Early farming in Scotland was a less smelly affair than elsewhere, as new research shows they did not need to use manure to fertilise their fields.
Analysis of grains recovered from one of Scotland’s oldest farming sites, the 6,000-year-old Neolithic site at Balbridie, in Aberdeenshire reveals they were grown in fields not fertilised with manure. This is different from most early farming sites in England, Wales, and mainland Europe, which showed signs of intensive manuring. The implementation of variable manuring strategies highlights the adaptability of these early farmers.
The team’s research, published in the journal Antiquity, reveals that prehistoric farmers at Balbridie did not use manure to fertilise their fields. Nevertheless, the land was still very productive. “The stable isotope analysis revealed very low nitrogen levels showing that the crops were not grown on manured soils,” said lead author Dr Rosie Bishop, from the University of Stavanger in Norway, adding “the large size and number of the grains recovered suggest that during this first phase of farming, the soils were productive without the need for manuring.”
Dr Bishop and the team also analysed grain from later Neolithic farms on Orkney. At the sites of Skara Brae and the Braes of Ha’Breck, dating from c. 3300-2500 BC, the team found that the farmers there were using manure, suggesting manuring eventually became the norm in Scotland.
The team hopes such research could also help us in the present: “The potential of stable isotope analysis of cereals for recognising past sustainable (and unsustainable) land use elsewhere across the globe may provide lessons for managing future human impacts on the environment,” said Dr Bishop.
Find out more:
Read the article in Antiquity
Learn more about the work of Dr Rosie Bishop
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