The range of plants cultivated in these periods is known thanks to the long tradition of archaeobotanical research. The processes and techniques behind agriculture and plant-based diet are however, still not well understood. The arrival and spread of new crops, the cultivation, preparation and storage techniques of the various crops, the food processing techniques and the degree of distribution of agricultural products in the Bronze Age are largely unknown.
The main research question of the dissertation project is therefore: How did agricultural strategies and plant-based diets change in a key area of European Bronze Age societies between the 23rd and 8th centuries BC?
The project focuses on the Upper and Middle Danube area, a complex transport and communication corridor connecting the northern Alpine foothills with the Carpathian Basin, through which fundamental innovations and technologies were frequently communicated, transformed and adapted.
Numerous new archaeobotanical data sets from different settlement types will be analysed in combination with existing Bronze Age data sets from the research area. The aim of the project is to explain the processes of agriculture and plant-based diet as well as their changes and thus create a basis for a better understanding of the agrarian societies of these regions.
