Isotopic and microbotanical insights into Iron Age agricultural reliance in the Central African rainforest.

The emergence of agriculture in Central Africa has previously been associated with the migration of Bantu-speaking populations during an anthropogenic or climate-driven 'opening' of the rainforest. However, such models are based on assumptions of environmental requirements of key crops (e.g. Pennisetum glaucum) and direct insights into human dietary reliance remain absent. Here, we utilise stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O) of human and animal remains and charred food remains, as well as plant microparticles from dental calculus, to assess the importance of incoming crops in the Congo Basin. Our data, spanning the early Iron Age to recent history, reveals variation in the adoption of cereals, with a persistent focus on forest and freshwater resources in some areas. These data provide new dietary evidence and document the longevity of mosaic subsistence strategies in the region. Bleasdale et al. examine the introduction of agricultural crops in the Congo Basin with stable isotope analysis of human and animal remains, charred food remains, and plant microparticles from dental calculus. Their findings reveal variation in the adoption of cereals from the early Iron Age, and provide long-term insights into changing human reliance on different resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]