Tautalus
Regular Member
- Messages
- 585
- Reaction score
- 1,499
- Points
- 93
- Ethnic group
- Portuguese
- Y-DNA haplogroup
- I2-M223 / I-FTB15368
- mtDNA haplogroup
- H6a1b2y
The paper examines when raw milk consumption began in the Iberian Peninsula, with special focus on Portugal, by combining ancient DNA evidence with zooarchaeological data on milk-producing animals. The authors analyze the genetic mutation responsible for lactase persistence, which allows adults to digest lactose, using ancient DNA from individuals ranging from the Paleolithic to the Modern Age. They find that the earliest evidence of lactase persistence in Iberia dates to the Early Bronze Age and is associated with individuals carrying genetic markers linked to steppe-related migrations. In Portugal specifically, the first confirmed case of lactase persistence appears only during the Roman period.
Zooarchaeological evidence shows that domesticated animals capable of producing milk were present earlier, but milk consumption in Portugal was likely limited before Roman times. A more substantial increase in dairy production occurred during the Middle Ages, although its direct impact on the spread of lactase persistence remains unclear. Overall, the study concludes that dairy consumption in Iberia began before the widespread genetic adaptation to digest lactose, highlighting a gradual and complex interaction between cultural practices and biological evolution.
Abstract:Zooarchaeological evidence shows that domesticated animals capable of producing milk were present earlier, but milk consumption in Portugal was likely limited before Roman times. A more substantial increase in dairy production occurred during the Middle Ages, although its direct impact on the spread of lactase persistence remains unclear. Overall, the study concludes that dairy consumption in Iberia began before the widespread genetic adaptation to digest lactose, highlighting a gradual and complex interaction between cultural practices and biological evolution.
In Europe, lactose tolerance after weaning (lactase persistence – LP) is determined by a single mutation in the MCM6 gene. The timing and mode of the emergence of raw milk consumption in Portuguese territory have not been addressed, despite its significance in Portuguese subsistence and culinary tradition. To identify the earliest instance of the LP mutation, we examined this locus in ancient DNA (aDNA) data from Iberian individuals spanning from the Palaeolithic to the Modern Age, available in the Allen Ancient DNA Resource database. Additionally, we reviewed zooarchaeological data on domesticated milk-producing species from bibliographic sources. In Iberia, the earliest occurrence of the LP mutation dates to the Early Bronze Age. The individual also carried the Y-chromosome Haplogroup R1b, typically associated with the hypothesised Yamnaya movement during this period. In Portugal, the first individual with LP dates to the Roman Period. Zooarchaeological data suggest that milk was consumed in small quantities in Portugal until the Roman Period. Milk production increased more significantly during the Middle Ages, but its impact on LP remains to be determined.
The paper, in pdf format, is in English.
The paper, in pdf format, is in English.
Individuals of the Iberian Peninsula with Lactase Persistence (From the Iberian Peninsula genomic data subset - 583 individuals from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages):
