We can learn a great deal about the lives and social structures of civilizations thousands of years ago by studying what they ate. While actual food remains are few and far between, scientists can reconstruct ancient menus by studying chemical signatures in human remains, typically bone collagen or tooth enamel. Collagen rarely survives the harsh, salty heat of the Iraqi desert, so researchers studying ordinary families in the ancient Sumerian city of Abu Tbeirah turned instead to tooth enamel. And the results revealed a fascinating story.
