Earliest evidence of millet and tubers consumption in the Horn of Africa

What is it about?

The Horn of Africa has long been considered a potential area of plant domestication. We present the results of analysis of plant microfossils from two archaeological sites in Tigray, Ethiopia, i.e. Mezber and Ona Adi. Our data indicates that these agropastoral communities developed complex food systems which incorporated domesticated and wild plants since mid-2nd millennium b.C. This mixed subsistence strategies were in place for over 2,000 years, showing remarkable resilience.

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Photo by Second Breakfast on Unsplash

Photo by Second Breakfast on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This work represents the first systematic microbotanical study of the studied region. Our results support the existence of complex food systems during the Pre-Aksumite and Aksumite period in Tigray, pointing to a non-linear transition from gathering to food production that has parallels in the wider region of northeastern Africa. These discoveries, in combination with the latest developments from other regions in the African continent show the necessity to reconsider the phenomenon of domestication, building different narratives for each region based on evidence provided by multi-proxy approaches.