The place of millet in food globalization during Late Prehistory as evidenced by new bioarchaeological data from the Caucasus

Abstract Two millets, Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica , were domesticated in northern China, around 6000 BC. Although its oldest evidence is Asia, possible independent domestication of these species the Caucasus has often been proposed. To verify this hypothesis, a multiproxy research program (Orimil) was designed to detect first millet region. It included critical review occurrence archaeological Caucasus, up Antiquity; isotopic analyses human animal bones charred grains; radiocarbon dating grains from contexts dated Early Bronze Age (3500–2500 BC) 1 st Century The results show that two cereals cultivated during Middle (MBA), 2000–1800 BC, especially which most ancient found Georgia. Isotopic also significant enrichment 13 C tissues, indicating an increasing 4 plants consumption at same period. More broadly, our assert not present Neolithic Its arrival region, based on existing data Eurasia, south, without excluding local .