Honeybees sweetened early farmers’ lives
Chemical traces on pottery point to widespread use of honey and wax as early as 9,000 years ago
BEE STORY A hollow log in France holds layers of honeycombs. Ancient farmers in Southwest Asia and Europe sought beeswax and probably honey from sweet spots like this, a chemical analysis of pottery pieces between 9,000- and 5,000-years-old suggests.
Eric Tourneret