< home # store # services # articles # game # app #contact >

Both rubus idaeus, or the European red raspberry; and, rubus strigosus north American red raspberry would have been understood by humans in a way that combined practical utility, seasonal awareness, and cultural meaning. During the neolithic era, or 10,000 years ago

Thousands of years ago, we didn’t categorize plants in the botanical sense we do today. But instead people were acute observers of the natural world.

In many foraging cultures, the ripening of berries was a cue for communal gathering and celebration; and, there may have been symbolic meaning as well
Vitality, fertility, and the summer abundance may have roots in earlier neolithic seasonal rituals.

Berries signaled a particular time in the seasonal cycle — usually midsummer to early autumn
Helping indicate other environmental changes (e.g., good hunting times, upcoming migrations of game, or readiness of other fruits).

They had flavor & foraging value too. Because sweetness was more rare
Ripe raspberries would have been prized treats as well as energy sources.

Raspberries were known to grow in sunny edges of forests, clearings, and recently disturbed soils (e.g., after a fire or tree fall)
Making them markers of certain ecologies.

People may have tracked birds and mammals to find berry patches

Raspberries were also consumed directly when ripe; Through drying or reservation; mixed with grains; and, fermentation
Possibly used in primitive beers, wines, or medicinal infusions. They could be combined with other berries, dried out and pressed into putty or ‘fruit leather’.

Medical uses included leaves & roots
Infusions were and still are made for easing digestive issues, soothing sore throats, or aiding childbirth.

Did you know? Leaf tea is still used for uterine health in many traditions.

Crushed leaves were also applied to small wounds, or sores for their mild astringent, and antimicrobial properties. And, also would have been antiseptic

The juice also could serve as a temporary dye for skin decoration, basketry fibers, or ceremonial markings
Though it’s not as stable as mineral pigments.

Because the fruit is perishable, direct raspberry remains from the neolithic are rare
Seeds survive better in waterlogged, frozen, or charred contexts. Like mesolithic–neolithic transition sites in Denmark and Switzerland.

Seeds have been found with hazelnuts, crabapples, and other wild fruits
Suggesting they were part of mixed seasonal harvests.

During the neolithic era, the wild raspberry, or both the rubus idaeus, the European red raspberry; and, the rubus strigosus, the north American red raspberry. Would have been understood by humans in a way that combined practical utility, seasonal awareness, & cultural meaning. Check them out with some more neolithic architecture today!
       
Bibliography: NRCS. “Rubus idaeus” (https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/plant-profile/RUIDS2). PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)