Early Europeans were vegetarians, only used cattle for their manure
Deciphered: Europe’s earliest cities relied on fertiliser and plant proteinDeciphered: Europe’s earliest cities relied on fertiliser and plant protein
Study by the Collaborative Research Center 1266 at Kiel University reveals sophisticated food and pasture management in Neolithic mega-sites
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KIEL, Germany — Being a vegetarian was in vogue thousands of years ago in Europe. Researchers from Kiel University in Germany are revealing that settlers in European cities 6,000 years ago were mainly vegetarians, despite keeping plenty of livestock around. It turns out those animals had one primary job — fertilize crops.
Located in what is now Moldova and Ukraine, these mega-sites of ancient Trypillia societies were once the world’s largest settlements, housing up to 15,000 people. Researchers believe these Trypillia societies were Europe’s earliest urban settlements.
The study reveals peas as a surprisingly significant source of protein in early agriculture. The Trypillia farmers, dating back almost 7,000 years, relied heavily on a diet of grains and peas, minimizing their meat consumption.
To understand how these large populations sustained themselves, Kiel University researchers analyzed carbon and nitrogen isotopes from hundreds of samples, including human and animal bones and charred peas and cereal grains. These analyses shed light on livestock management, crop fertilization practices, and the dietary habits of the inhabitants. The findings suggest a predominantly vegetarian diet, with peas and grains as staple foods.
“We concluded that a large proportion of the cattle and sheep were kept on fenced pastures. Moreover, the manure of the animals produced there was used by people to intensively fertilize the peas in particular,” says Schlütz.