Biweekly Colloquium: “The Lesser Grains. Millet Consumption in Prehistoric Italy”
Jan 11, 2021 from 04:15 PM to 05:45 PM
virtual meeting
Mary Anne Tafuri • Sapienza University of Rome
The Lesser Grains. Millet Consumption in Prehistoric Italy
The application of biomolecular techniques for the study of food practices in prehistoric Europe has revealed an interesting complexity. This is particularly true for the Bronze Age, where the use of ‘alternative’ grains, such as millets, has been assessed isotopically through the measurement of stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios in human and animal bone collagen. Earliest evidence of C4 plants consumption comes from northern Italy, with the Po plain acting as a hotspot for the development of the farming of new crops. Isotopic data from Early, Middle and Late Bronze Age sites from western Veneto and Friuli will be discussed in the light of a recent reassessment of our understanding of prehistoric food practices in Italy. Data obtained contribute to the understanding of mode and tempo of the spread of new crops in the Peninsula, which might further call for a reconsideration of food production and consumption among Bronze Age groups of southern and central Europe.
