## Notes - The Dalmatian Coast is on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. ## Highlights ### 1 dairy production in Croatia was for kids' benefit > DNA analysis of the populations in this area indicate that the adults were lactose-intolerant, but the children remained able to consume milk comfortably up to the age of ten. > "First, we have milking around, and it was probably geared for kids because it is a good source of hydration and is relatively pathogen-free," said McClure. "It wouldn't be a surprise for people to give children milk from another mammal." ### 2 it took about 500 years to go from drinking milk to making cheese > However, about 500 years later, the researchers see a shift not only from pure milk to fermented products, but also in the style and form of pottery vessels. > > "Cheese production is important enough that people are making new types of kitchenware," said McClure. "We are seeing that cultural shift." ### 3 the earliest known Mediterranean dairy processing happened in Croatia > The third category of Danilo ware is sieves, which are often used in cheese-making to strain treated milk when it separates into curds and whey. Three of the four sieves in the sample showed evidence of secondary milk processing into either cheese or other fermented dairy products. > > "This is the earliest documented lipid residue evidence for fermented dairy in the Mediterranean region, and among the earliest documented anywhere to date," the researchers report. ### 4 dairy farming allowed for territorial expansion > According to the researchers, dairying—and especially cheese and fermented milk products—may have opened northern European areas for farming because it reduced infant mortality and allowed for earlier weaning, decreasing the birth interval and potentially increasing population. It also supplied a storable form of nutrition for adults, because the fermentation of cheese and yogurt reduce the lactose content of milk products, making it palatable for adults as well as children. > > With a food source that could buffer the risk of farming in colder northern climates, farmers could expand their territories. - [?] why wouldn't this have happened in other places, though? And why would _dairy farming_ have been necessary for territorial expansion? I'm not making the connection here.