In July 2018, the Chinese Millet project was funded by the NSF-BCS program. This project is already started at Washington University and we will be conducting field work in China in 2019 to investigate the origins and spread of millet cultivation.
In this project, we consider 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 centre of origin in northern China and spreading to India and Europe in prehistory. We will apply a few approaches in this project, including archaeobotany, bulk isotope analyses of animal and plant remains compound-specific isotope analyses and radiocarbon studies. 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.
This project provides insight into not only the two specific crops but the communities who utilize them. We situate this project in a broader anthropological and archaeological context. Early discussions on East-West contacts have primarily focused on the inter-continental exchange of material goods. Much has been debated about the dispersal of metallurgical technologies as well as horse and horse management, among other material traditions across Eurasia. We 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 many material goods but pioneered the globalization process in the ancient world.
The project is entitled: ‘The Origins and Spread of Millet Cultivation’ with Xinyi Liu as the PI, Rachel Reid as the research associate, Michael Frachetti and Alex Bradley as Co-PIs.
Please check here: https://anthropology.wustl.edu/news/liu-and-colleagues-receive-nsf-funding-millet-research