Unearthing Secrets of Ancient Cookery: What Bedrock Metates Reveal About Our Ancestors

In the realm of culinary tools, the mortar and pestle you utilize today harken back to countless generations of human innovation. Long before the advent of modern materials like stainless steel, ancient peoples relied on manos (handheld stones) and metates (flat slabs or depressions in rocks) to grind plant materials into consumable forms. Recent archaeological studies have poised these rudimentary tools at the center of a fascinating discovery, offering insights into the diets and cultures of our ancestors.

Some of these ancient metates are estimated to be around 15,500 years old, with clusters found in archaeological sites across the globe. Recently, researchers from the University of Utah, in conjunction with the Natural History Museum of Utah, have embarked on a groundbreaking investigation to extract microscopic plant residues from these age-old grinding surfaces.

Stefania Wilks, an archaeobotanist at NHMU, highlights the importance of her work, stating, "People have lived here for time immemorial and have been processing native plants on ground stone tools for a long time too." Her focus extends beyond mere food analysis; it seeks to unravel the tales of traditional lifeways and the transformations these landscapes have undergone through millennia.

The research team, led by Wilks and NHMU’s Curator of Archaeology, Lisbeth Louderback, is looking deeply into the side of archaeology that many might overlook – the starch granules embedded within these ancient stones. These microscopic structures function as energy stores in plant cells and are typically invisible to the naked eye, necessitating careful extraction from surfaces that once processed food items.

Louderback theorized that metates, even exposed to varying climatic conditions, could still harbor these preserved plant remnants. She believed the deep grooves made over centuries of grinding could hide starch granules embedded in the rock. “People would have pushed these starches deeper into the stone through their grinding actions,” Wilks explained.

Archaeological efforts have centered around southern Oregon, where metates are commonly found near basalt outcrops adorned with thousands of petroglyphs—ancient carvings that tell stories of cultural significance. Initially, archaeologists thought these sites were primarily hunting grounds. Wilks aimed to challenge this perception by collecting samples from both the visible surfaces and deeper crevices of the metates.

The meticulous cleaning procedure involved using an electric toothbrush and specialized cleaning agents to free the particles trapped within. Upon analyzing the samples microscopically, there was a stark revelation. While surface samples yielded negligible starch granules, the hidden crevices of the grinding stones were a treasure trove of hundreds of them.

Wilks noted, “This evidence directly indicates that various plant species with starchy storage organs were processed on the metate.” The arduous work of identifying these starches commenced, comparing their shapes and structures to modern plants in the region. The findings were astounding; among the identified starches were those from the carrot family, wild grasses like wild rye, and members of the lily family—foods that remain crucial to the diets of local Indigenous communities to this day.

This analysis reinforces the significance of starch studies in understanding ancient diets—especially since many plant parts, such as root vegetables, don’t preserve well in archaeological contexts. Recovering starch granules from stone tools opens a new avenue for piecing together the dietary practices of ancient peoples.

Far from being mere relics of the past, these bedrock metates serve as invaluable archives of cultural history. This revolutionary technique reveals that even weathered stones can encapsulate narratives of our ancestors. Each recovered starch granule narrates not just a story of diet but also of lifestyle, movement, and the relationship that ancient peoples nurtured with their environment.

In conclusion, while these primitive tools may lack the allure of more glamorous artifacts, like arrowheads or pottery, they hold the keys to understanding our distant past. This ongoing research underscores the idea that seemingly simple objects can connect us to generations long gone, offering a tantalizing glimpse into our shared human experience.

For a deeper dive into this transformative study, you can find more details in the journal *American Antiquity*.