Indus Valley Civilization and consumption of milk, meat of animals

The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) was a Bronze Age civilization in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form from 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE.

 "An analysis of ceramic lipid residues from rural and urban sites of the Indus Civilization in northwest India provides chemical evidence for milk, meat of animals like pigs, cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat, and possible mixtures of products and/or plant consumption."

The people of the Indus Valley Civilization in northwest India were predominantly meat eaters, a study has revealed.

They consumed the meat of pigs, cattle, buffalo and sheep, along with dairy products, said the study published in Journal of Archaeological Science.

“High proportions of cattle bones were also found, which may suggest a “cultural preference for beef consumption” across Indus populations, the study, titled, Lipid residues in pottery from the Indus Civilisation in northwest India, said.

The research offers insights into the food patterns of ancient South Asia by using lipid residue analysis to investigate the kinds of food items that were used in ceramic vessels by people of the Indus Valley Civilisation settlements in northwest India. The region of study now lies in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

It was led by Akshyeta Suryanarayan as part of her PhD at the University of Cambridge.