Exploring prehistoric plant use by molecular analyses of Neolithic grave goods

Abstract

At the site of Grotta Mora Cavorso (Lazio, Italy), an unusual archaeological find, made of two coarse pottery vessels, was recovered from burial levels radiocarbon dated to 6,405–6,275 bp. These artefacts were analysed using several methods, for interpretation of the cultural practices of the earliest inhabitants in central Italy. This first molecular evidence about the potential processing and storage of poppy-based products in Neolithic pottery was obtained by detecting ancient DNA (aDNA) and chemical compounds. This study represents the second evidence from the Mediterranean area of the use of Papaver L. (poppies), although the actual use(s) of these plants then, for example as sedatives, drugs, or food, remains uncertain. Also, the employment of Olea europaea L. (olive) derivatives in foods or for other purposes was suggested, in agreement with the recovery of fruit stones at the site. The results of the present archaeobotanical investigation show the environmental knowledge of the first prehistoric communities living in central Italy, who might have shared their ethnobotanical practices.