Spatial and temporal patterns in Neolithic and Bronze Age agriculture in Poland based on the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of cereal grains

All things bright: copper grave goods and diet at the Neolithic site of Osłonki, Poland

“…That a corresponding difference is not observed in δ 15 N makes it challenging to identify the underlying food sources. A diet richer in animal protein, for example, should result in higher δ 15 N values, although this can be complicated by 15 N-enrichment in plants due to the manuring of fields (Fraser et al 2011;Bogaard et al 2013), for which there seems to be evidence at Osl ̵onki (Mueller- Bieniek et al 2019).…”

“…Carbon and nitrogen isotope data for carbonised cereals at Osłonki 1 have been recently published (n = 9), providing δ 13 C values of −20.2±0.3‰ and δ 15 N values of 4.2±0.6‰, with the latter suggesting a moderate level of manuring (Mueller-Bieniek et al . 2019: tab. 3).…”

Ancestors of domestic cats in Neolithic Central Europe: Isotopic evidence of a synanthropic diet

“…We expect a similar effect in all synanthropic animals foraging on plants from manured fields, including domesticated ungulates fed with grains or straw ( 47 ) or grazing in manured pastures, in dogs eating similar foods as their owners ( 48 ), and in rodent pests foraging on the crop grains. Manuring of fields by Late Neolithic farmers has been identified at several sites ( 49 , 50 ) situated about 20 to 65 km from sites with remains of Late Neolithic NE cats. Elevated isotopic values found there in emmer and einkorn grains (from 5.7 up to 7.6‰) testify to the manuring practices in the vicinity of the studied area, which likely also affected δ 15 N signatures in local populations of herbivores and their predators.…”

Plants of the Funnel Beaker culture in Poland

“…It is worth mentioning at this point the recent analyses of isotopic compositions of carbonized cereal grains from the territory of Poland, including the TRB grains (Mueller- Bieniek et al 2019b). The δ 15 N values indicated that almost all cereal fields from which the TRB samples originated "could have received some inputs of fertilizer, including manure and household waste" (Mueller- Bieniek et al 2019b, 11).…”

“…This seems to contradict the above mentioned hypotheses of landscape deforestation, and implies intensive, permanent cultivation, at least in the upland zone of southern Poland, as almost all TRB samples come from there. On the other hand, in theory, it cannot be entirely ruled out that such isotopic signals of manuring may result from intentional burning of the vegetation to clear the land for agriculture (Mueller-Bieniek et al 2019b, 2, 10, see further literature) the more so since δ13C values demonstrate that part of the TRB fields in southern Poland existed in more open, elevated landscapes, with lower water availability (Mueller- Bieniek et al 2019b).…”