The Origins And Spread Of Millet Cultivation

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Dr. Xinyi Liu, of Washington University in St. Louis, along with colleagues in US, China, UK and India, will undertake research to study the origins and spread of millet cultivation. This project considers two of the ecologically hardiest of cereal crops: broomcorn (Panicum miliaceum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica). Today, these two minor cereals are consumed less frequently, thereby attracting little scientific attention, however they were once among the most expansive food crops in geographical terms, with a center of origin in northern China and spreading to India and Europe in prehistory. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we seek answers to two questions: (1) when did millet first become a staple food for human consumption? and (2) when and how did millet cultivation expand from its place of origin in north China to Central and South Asia? The ecological merits of the two millets under investigation make them particularly important in the context of food security in modern systems in their capacity to grow in marginal areas. Understanding the history of these two drought hardy species can also raise awareness of their capacity for future utility.In order to test hypotheses about the consumption and spread of millet, Dr Liu and the research team will undertake three types of analyses: (1) bulk carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of archaeological animal bone collagen and plant materials; (2) compound specific carbon isotope analyses of archaeological human and animal bone collagen; and (3) direct radiocarbon measurements of archaeological millet grains from across Central and South Asia. These data are built on significant improvements in sample preparation and methodological refinements in the recent decade. In taking a multidisciplinary approach, this project provides insight into not only the two specific crops, but the communities who utilize them. Why were these crops chosen as primary targets of food production? Why are communities situated in a recurrent landscape (foothills / edges of the mountains) seemingly always interested in these plants? Why do people seemingly consume a lot of crops but not a lot of meat? Early discussions on East-West contacts have primarily focused on the inter-continental exchange of material goods. This project will however shift the focus to emphasize the role played by the primary agents of agricultural production, the ordinary farming communities themselves, who do not always own much material goods, but pioneered the globalization process in the ancient world.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.