Introduction to Diversity of Human Diets in the Past

Abstract

AbstractThe dispersal of modern Homo sapiens around the globe necessitated adaptation to locally available plants and animals. People developed detailed knowledge of these food sources and modified their environments to enhance growth of plants and access to animals. Methods for revealing the development of local dietary adaptations include analyses of plant and animal remains, food residues, chemical signatures in preserved human tissues, and changes in human disease experience. This introduction touches on these topics, which are covered in depth in the chapters that make up part two of the volume.