiment was carried out in a Stone Age-style dugout canoe, using the dancer's body and somaesthetic experiences as research tools...

Clusters of plasters - An Experimental Analysis of Plaster Production in Prehistoric Cyprus

Clusters of plasters. An Experimental Analysis of Plaster Production in Prehistoric Cyprus.
Author(s)
Marialucia Amadio 1 ✉,
Luca Bombardieri 1
Publication Date
Two distinct types of plaster were produced in prehistoric Cyprus: the lime plaster and the havara plaster. The latter was obtained by mixing the local secondary limestone (havara) with water, with no pyrotechnological process involved. Because lime plaster and havara plaster have very similar characteristics, archaeologists often struggle to distinguish them in the field. An experimental study was undertaken to produce new data that could aid in examining the manufacturing techniques of prehistoric plaster materials in Cyprus...

As Dear as Salt - Indications for an Ancient Plant Ash Tradition Preserved in Old World Folktale

A salt princess in disguise, original drawing by Mila Zwiebel (2025) (left), Ash Peter with his Cinderella bride (Jershov and Jershov 1973, p. 45) (right)
Author(s)
Lutz Zwiebel 1 ✉
Publication Date
Do folktale heroines tell of a prehistoric plant ash use? The culinary use of plant ash is an ancient technology nearly extinct worldwide and completely absent from Eurasian cultural history. Despite the lack of this technology´s historical documentation, folktales provide a rich yet underestimated corpus on salt and ash. The denotation of the physical substances as well as the related narrative structures are investigated throughout several tale types...

Black Ash - a Forgotten Domestication Trait in Garden Orach (Atriplex hortensis L.)

Black Ash - a Forgotten Domestication Trait in Garden Orach (Atriplex hortensis L.)
Author(s)
Lutz Zwiebel 1 ✉
Publication Date

Garden Orach (Atriplex hortensis L.) is a vegetable plant of minor importance but with a wide distribution throughout the Old World and beyond. Previous research revealed its diverse medicinal and magical importance in prehistory. Here, Orach’s special ability to retain sodium even in non-saline ground is introduced. The outstandingly high concentrations of sodium in dry plant matter and plant ash suggest its use as a salt substitute, manifested in an early domestication trait. Special attention is paid to the variability of this trait in cultivars from different geographic regions and within the genus Atriplex. ..

Neanderthals in the Rain: Assessing Neanderthals' Strategies to Survive Wet and Cold Environments through an Experimental Analysis

Neanderthals in the Rain: Assessing Neanderthals' Strategies to Survive Wet and Cold Environments through an Experimental Analysis
Author(s)
Eleonora Scandola 1 ✉,
Penny Spikins 1
Publication Date
Neanderthals' adaptations to cold climates have been extensively debated, however, limited attention has been given to their survival in cold and wet environments. These conditions increase the dangers of cold-induced injuries such as frostbite or hypothermia, as wet clothing loses its insulative capacities. This research explores whether and how Neanderthals faced such changes and their implications on activities and behaviours...