Archaeologists have identified a set of ceramic vessels from Sławęcinek, Kujawy, which provide evidence for the consumption of lactose-reduced milk beverages approximately 5,500 years ago.
According to experts, these vessels appear to have been associated with special occasions, most likely ritualised feasting practices, and may have been linked to funerary contexts.
During the second half of the 4th millennium BC, Europe underwent significant social and technological transformations. At this time, large areas of the continent—including present-day Denmark, Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland—were occupied by early agrarian communities associated with the Funnelbeaker culture. In Poland, Kujawy constituted a major region of settlement, owing to its favourable environmental and agricultural conditions.
One of the key archaeological sites contributing to our understanding of Funnelbeaker culture communities is the Neolithic settlement at Sławęcinek, Kujawy. Discovered incidentally during construction of the Inowrocław bypass in 2016, the site encompasses nearly 5 hectares and has yielded over 1,000 archaeological features, offering substantial insight into the social practices and belief systems of these populations.
Recent research conducted by a Polish–British team of archaeologists indicates that these communities were characterised by complex social organisation and a highly developed tradition of communal feasting.
The research team analysing the material from Sławęcinek included scholars from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, the University of Łódź, the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the University of York, and the University of Cambridge. The findings have been published in Praehistorische Zeitschrift.
“Over 6,000 fragments of ceramic vessels were recovered from the remains of a Neolithic settlement.
The most interesting of these turned out to be a set of so-called libation vessels, consisting of one large funnel-shaped beaker, five so-called rimmed flasks, and two small ceramic glasses. The vessels were meticulously crafted and likely constituted a set intended for special occasions. Researchers believe this set was used during rituals involving the drinking of milk beverages,” said PAP.
Biomolecular analysis of residues preserved within the pottery enabled the identification of proteins derived from cow, sheep and goat milk. These findings indicate that the contents were processed dairy products, analogous to cheese or whey. In the Neolithic period, lactose intolerance was widespread among European populations; consequently, the processing of milk into lower-lactose products would have represented a significant adaptive strategy for utilising this resource.
Several vessels were recovered in fragmented form, with pieces deposited in separate pits. This pattern may indicate deliberate breakage as part of ritual activity. Such practices are well documented in prehistoric contexts and are frequently interpreted as symbolic acts associated with ceremonial closure or offering.
A volume of animal bone, mostly of cattle and pigs, was found near the vessels and likely could be the products of feasting that occurred during the rite. These events were also communal and were one of the major social life events in this settlement. The fact that there is something quite close to bones in residence as well as a corresponding distribution in the location suggests that the feasting occurred in conjunction of funerary activities.
The burials at the site were exclusively female; with no clear evidence of male interments. Moreover, some artefacts traditionally associated with male burials appear here in settings associated with female activity. The proximity of ritual practices with home areas (commonly depicted in anthropological literature with gendered roles) adds to this stereotype.
“We therefore hypothesised that the rituals that took place in Sławęcinek may have been related to matrilineality (a kinship system in which children are incorporated into their mother’s lineage), and possibly also to secret women’s societies. In many traditional societies, such organisations played an important role in maintaining social bonds and transmitting knowledge. The use of rimmed flasks for serving and consuming dairy products, which could be perceived as a fluid of fertility and health symbolising the mother, opens the possibility of interpreting these practices as rituals strengthening bonds between women within a group,” noted the archaeologist from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.
Header Image Credit : Praehistorische Zeitschrift
Sources : PAP