Manuring practices in the first millennium AD in southern Sweden inferred from isotopic analysis of crop remains
Larsson, Mikael LU ; Bergman, Jakob LU
and Lagerås, Per
(2019)
In PLoS ONE
14(4).
- Abstract
- This study uses crop stable nitrogen isotope analysis of charred grain to explore manuring practices in arable production at the affluent regional center Uppåkra and a set of smaller surrounding sites, dating to the first millennium AD in southern Sweden. The isotopic analysis focuses on hulled barley, the principle crop in the Scandinavian Iron Age, and the minor crops: bread wheat, emmer wheat, rye and oat, are included to compare manuring practices in cultivation of other crop species during this period. A field experiment was first conducted to establish relationships between manuring and δ15N values in modern grain from known growing conditions. The data formed an interpretive framework to reconstruct past agricultural practices and... (More)
- This study uses crop stable nitrogen isotope analysis of charred grain to explore manuring practices in arable production at the affluent regional center Uppåkra and a set of smaller surrounding sites, dating to the first millennium AD in southern Sweden. The isotopic analysis focuses on hulled barley, the principle crop in the Scandinavian Iron Age, and the minor crops: bread wheat, emmer wheat, rye and oat, are included to compare manuring practices in cultivation of other crop species during this period. A field experiment was first conducted to establish relationships between manuring and δ15N values in modern grain from known growing conditions. The data formed an interpretive framework to reconstruct past agricultural practices and manuring intensity in the archaeological study area. Our results from the ancient grains have demonstrated that barley from the early phase in the study area (AD 0–200) varies widely in its δ15N values, reflecting mixed manuring regimes. In the following periods (AD 200–1000), isotopic values are relatively high overall, indicating systematic input of manure. In this paper, we explore whether the isotopic data that indicates sustained and high manuring levels could reflect the wealth of Uppåkra and its surrounding areas by showing prosperity also in its agricultural production, since intensive manuring would have required more resource and labor investments. The new crop nitrogen isotopic data shed light on the agricultural practices of a long-lived Iron Age center and its surrounding areas. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/a530260c-6802-4d55-9e49-897c649f0ae9
- author
- Larsson, Mikael
LU
; Bergman, Jakob
LU
and Lagerås, Per
- organization
- publishing date
- 2019-04-18
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- PLoS ONE
- volume
- 14
- issue
- 4
- article number
- e0215578
- pages
- 24 pages
- publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85064486620
- pmid:30998760
- ISSN
- 1932-6203
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0215578
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- a530260c-6802-4d55-9e49-897c649f0ae9
- date added to LUP
- 2019-04-25 10:12:20
- date last changed
- 2022-04-25 22:51:18
@article{a530260c-6802-4d55-9e49-897c649f0ae9,
abstract = {{This study uses crop stable nitrogen isotope analysis of charred grain to explore manuring practices in arable production at the affluent regional center Uppåkra and a set of smaller surrounding sites, dating to the first millennium AD in southern Sweden. The isotopic analysis focuses on hulled barley, the principle crop in the Scandinavian Iron Age, and the minor crops: bread wheat, emmer wheat, rye and oat, are included to compare manuring practices in cultivation of other crop species during this period. A field experiment was first conducted to establish relationships between manuring and δ15N values in modern grain from known growing conditions. The data formed an interpretive framework to reconstruct past agricultural practices and manuring intensity in the archaeological study area. Our results from the ancient grains have demonstrated that barley from the early phase in the study area (AD 0–200) varies widely in its δ15N values, reflecting mixed manuring regimes. In the following periods (AD 200–1000), isotopic values are relatively high overall, indicating systematic input of manure. In this paper, we explore whether the isotopic data that indicates sustained and high manuring levels could reflect the wealth of Uppåkra and its surrounding areas by showing prosperity also in its agricultural production, since intensive manuring would have required more resource and labor investments. The new crop nitrogen isotopic data shed light on the agricultural practices of a long-lived Iron Age center and its surrounding areas.}},
author = {{Larsson, Mikael and Bergman, Jakob and Lagerås, Per}},
issn = {{1932-6203}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{04}},
number = {{4}},
publisher = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
series = {{PLoS ONE}},
title = {{Manuring practices in the first millennium AD in southern Sweden inferred from isotopic analysis of crop remains}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215578}},
doi = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0215578}},
volume = {{14}},
year = {{2019}},
}