Bronze Age people abandoned meat for millet 3,500 years ago

The Bronze Age cemetery of Tiszafüred-Majoroshalom reveals a remarkable transformation around 1500 BCE. Led by Tamás Hajdu and Claudio Cavazzuti, a research team explored diet, mobility, millet consumption, and inequality during this critical period in the Carpathian Basin.

Using carbon, nitrogen, and strontium isotope analysis, they uncovered drastic lifestyle changes at the dawn of the Tumulus culture. Their study combined archaeology, bioanthropology, and environmental science to show how people adapted to shifting food systems and social structures.

Settlements break down, new patterns emerge

During the Middle Bronze Age (2000–1500 BCE), the region had many local cultures with tell-settlements. These were large fortified villages. But by 1500 BCE, these settlements were abandoned. Instead, people moved into short-term, horizontal communities with weaker central control.

This shift marked the arrival of the Tumulus culture, known for mound burials and new pottery styles. The big question: did new people bring these changes, or did local populations simply adopt new practices?

The researchers collected 130 isotope samples and radiocarbon-dated 60 individuals. They tracked changes in movement and eating habits with unprecedented precision.

Less movement, different origins

Strontium isotope analysis helps identify where individuals grew up based on local geology. At Tiszafüred-Majoroshalom, most buried people had isotope signatures matching the immediate area. This means they were likely locals.

About 20% had values matching nearby regions within 100 kilometers. Only one man clearly came from a more distant place.

Migration routes also shifted over time. In the Middle Bronze Age, newcomers came from radiogenic areas like the Upper Tisza and Northern Carpathians.

In the Late Bronze Age, migrants arrived from different regions, such as the Middle Danube, Southern Carpathians, or Transdanubia. These new patterns follow known west-to-east cultural movements.

Men showed slightly more mobility, but not by much. Few women came from outside, suggesting that marriages between distant groups were uncommon. When they did happen, they mostly occurred within the local region.

Millet intake rose in the Bronze Age

A major dietary shift also occurred. Carbon isotopes revealed that broomcorn millet entered the diet around 1540–1480 BCE. Millet, a fast-growing crop, became a vital food by the Late Bronze Age.

Dental calculus confirmed this. In the Middle Bronze Age, millet traces appeared in only 2 of 14 individuals. In the Late Bronze Age, millet was found in 6 of 11 individuals. This cereal quickly became a staple.

At the same time, nitrogen isotopes showed reduced protein intake. Middle Bronze Age diets had wider protein access, especially among males.

This gap closed in the Late Bronze Age, hinting at social leveling. Both men and women consumed less meat, and the diet was poorer but more equal.

Variety vanished as inequality shrunk

The Middle Bronze Age saw more dietary diversity. People ate wheat, barley, lentils, and other plants. Spelt and emmer were present, while einkorn faded away. Legumes, oil crops, and foraged foods enriched meals.

By the Late Bronze Age, broomcorn millet overshadowed other grains. Macro-remains of millet were rare in earlier layers but became common after 1500 BCE. Stable isotope and dental evidence confirmed its growing role.

“The abandonment of the fortified MBA tell settlement is followed by a new phase with less structured centres, less stable social hierarchies and the reduced inequalities that we could clearly observe, at least at the level of food consumption,” the authors noted.

Bronze Age life changed with millet

These findings challenge old views of the Tumulus people as nomadic herders. Their mobility decreased. Their diet shifted from rich and varied to simpler and millet-based. Social networks became flatter and more equal.

The Tumulus culture wasn’t just about burial mounds and metalwork. It marked a deeper change in how people lived, ate, and moved.

“The strong investment in broomcorn millet as key-cereal is considered one of the earliest phases in Europe,” noted the researchers.

This Bronze Age study shows how bones, teeth, and millet reveal the past. By studying them closely, we uncover stories of change, resilience, and adaptation that shaped ancient Europe.

The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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