Adaptability of Millets and Landscapes: Ancient Cultivation in North-Central Asia

• Authors: VENTRESCA-MILLER Alicia R.; WILKIN Shevan; SMITHERS Rachel; LARSON Kara; SPENGLER Robert; HARUDA Ashleigh; KRADIN Nikolay; BAZAROV Bilikto; MIYAGASHEV Denis; ODBAATAR Tserendorj; TURBAT Tsagaan; ZHAMBALTAROVA Elena; KONOVALOV Prokopii; BAYARSAIKHAN Jamsranjav; HEIN Anke; HOMMEL Peter; NASH Brendan; NAYAK Ayushi; VANWEZER Nils; MILLER Bryan; NEVES FERNANDES Luis Ricardo; BOIVIN Nicole; ROBERTS Patrick
• Year of publication: 2023
• Type: Article in Periodical
• Magazine / Source: Agronomy
• MU Faculty or unit: Faculty of Arts
• Web: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/11/2848
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13112848
• Keywords: millet; isotope; water availability; carbon; pastoralism; bronze age; iron age; cultivation; Bayesian modelling; archaeology; Asia
• Description: Millet is a highly adaptable plant whose cultivation dramatically altered ancient economies in northern Asia. The adoption of millet is associated with increased subsistence reliability in semi-arid settings and perceived as a cultigen compatible with pastoralism. Here, we examine the pace of millet’s transmission and locales of adoption by compiling stable carbon isotope data from humans and fauna, then comparing them to environmental variables. The Bayesian modelling of isotope data allows for the assessment of changes in dietary intake over time and space. Our results suggest variability in the pace of adoption and intensification of millet production across northern Asia.