Bronze Age farmers adapted to climate changes by cultivating grapes as a strategic crop.

In times of instability, Bronze Age farmers preferred to grow grapes, even if it required more complex cultivation methods.

In times of instability, Bronze Age farmers preferred to cultivate grapes, even if it required more complex cultivation methods. This is evidenced by a new study, reported by zn.ua with reference to PopularScience. In the work of an international group of scientists published in the journal PLOS One, over 1,500 samples of charred wood and seeds of olive (Olea europaea) and grape (Vitis vinifera) found at archaeological sites from the early Bronze Age, around 3500 B.C., to the Iron Age, around 1200 B.C., were analyzed. Measurements of stable carbon isotopes allowed for the estimation of moisture availability during plant growth. The results showed that in the early Bronze Age, water deficits corresponded to natural seasonal changes. However, in subsequent eras, climate variability increased, and periods of stress for crops coincided with known phases of climatic fluctuations. The presence of vineyards and olive trees in arid regions indicated the widespread use of special ...