Multiproxy bioarchaeological analyses reveal subsistence shift in Bronze Age Central Europe
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.
Authors
- Marine Morvan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7904-7108)
- Andrzej Matoga
- Anna Juras (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2585-127X)
- Piotr Włodarczak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0359-7386)
- Przemysław Makarowicz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4452-7704)
- Jacek Górski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9680-1720)
- Marcin M. Przybyła (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4695-0752)
- Maciej Chyleński (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1347-1904)
- Giedrė Motuzaitė Matuzevičiūtė (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9069-1551)
- Irena Wójcik
- Halina Taras (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8143-0090)
- Łukasz Pospieszny (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4676-5802)
- Ryszard Grygiel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1695-5093)
- Zdzisław Bełka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9634-610X)
- Anna Lasota‐Kuś (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0603-846X)
- Paweł Jarosz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9481-3007)
- Christophe Snoeck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3770-4055)
- Michael Kempf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9474-4670)
- Margaux L. C. Depaermentier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1801-3358)
- Krzysztof Tunia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1243-6536)
- Anita Szczepanek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0936-767X)
- Tomasz Goślar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1346-3122)
- Jarosław Wilczyński (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9786-0693)
- Marek Nowak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7220-6495)
Institutions
- Jagiellonian University (PL)
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE)
- Vilnius University (LT)
- Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (PL)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- University of Bristol (GB)
- University of Gdańsk (PL)
- National Museum in Kraków (PL)
- Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences (PL)
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography (AM)
- Polish Academy of Learning (PL)
- State Archaeological Museum (PL)
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals (PL)
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (PL)
- Polish Academy of Sciences (PL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2026-09-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeh1079
- Primary Topic
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00