In response to Michael Schubert+s comments about the role of
non-cultivated plant foods in human evolution, I suggest the following
reference:

1.      Eating on the Wild Side: the pharmacologic, ecologic and social
implications of using non-cultigens.  Etkin NL (Ed.)   The University of
Arizona Press, Tucson & London, 1994.

This book represents the definitive statement on the medicinal values of
wild plant foods used by hunter-gatherers.

 In the last digest, Dean writes:
 >Hunting at this period of our hominid ancestry is a controversial
subject.
>From the late 1960s to the present day, the concept of
 >`Man the Hunter' has become less popular with academics studying the
Lower
 >Palaeolithic, with the alternative of carcass-scavenging being
proposed
as
 >the major way in which hominids procured their meat.
 >
 >The evidence from Boxgrove, however, suggests strongly that the
hominids
of
 >the period did hunt their meat.

        There has been a recent trend in the anthropology community towards
acceptance of wide scale hunting by early hominids (H. erectus/ H.
heidelbergensis/ archaic H. sapiens) inhabiting both europe and Asia
circa (~500,000 - 300,000 years before present (BP)).   There are two
recent finds which clearly support this notion.  Thieme and co-workers
recently reported in Nature (Thieme H.  Lower palaeolithic hunting
spears from Germany. Nature 1997 385:807-810) the discovery of four
wooden throwing spears which were dated to 400,000 years BP.   Thieme
mentions that -all  spears, although of different lengths, were
manufactured to the same pattern, with the maximum thickness and weight
at the front; the tails are long, and taper towards the proximal end.
In all of these respects they resemble modern javelins, and were made as
projectile weapons rather than thrusting spears or lances-.   He
concludes by saying, -The discovery of spears designed for throwing
means that theories of the development of hunting capacities and
subsistence strategies of Middle Pleistocene hominids must be revised,
as well balanced, sophisticated hunting weapons were common from an
early period of the Middle Pleistocene onwards.  Accordingly, meat from
hunting may have provided a larger dietary contribution than has
previously been acknowledged-.
        The second piece of information which is highly suggestive of  wide
scale hunting during this period is the recent discovery of stone
artifacts in central Siberia which have been dated to more than 260,000
year BP (Waters MR. et al.  Diring Yuriakh: A lower paleolithic site in
central Siberia. Science 1997 275:1281-84).   Because this site is
located at approximately 55 degrees N. latitude, even during warmer,
interglacial periods, the climate of this region would have been severe.
  Consequently for at least half or more months of the year, plant food
which could provide sustenance for hominids would have been unavailable.
  Additionally, to live in this climate, I quote Waters, - would require
sophisticated use of fire, clothing and shelter for survival-.
Scavenging of  game would , at best, be an irregular affair and would
not provide a regular caloric source - consequently it seems likely that
hunting provided these early humans with both clothing and food.   Any
scavenged game that may have been acquired during the deep winter months
would likely have been frozen and quite difficult to eat;  hence fire
may have been used to thaw scavenged meat.
                                        Cordially,

                                        Loren Cordain, Ph.D.