Brenda Khan
The invention of pottery, which first occurred in the Far East around 16,000 years ago, was a huge technological leap for the human species. The discovery of cooking in pots allowed prehistoric people to prepare their food in new ways, increasing the availability of new energy sources and allowing previously unpalatable or even toxic plants to be cooked. The earliest evidence of humans cooking nutritious pots of plants has been traced back to 10,000 years ago.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| When was pottery invented? | Firstly in the Far East around 16,000 years ago, and then in North Africa around 12,000 years ago |
| What was cooked in pots? | Seeds, grains, leafy parts of land plants, water plants, grass seeds, bullrush plants, figs, animal carcass, milk fats, fish, meat |
| How did it change human diets? | Prolonged cooking could slowly break down plants like yams and cassava that would have otherwise been inedible; the process releases more starches from foods and therefore more calories; long boiling kills harmful microbes and thus makes food safer; softened food like grains could be fed to babies, allowing children to be weaned earlier and leading to yet more children and early population growth; and finally, the ability to create dishes that were cooked slowly and indirectly, mingling many different ingredients, made the business of eating a lot more delicious |
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What You'll Learn
Pottery invention
The invention of pottery was a huge technological leap for the human species. The earliest shards of pottery appear in the archaeological record approximately 20,000 years ago, first in China and then later in the Near East and Europe. The invention of pottery enabled the boiling of food over heat for prolonged periods. This meant that prehistoric people could prepare their food in new ways, increasing the availability of new energy sources and allowing previously unpalatable or even toxic plants to be cooked and consumed.
The earliest known pots were used to cook vegetables, grains, and seeds. For example, 10,000-year-old pottery from two archaeological sites in the Libyan Sahara revealed evidence of the cooking of several different plant types, including seeds, grains, the leafy parts of land plants, and water plants. Pottery was also used to cook meat, softening and breaking down collagen, the connective tissue in meat, and releasing more starches and calories from foods. This made food more digestible and safer to eat, as harmful microbes were killed during the cooking process.
The invention of pottery also led to the creation of cuisine, as people could create dishes with various ingredients cooked slowly and indirectly, making the business of eating a lot more delicious. The ability to cook food also allowed for the weaning of babies, as softened food like grains could be fed to infants, leading to earlier weaning and subsequent population growth.
The invention of pottery was thus a significant development in the history of human diets, enabling the preparation and consumption of a wider variety of foods, improving nutritional intake, and contributing to population growth.
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Food preparation
The invention of pottery was a huge technological leap for the human species, allowing for the preparation of food in new ways. Pottery, with its durable and thermally resistant properties, enabled the boiling of foodstuffs over heat for prolonged periods. This meant that early humans could cook previously unpalatable or toxic plants and make them edible. For example, the earliest known pots were used to cook a variety of plant types, including seeds, grains, the leafy parts of land plants, and water plants. This evidence was discovered through organic residue analysis, which identified the fats, oils, and waxes preserved within the fabric of unglazed cooking pots.
The invention of cooking itself is argued by anthropologists to be a critical factor in human evolution. Cooking breaks down collagen, the connective tissue in meat, and softens the cell walls of plants, releasing starches, fats, and calories. This process makes food more digestible and safer to consume, as harmful microbes are killed. In addition, softened foods like grains could be fed to infants, allowing for earlier weaning and subsequent population growth.
The act of cooking also brought about the creation of cuisine and the development of various dishes. Early humans could now experiment with different ingredients and cooking techniques, leading to a more diverse and flavourful diet. This versatility in food preparation and the ability to extract more calories from food sources contributed to the energy needed to build bigger brains and support human physiological changes.
Prior to the invention of pottery, early humans would have faced challenges in boiling water and cooking food. Experimental archaeologists have attempted to recreate prehistoric methods by using deer hides, wet clay, and pits filled with coals to boil water. These methods, while less supported by physical evidence, demonstrate the resourcefulness of early humans in their quest for food preparation and culinary innovation.
