Understanding the early adaptation of agriculture in Europe
The lake region of northern Greece and the southern Balkans is a picturesque place and an emerging tourist destination. It’s also home to one of the earliest farming regions of Neolithic Europe. This history, together with the area’s mountainous topography, varied climate and diverse vegetation, makes it an ideal laboratory in which initiatives such as the EU-funded EXPLO(opens in new window) project can study the nature and adaptation of early farming across a range of European settings. “Understanding the early adaptation of agriculture in Europe, along with the wider diversity of resources incorporated by early farmers, offers many lessons for sustainable farming today and in the future – both here in Europe and beyond,” explains Albert Hafner, a researcher at the University of Bern’s Institute of Archaeological Sciences(opens in new window).
Using dendrochronology to date prehistoric settlements
The project, which received support from the European Research Council(opens in new window), aimed to establish the chronology, ecology and land-use practices of those ancient communities who brought Neolithic farming to the upland lake basins. It also looked to explore the connection between the environmental conditions of the time, particularly climate change, and the introduction of farming in Europe. To achieve these goals, the project turned to dendrochronology. Dendrochronology is a scientific technique that uses the characteristic patterns of annual growth rings in tree trunks to date historic events, environmental change and archaeological artefacts. “This was the first time this technique was used to date prehistoric settlements in Europe outside the Alpine zone,” notes Hafner.
Increasing the precision of archaeological site dating
Using dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating, and by leveraging the synergistic skill set of its multidisciplinary team, the project delivered several important findings. “An outstanding achievement was the absolute dating of the Greek Neolithic site of Dispilio using a solar outburst from 5259 BCE,” says Kostas Kotsakis, a researcher at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki(opens in new window). This work increased the precision of archaeological site dating in the region from broad ranges of 500–1 000 years to resolutions on the scale of decades. “In the future, this framework of using typological comparisons of finds from dendrochronologically dated contexts will enable a significantly improved chronology of prehistoric sites across southeastern Europe,” adds Kotsakis.
Adapting farming practices to local needs
Another key outcome was the establishment of a palaeoecological footprint of the earliest farmers and the environmental context of the first farming activities during a period of climate change. Bioarchaeology also revealed the diversity of land use by early farmers, showing how they combined foraging and fishing with cultivation and herding. “It was a dramatically connected world of small communities who embraced local challenges to adapt new farming practices imported from the western Asia steppe, when the climate oscillated markedly 8 600-6 000 years ago,” says Willy Tinner from the University of Bern(opens in new window).
Bridging borders via collaborative research
While the EXPLO project succeeded at providing new insights on the establishment of Europe’s earliest farming societies, perhaps its biggest legacy is the bringing together of early-career researchers from Albania, Greece, North Macedonia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. “Not only did our project link researchers from these countries, we also equipped them with new skills that they can apply to future research collaborations,” concludes Amy Bogaard from the University of Oxford(opens in new window).