A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE, the research suggests that pre-colonial populations of Brazil gathered during the summer months to feast on abundant seasonal fish and share alcoholic drinks.
An international team of scientists analyzed ceramic fragments dating back between 2,300 and 1,200 years, discovered around the Patos Lagoon in Brazil. The findings identified some of the earliest evidence of alcoholic drink production in the region.
The shores of the Patos Lagoon are characterized by settled earthen mounds known as Cerritos, built by the pre-colonial ancestors of Pampean Indigenous groups, including the Charrua and Minuano. Advanced analysis of the pottery fragments revealed traces of beverages likely made from tubers, sweet corn, and palm, according to arkeonews.net.
Other pottery fragments contained evidence of the processing of fish, including recipes made with fish. This discovery strengthens the belief that pre-colonial people may have gathered around the Cerritos to celebrate and feast on seasonally abundant fish.
"These gatherings likely drew dispersed communities together to exploit and celebrate the return of migratory fish, such as the Whitemouth croaker and corvina rubia (striped bass), which likely required collective effort for preparation," noted Phys.org.
Dr. Marjolein Admiraal, the lead author of the study, emphasized that seasonal gatherings at the mounds were important cultural events. "We see examples of such practices around the world, often related to the seasonal abundance of migratory species. These events provide excellent opportunities for social activities, such as funerals and marriages, and hold great cultural significance," Admiraal said.
"Through detailed chemical analysis, we were able to determine what products were present in the Cerritos pottery vessels and how people prepared these products, through heating, storage, and potentially fermentation. This brings us one step closer to understanding the culinary role of different foodstuffs in past societies," said Professor Oliver Craig from BioArCh at the University of York.
"The Cerritos are a combination of ritual and domestic places, and their elevated design may have been influenced by the local environment; these places were likely important to the people and raising them above potential erosion by seasonal high waters would have protected them," said co-author Rafael Milheira from the Universidade Federal de Pelotas in Brazil.
Previous isotope analysis of ancient human remains from the area indicated that the inhabitants had diverse diets, suggesting that people may have traveled to the Patos Lagoon from a wider region.
"Our findings—supported by a combination of biomolecular and isotopic approaches in organic residue analysis—provide compelling evidence for the use of fermented beverages in these ancient communities and show that pottery played a crucial role in feasting and social activities," said Admiraal.
"We know that large gatherings and feasts were important cultural events in the past (and today), throughout the world. And we suggest prehistoric people in the area would have invested in pottery production in anticipation of these gatherings which drew people to Patos Lagoon to feast on seasonal aquatic resources," Milheira said.
"This study reinforces the power of molecular archaeology in unlocking information from common artifacts, such as pottery sherds, that was previously inaccessible through conventional archaeological methods," said André Colonese from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, co-author of the research.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.