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New energy sources
The invention of pottery was a huge technological leap for the human species. The earliest evidence of pottery dates back to 16,000 years ago in the Far East and then 12,000 years ago in North Africa. The invention of pots allowed humans to cook food in new ways, increasing the availability of new energy sources.
The thermally resistant properties of fired pottery vessels meant that prehistoric people could boil foodstuffs over heat for prolonged periods. This allowed for the consumption of previously unpalatable or toxic plants. For example, the invention of pots allowed for the cooking of grass seeds, grains, and the roots and leaves of aquatic plants such as bullrush and Potamogeton. This suggests that the consumption of plants was important in the diets of early hunter-gatherers and later pastoralists.
The invention of cooking is argued by anthropologists to be what made humans human. Cooking food, especially in pots, increases the number of calories that can be extracted from food. This is because cooking breaks down collagen, the connective tissue in meat, and softens the cell walls of plants to release their stores of starch and fat, providing significant nutritional benefits. This increase in calories available through cooking may have allowed for population growth as it allowed for the early weaning of children.
Cooking also kills harmful microbes, making food safer to eat. This is important as humans have evolved to depend on cooked food and can no longer survive on raw, unprocessed food alone.
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Previously toxic plants
The invention of pottery was a huge technological leap for humans, allowing them to cook food in new ways. Pottery first appeared in the Far East around 16,000 years ago and then in North Africa around 12,000 years ago. The thermally resistant properties of fired pottery vessels allowed prehistoric people to boil food over heat for prolonged periods. This opened up new energy sources and made previously toxic plants edible.
The invention of pottery and the ability to boil food allowed humans to make previously unpalatable or toxic plants safe to eat. For example, the early prehistoric cooking vessels from the Libyan Sahara, dated to around 10,000 years ago, showed evidence of the cooking of several different plant types, including seeds, grains, the leafy parts of land plants, and water plants. These plants would have required prolonged cooking to break them down and make them edible, releasing more starches and calories in the process.
One example of a previously toxic plant that could be made edible through cooking is cassava. Cassava is a starchy root vegetable that contains cyanide and must be cooked properly to be safe for consumption. By boiling cassava, the cyanide is removed, making it a nutritious and safe food source.
Another example is bullrush, which was likely cooked in pots along with grains and figs around 8,000 years ago, according to archaeological findings. Bullrush has edible leaves, stems, and starchy roots, but cooking likely helped to soften the plant and improve its palatability.
The ability to cook these previously toxic or unpalatable plants provided early humans with a broader range of food sources and contributed to dietary variety and nutritional benefits.
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Population growth
The invention of pottery, firstly in the Far East around 16,000 years ago and then in North Africa around 12,000 years ago, was a huge technological leap for humanity. The discovery of cooking with pots and the use of fire helped underpin many physiological changes in humans by broadening their diets and allowing more calories to be extracted from a variety of foods.
The durable and thermally resistant properties of fired pottery vessels allowed prehistoric people to boil foodstuffs over heat for extended periods. This made it possible to cook previously unpalatable or even toxic plants, increasing the availability of new energy sources. For example, cooking breaks down the cell walls of plants, releasing their stores of starch and fat, and providing nutritional benefits. This process releases more starches from foods and, therefore, more calories.
The ability to cook food in pots also made it possible to soften food like grains, which could then be fed to babies, allowing children to be weaned earlier. This led to population growth as women could have more children.
Furthermore, the invention of pots led to the creation of cuisine itself, as people could experiment with cooking food slowly and indirectly, mixing many different ingredients to create delicious dishes.
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Frequently asked questions
The invention of pottery allowed for the prolonged cooking of food over heat, which made previously unpalatable or toxic plants edible. This led to an increase in the availability of new energy sources and changed the way early humans cooked.
Before the invention of pots, early humans ate raw plants and meat.
Cooking in pots allowed for softened food, such as grains, to be fed to babies. This meant that children could be weaned earlier, leading to population growth.
Cooking in pots allowed early humans to create dishes with a variety of ingredients that were cooked slowly and indirectly, making the business of eating more delicious.
Cooking in pots kills harmful microbes, making food safer to eat.
