Livestock and dairying were the key to the population boom and early symbols of civilization on the Eurasian Steppe during the Bronze Age, according to new research.
A new study by the German Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History reveals that the adoption of ruminant livestock eventually led to population growth, the establishment of community cemeteries, and the construction of large monuments.
Using proteomic analysis of human dental calculus from sites in the Mongolian Altai, the researchers demonstrate a shift in dairy consumption over the course of the Bronze Age, a historical period from around 3,300 BC to 1,200 BC.
