The shifting of buffer crop repertoires in pre-industrial north-eastern Europe
Abstract This study explores how major climatic shifts, together with socioeconomic factors over the past two millennia, influenced buffer crop selection, focusing on five crops: rye, millet, buckwheat, oat, and hemp. For this study, we analyzed archaeobotanical data from 135 archaeological contexts...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87792-0 |
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| author | Meiirzhan Abdrakhmanov Michael Kempf Ruta Karaliute Piotr Guzowski Rimvydas Lauzikas Margaux L. C. Depaermentier Radosław Poniat Giedre Motuzaite Matuzeviciute |
| author_facet | Meiirzhan Abdrakhmanov Michael Kempf Ruta Karaliute Piotr Guzowski Rimvydas Lauzikas Margaux L. C. Depaermentier Radosław Poniat Giedre Motuzaite Matuzeviciute |
| author_sort | Meiirzhan Abdrakhmanov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This study explores how major climatic shifts, together with socioeconomic factors over the past two millennia, influenced buffer crop selection, focusing on five crops: rye, millet, buckwheat, oat, and hemp. For this study, we analyzed archaeobotanical data from 135 archaeological contexts and historical data from 242 manor inventories across the northeastern Baltic region, spanning the period from 100 to 1800 AD. Our findings revealed that rye remained a main staple crop throughout the studied periods reflecting environmental adaptation to northern latitudes. The drought-tolerant and thermophilic millet crop exhibited resilience during the adverse dry climatic conditions of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly while showing a significant decline during the Little Ice Age. During the period of post-1500 AD, a significant shift towards cold-resilient summer crops such as buckwheat and hemp is recorded. This study enhances our understanding of how historical agricultural systems responded to both socioeconomic factors and climatic change in northern latitudes, offering notable potential solutions for modern agricultural practices in the face of future climate variability trends. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dd46e0b91a5c42fe8cb92f7e09f72698 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-dd46e0b91a5c42fe8cb92f7e09f726982025-02-02T12:22:20ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-87792-0The shifting of buffer crop repertoires in pre-industrial north-eastern EuropeMeiirzhan Abdrakhmanov0Michael Kempf1Ruta Karaliute2Piotr Guzowski3Rimvydas Lauzikas4Margaux L. C. Depaermentier5Radosław Poniat6Giedre Motuzaite Matuzeviciute7Department of Archaeology, Faculty of History, Vilnius UniversityQuaternary Geology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of BaselLithuanian Institute of HistoryDepartment of Archaeology, Faculty of History, Vilnius UniversityFaculty of Communication, Vilnius UniversityDepartment of Archaeology, Faculty of History, Vilnius UniversityFaculty of History, University of BialystokDepartment of Archaeology, Faculty of History, Vilnius UniversityAbstract This study explores how major climatic shifts, together with socioeconomic factors over the past two millennia, influenced buffer crop selection, focusing on five crops: rye, millet, buckwheat, oat, and hemp. For this study, we analyzed archaeobotanical data from 135 archaeological contexts and historical data from 242 manor inventories across the northeastern Baltic region, spanning the period from 100 to 1800 AD. Our findings revealed that rye remained a main staple crop throughout the studied periods reflecting environmental adaptation to northern latitudes. The drought-tolerant and thermophilic millet crop exhibited resilience during the adverse dry climatic conditions of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly while showing a significant decline during the Little Ice Age. During the period of post-1500 AD, a significant shift towards cold-resilient summer crops such as buckwheat and hemp is recorded. This study enhances our understanding of how historical agricultural systems responded to both socioeconomic factors and climatic change in northern latitudes, offering notable potential solutions for modern agricultural practices in the face of future climate variability trends.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87792-0ArchaeobotanyClimate changeBuffer cropsLittle ice ageNorthern latitudesDocumentary sources |
| spellingShingle | Meiirzhan Abdrakhmanov Michael Kempf Ruta Karaliute Piotr Guzowski Rimvydas Lauzikas Margaux L. C. Depaermentier Radosław Poniat Giedre Motuzaite Matuzeviciute The shifting of buffer crop repertoires in pre-industrial north-eastern Europe Scientific Reports Archaeobotany Climate change Buffer crops Little ice age Northern latitudes Documentary sources |
| title | The shifting of buffer crop repertoires in pre-industrial north-eastern Europe |
| title_full | The shifting of buffer crop repertoires in pre-industrial north-eastern Europe |
| title_fullStr | The shifting of buffer crop repertoires in pre-industrial north-eastern Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | The shifting of buffer crop repertoires in pre-industrial north-eastern Europe |
| title_short | The shifting of buffer crop repertoires in pre-industrial north-eastern Europe |
| title_sort | shifting of buffer crop repertoires in pre industrial north eastern europe |
| topic | Archaeobotany Climate change Buffer crops Little ice age Northern latitudes Documentary sources |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87792-0 |
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