Feeding the city: a comparative study of agricultural production in Bronze Age systems of Western Asia

Bronze Age urban societies in Western Asia relied on low-input, low variance farming systems that exhibited significant agricultural variation to sustain their populations. A comparative study of Hattusha in Central Anatolia and Tell Brak in north-eastern Syria revealed distinct crop management strategies tailored to environmental conditions. At Hattusha, cereals were grown under multiple regimes, suggesting resource pooling from diverse rural areas, while at Tell Brak, different cultivars were likely cultivated in specific landscape zones to maximize yields in marginal environments. The research, based on archaeobotanical analysis of stored charred macro-remains and stable isotope analysis, demonstrates that agriculture was a dynamic system adapted to social and environmental challenges, playing a crucial role in supporting urban populations.

Diffey, C. (2018). Feeding the city: a comparative study of agricultural production in Bronze Age systems of Western Asia [University of Oxford]. https://doi.org/10.5287/ORA-6G9QPDRJE