Parallel worlds and mixed economies: multi-proxy analysis reveals complex subsistence systems at the dawn of early farming in the northeast Baltic

Ester Oras; Mari Tõrv; Kristiina  Johanson; Eve Rannamäe; Anneli  Poska; Lembi Lõugas; Alexandre Jules Andre Lucquin; Jasmine Lundy; Samantha Brown; Shidong  Chen; Liivi  Varul; Vanda  Haferberga; Dardega  Legzdiņa; Gunita  Zariņa; Lucy Cramp; Volker Heyd; Michaela Reay; Łukasz  Pospieszny; Harry Kenneth Robson; Kerkko Nordqvist; Carl Heron; Oliver Edward Craig; Aivar Kriiska

doi:10.1098/rsos.230880

Parallel worlds and mixed economies: multi-proxy analysis reveals complex subsistence systems at the dawn of early farming in the northeast Baltic

Ester Oras, Mari Tõrv, Kristiina Johanson, Eve Rannamäe, Anneli Poska, Lembi Lõugas, Alexandre Jules Andre Lucquin, Jasmine Lundy, Samantha Brown, Shidong Chen, Liivi Varul, Vanda Haferberga, Dardega Legzdiņa, Gunita Zariņa, Lucy Cramp, Volker Heyd, Michaela Reay, Łukasz Pospieszny, Harry Kenneth Robson, Kerkko NordqvistCarl Heron, Oliver Edward Craig, Aivar Kriiska

Archaeology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The transition from foraging to farming was a key turning point in ancient socio-economies. Yet, the complexities and regional variations of this transformation are still poorly understood. This multi-proxy study provides a new understanding of the introduction and spread of early farming, challenging the notions of hierarchical economies. The most extensive biological and biomolecular dietary overview, combining zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical, dietary stable isotope and pottery lipid residue analyses is presented, to unravel the nature and extent of early farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the northeast Baltic. Farming was introduced by incoming Corded Ware cultural groups (CWC), but some dietary segregation existed within these communities, with some having more access to domesticates, others incorporating more wild resources into their diet. The CWC groups coexisted in parallel with local hunter–fisher–gatherers (HFG) without any indication of the adoption of domesticates. There was no transition from foraging to farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the NE Baltic. Instead, we see a complex system of parallel worlds with local HFGs continuing forager lifeways, and incoming farmers practising mixed economies, with the continuation of these subsistence strategies for at least a millennium after the first encounter with domesticated animals.

Original language	English
Article number	230880
Number of pages	15
Journal	Royal Society Open Science
Volume	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230880
Publication status	Published - 4 Oct 2023

Bibliographical note

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10.1098/rsos.230880Licence: CC BY

Oras et al. 2023
© 2023 The Authors.
Final published version, 903 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

Oras, E., Tõrv, M., Johanson, K., Rannamäe, E., Poska, A., Lõugas, L., Lucquin, A. J. A., Lundy, J., Brown, S., Chen, S., Varul, L., Haferberga, V., Legzdiņa, D., Zariņa, G., Cramp, L., Heyd, V., Reay, M., Pospieszny, Ł., Robson, H. K., ... Kriiska, A. (2023). Parallel worlds and mixed economies: multi-proxy analysis reveals complex subsistence systems at the dawn of early farming in the northeast Baltic. Royal Society Open Science, 10, Article 230880. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230880

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abstract = "The transition from foraging to farming was a key turning point in ancient socio-economies. Yet, the complexities and regional variations of this transformation are still poorly understood. This multi-proxy study provides a new understanding of the introduction and spread of early farming, challenging the notions of hierarchical economies. The most extensive biological and biomolecular dietary overview, combining zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical, dietary stable isotope and pottery lipid residue analyses is presented, to unravel the nature and extent of early farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the northeast Baltic. Farming was introduced by incoming Corded Ware cultural groups (CWC), but some dietary segregation existed within these communities, with some having more access to domesticates, others incorporating more wild resources into their diet. The CWC groups coexisted in parallel with local hunter–fisher–gatherers (HFG) without any indication of the adoption of domesticates. There was no transition from foraging to farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the NE Baltic. Instead, we see a complex system of parallel worlds with local HFGs continuing forager lifeways, and incoming farmers practising mixed economies, with the continuation of these subsistence strategies for at least a millennium after the first encounter with domesticated animals.",

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Oras, E, Tõrv, M, Johanson, K, Rannamäe, E, Poska, A, Lõugas, L, Lucquin, AJA , Lundy, J, Brown, S, Chen, S, Varul, L, Haferberga, V, Legzdiņa, D, Zariņa, G, Cramp, L, Heyd, V, Reay, M, Pospieszny, Ł, Robson, HK, Nordqvist, K, Heron, C, Craig, OE & Kriiska, A 2023, 'Parallel worlds and mixed economies: multi-proxy analysis reveals complex subsistence systems at the dawn of early farming in the northeast Baltic', Royal Society Open Science, vol. 10, 230880. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230880

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T2 - multi-proxy analysis reveals complex subsistence systems at the dawn of early farming in the northeast Baltic

AU - Oras, Ester

AU - Tõrv, Mari

AU - Johanson, Kristiina

AU - Rannamäe, Eve

AU - Poska, Anneli

AU - Lõugas, Lembi

AU - Lucquin, Alexandre Jules Andre

AU - Lundy, Jasmine

AU - Brown, Samantha

AU - Chen, Shidong

AU - Varul, Liivi

AU - Haferberga, Vanda

AU - Legzdiņa, Dardega

AU - Zariņa, Gunita

AU - Cramp, Lucy

AU - Heyd, Volker

AU - Reay, Michaela

AU - Pospieszny, Łukasz

AU - Robson, Harry Kenneth

AU - Nordqvist, Kerkko

AU - Heron, Carl

AU - Craig, Oliver Edward

AU - Kriiska, Aivar

PY - 2023/10/4

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N2 - The transition from foraging to farming was a key turning point in ancient socio-economies. Yet, the complexities and regional variations of this transformation are still poorly understood. This multi-proxy study provides a new understanding of the introduction and spread of early farming, challenging the notions of hierarchical economies. The most extensive biological and biomolecular dietary overview, combining zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical, dietary stable isotope and pottery lipid residue analyses is presented, to unravel the nature and extent of early farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the northeast Baltic. Farming was introduced by incoming Corded Ware cultural groups (CWC), but some dietary segregation existed within these communities, with some having more access to domesticates, others incorporating more wild resources into their diet. The CWC groups coexisted in parallel with local hunter–fisher–gatherers (HFG) without any indication of the adoption of domesticates. There was no transition from foraging to farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the NE Baltic. Instead, we see a complex system of parallel worlds with local HFGs continuing forager lifeways, and incoming farmers practising mixed economies, with the continuation of these subsistence strategies for at least a millennium after the first encounter with domesticated animals.

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DO - 10.1098/rsos.230880

M3 - Article

SN - 2054-5703

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JF - Royal Society Open Science

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