The MILLET project aims to increase knowledge of millet cultivation and its historical significance, while exploring its implications for contemporary agricultural practices.
The ethnographic approach, carried out in Galicia and Asturias (Spain) and northern Portugal, aimed to document and preserve traditional cultivation practices. These efforts ensure that traditional knowledge, which might otherwise be lost, is captured and passed on to future generations. ‘The Lost Millets’ documentary not only preserves the methods of a dying world, but also provides valuable cultural insights, demonstrating their relevance and potential application in modern agriculture.
The project developed an experimental farming design that bridged historical and contemporary millet cultivation by replicating traditional practices and integrating them with ancient techniques. Information was gathered from traditional farmers, ethnographic sources, historical documents and archaeological evidence to understand past farming practices. By testing different sowing calendars and fertiliser treatments, we investigated how different practices affected millet yields and resilience. The experiments, carried out at four sites in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula, have provided insights into how millet cultivation can adapt to different environmental conditions.
By examining the ecological associations between crops and weeds, and identifying similarities and differences over time, we have drawn parallels between ancient and modern agricultural practices. This long-term perspective informs current farming techniques and enhances our understanding of agricultural evolution.
Experimental charring has allowed us to understand how different temperatures and atmospheres affect the preservation and morphology of millet grains. The study revealed that organic material transformations during charring produce substances that act as 'glue,' preserving grain aggregates and recognisable morphologies. These experiments were crucial in identifying the optimal charring conditions that preserve grain morphology in archaeological assemblages, but also in elucidating how isotopic values behave under different charring conditions.
Stable isotopes have been used to assess the response of millet to different agricultural practices in a temperate climate, giving us a framework for how it responds to different conditions of moisture (water stress) and nutrients (fertilisation), but also to establish reference intervals for isotopic comparisons between ancient and modern millet crops. The comprehensive isotopic analysis design enhances our ability to reconstruct past agricultural practices and dietary patterns, contributing to a deeper understanding of historical land use.
