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Were prehistoric cereal fields in western Norway manured? Evidence from stable isotope values (δ15N) of charred modern and fossil cereals

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Abstract

Charred cereal grains from archaeological contexts in western Norway were selected for stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. Single grain analysis was used on 76 grains from 16 sites covering the Late Neolithic (2300–1800 bce) to the Middle Ages (1030–1537 ce). The cereals from archaeological contexts (postholes and agricultural layers in soil profiles) indicate increasing δ15N values with time. In the Late Neolithic–Early Bronze Age δ15N values for Hordeum vulgare var. nudum range from 1.2 to 8.9‰, and in the Early Iron Age the values range from 0.7 to 13.6‰. The values of Hordeum vulgare var. vulgare range from 4.3 to 6.1‰ in the Pre-Roman Iron Age to 3.3–8.7‰ in the Middle Ages. The δ15N values of fossil cereals were compared to modern cereals grown in test-plots in western and north-western Norway. The results from the modern cereals show a clear difference between cereals grown in low level and high-level manured fields. Hordeum vulgare var. nudum dated to the Late Neolithic, show δ15N values mostly falling within the range of modern day ecologically grown cereals with a low-level manuring regime. Cereals from later time-periods show higher δ15N values equivalent to modern day moderate- to high-level manuring regimes. Our results indicate manuring and possible use of marine resources and the existence of permanent fields from the Late Bronze Age (1200 bce) onwards.

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Acknowledgements

Beate Helle is thanked for aid with illustrations and Cathy Jenks for linguistic corrections. Stable isotope analyses were done at the Norwegian National Infrastructure project FARLAB (Facility for advanced isotopic research and monitoring of weather, climate, and biogeochemical cycling, Project No. 245907) at the University of Bergen, Norway. The authors thank Frode Grønmyr at Landbruk Nordvest and Marit Adelsten Jensen at Havrå for collecting the modern cereals and supplying information about manuring regimes. Two anonymous reviewers are thanked for their input on a previous version of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Natural History, University Museum, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7800, 5020, Bergen, Norway

    Lene Synnøve Halvorsen & Kari Loe Hjelle

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020, Bergen, Norway

    Lene Synnøve Halvorsen

  3. Department of Geosciences, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020, Bergen, Norway

    Pål Tore Mørkved

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Halvorsen, L.S., Mørkved, P.T. & Hjelle, K.L. Were prehistoric cereal fields in western Norway manured? Evidence from stable isotope values (δ15N) of charred modern and fossil cereals. Veget Hist Archaeobot 32, 583–596 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-023-00923-3

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