Abstract

One of the main debated questions in the study of the history of human subsistence strategies concerns the cultivation of cereals. The domestication of Millet in Asia is well-known (7,000 BC in China); however its diffusion throughout Europe is poorly understood. At the crossroads of Europe, Middle East and Central Asia, the Caucasus area is a key region to precisely explore this question. Dr Herrscher will talk about the breadth of human dietary choices from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in the Southern Caucasus. Based on data from 25 archeological sites located through Georgian territory, she will show how stable isotope analysis and archaeobotanical study agree to indicate the presence of wild C4 plants in the surrounding environment since the Early Bronze Age, while they suggest a heavy consumption of millet crop by animals and humans during the Late Bronze Age.