Neolithic Farmers in Poland Fertilized Their Fields

KUJAWY, POLAND—Science in Poland reports that high nitrogen levels detected in the isotopic analysis of human and animal bone collagen recovered from more than 30 archaeological sites in northern Poland indicate that Neolithic farmers fertilized their fields. The study also showed that these early farmers ate little fish and other freshwater foods. Then, between around 2800 and 2200 B.C., populations such as the people of the Corded Ware culture from an area near the Danube River arrived in what is now northern Poland, said Łukasz Pospieszny of the University of Gdańsk. The newcomers adapted to local conditions, he explained, but they maintained their own dietary patterns based on meat and dairy consumption. In the Bronze Age, the farmers in this region began to grow millet, which may have been introduced by a new population. “Millet is a prehistoric superfood,” Pospieszny said. “It is highly nutritious and can feed a large group of people. It has a very short growing season. It is a good safeguard, for example, in the event of drought, due to its high resistance to high temperatures,” he explained. Yet Pospieszny and his colleagues confirmed the presence of two distinct populations groups in the area, based upon their food consumption patterns, material culture, and burial practices. Within those populations, some individuals consumed more meat, perhaps reflecting emerging social differentiation within the communities, he concluded. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Royal Society Open Science. To read about millet cultivation in ancient China, go to "You Are How You Cook."