What did ancient people eat? Now scientists can tell us. - The Takeout

Over the course of several months, seven chefs prepared 50 meals in the pots using donated deer roadkill and grains milled in one of the researchers’ garages.

Now when they examine old pottery, they can find evidence of all the meals that were prepared in a particular pot, which will give them a better idea of the ingredients that the ancient cooks used and help them reconstruct recipes.

If the pot contains traces of ingredients not found locally, this will also give scientists a better idea of ancient trade routes and patterns.

“Our data can help us better reconstruct the meals and specific ingredients that people consumed in the past,” explained Melanie Miller, one of the co-lead authors of the study, “which, in turn, can shed light on social, political and environmental relationships within ancient communities.”.