Multiproxy bioarchaeological analyses reveal subsistence shift in Bronze Age Central Europe
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Changes in past subsistence strategies reflect the adaptation of human societies to climatic, environmental, and cultural settings. Despite being a resistant, flexible, and nutritive crop, millet only sporadically became a staple crop in Europe and is nearly forgotten today. This raises the question of the cultural dimensions associated with the adoption or rejection of millet. We use a multi-isotope dataset from Bronze Age Poland (2200 to 1000 BCE) coupled with radiocarbon dates to identify dietary practices and associate them with cultural and environmental conditions. We (i) revise the earliest evidence for millet consumption in Europe to 1590 ± 50 calibrated years (cal) BCE instead of 1460 ± 40 cal BCE, (ii) reconstruct dietary shifts at the group and individual level, (iii) suggest environmental instead of cultural mechanisms behind millet adoption, and (iv) reveal land-use shifts associated with millet cultivation, showing no strong evidence for a demic diffusion model. The gained insights into crop integration processes can help in discussing coping strategies for present-day challenges.
Source: Science Advances
Authors: Margaux L. C. Depaermentier, Przemysław Makarowicz, Anita Szczepanek, Christophe Snoeck, Marine Morvan, Zdzislaw Belka, Michael Kempf, Łukasz Pospieszny, Halina Taras, Maciej Chyleński, Jacek Górski, Tomasz Goslar, Ryszard Grygiel, Paweł Jarosz, Anna Juras, Anna Lasota-Kuś, Andrzej Matoga, Marek Nowak, Marcin M. Przybyła, Krzysztof Tunia, Piotr Włodarczak, Jarosław Wilczyński, Irena Wójcik, Giedrė Motuzaitė Matuzevičiūtė
Institutions: Vilnius University, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Polish Academy of Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, University of Cambridge, University of Bristol, University of Gdańsk, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Muzeum Archeologiczne i Etnograficzne w Łodzi, Jagiellonian University, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals
Language: English
Subfield: Paleontology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
OpenAlex ID: W7212034997