Late Neolithic barley cultivation practices at pile-dwelling sites in Slovenia

Journal article

Today, the area of Ljubljansko barje is used as farmland, but in the past it was covered by peat, and before that by a lake. During that time, the area was settled by pile-dwelling communities (ca. 4700– 2700 BCE). Archaeobotanical crop finds and crop processing by-products point to a well-established farming society. While the pile-dwelling settlements in Ljubljansko barje are well known and have been extensively researched, the agricultural practices associated with these sites in Slovenia have received almost no research attention. We address these research gaps by carrying out stable carbon (δ 13C) and nitrogen (δ 15N) isotope analyses of barley (Hordeum vulgare) grains from two 4th - millennium BCE pile-dwelling sites. The mean δ 15N values of charred barley grains were ca. 3 ‰ higher than the range for unmanaged vegetation, estimated from the δ 15N values of bone collagen of wild herbivores. This indicates cultivation of barley in soils enriched in 15N, possibly due to moderate application of manure/midden material. While barley grain δ13C values differed between sites, potentially due to different environmental settings of the cultivated plots, the similarity in barley grain δ 15N values through time points to consistency in agricultural practice throughout the sites’ occupations. Our study presents the first stable isotope analysis of plant remains from Slovenia, and the findings provide the first step toward understanding husbandry practices among early farmers in Ljubljansko barje.

Authors: Skrt Kristan, T; Küzmič, F; Tolar, T; Styring, A

• Publication status: Accepted
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer
• Journal: Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
• Acceptance date: 2026-04-14
• EISSN: 1617-6278
• ISSN: 0939-6314
• Language: English
• Keywords: stable isotopes; manuring; Ljubljansko barje; delta15N values; delta13C values; Hordeum vulgare