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Watery grave for 7,700 year old who wouldn't eat her greens

August 28, 2002

University of Sheffield archaeologists have uncovered a 7,700-year-old human thighbone, which has provided new evidence about the diet of ancient people.

The thighbone, which belonged to a woman living in the Mesolithic era, was found in a dried up channel of the River Trent during excavation of a gravel pit. The find was unusual because human remains of the Mesolithic era are rare, with most previously recovered from coastal sites.

Even more interesting was 'The Lady of Trent's' diet. Over the years there has been much debate as to the diet of Mesolithic people, particularly in relation to the importance of seafood and plants in their diet. Stable isotope analysis of the bone showed that the Lady of Trent had altogether different tastes. Scientists at Bradford University measured the nitrogen and carbon levels in her bone and discovered that she had an almost exclusively carnivorous diet, eating almost as much meat as a wolf.

To add further weight to this discovery, animal bones from deer and wild cattle were recovered, some with cut marks on the bone showing that the animals had been skinned and butchered. It is not clear if the bones were deliberately deposited in the river or were washed in by the river eroding its banks.

Dr. Glyn Davies, of the Archaeological Research and Consultancy Unit at the University of Sheffield found the bone. He says, "This was an extremely rare find and has led to a greater understanding of the way our ancestors lived. It is rare that we have direct evidence as to the diet of one of our long dead ancestors."

Sheffield, University of