Archaeobotanical and stable isotope analysis on plant remains from 39 sites spanning the Bronze, Iron, and Viking Ages in Denmark has been undertaken in order to investigate the development and resilience of agricultural practices, particularly through the 1500-year-long Iron Age (500 BC – AD 1050). During the Iron Age an increase in the spectrum of food resources can be seen in the archaeobotanical material. At the same time, soil enrichment of fields of barley, which increased markedly during the Bronze - Iron Age transition, remains consistent until the Viking Age. A more broad-spectrum diet appears to tie in with agricultural extensification comprising increased scales of land use and fallowing alongside possibly less intense tillage of fields. These practices appear to have made agriculture resilient to climatic fluctuations during our study period, with the possible exception of a shift following volcanic eruptions in AD 536/540.
Keywords: Iron Age, Viking Age, stable isotopes, manuring practices, archaeobotany, ancient agriculture
Hald, Mette Marie and Styring, Amy and Mortensen, Morten Fischer and Maltas, Tom and Vidas, Doris and Henriksen, Peter Steen and Pihl, Anders and Jensen, Peter Mose and Christensen, Lotte Bach and Hansen, Jesper and Dollar, Scott and Egeberg, Torben and Lundø, Michael Borre and Haue, Niels and Hertz, Eivind and Iversen, Rasmus and Jørgensen, Thomas and Kristensen, Inge Kjær and Klassen, Lutz and Møller, Niels Algreen and Pedersen, Vibeke and Ravn, Mads and Vestergaard, Katrine and Jessen, Mads Dengsø, Farming During Turbulent Times: Agriculture, Food Crops, and Manuring Practices in Bronze Age to Viking Age Denmark. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4763519 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4763519
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