3,500-year-old cemetery near Tiszafüred, Hungary sheds light on life at the dawn of the Late Bronze Age

A 3,500-year-old cemetery near Tiszafüred has revealed remarkable insights into how life changed as the Late Bronze Age began.

Research led by scientists from Eötvös Loránd University and the University of Bologna centred on the Bronze Age cemetery at Tiszafüred-Majoroshalom, which was in use during both the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. This allowed researchers to compare lifestyles before and after the transition between these two periods.

Changing diets

Isotope analysis showed that people in the Middle Bronze Age had varied diets, but not everyone had equal access to food. Social status played a role in who could eat more meat and animal-based proteins. Members of the elite likely consumed significantly more meat and dairy products than ordinary people.

However, these differences appeared to fade over time. Communities belonging to the Tumulus Culture (after 1,500 BCE) followed a more uniform and simpler diet. Animal products became less common, and meals more monotonous. This suggests broader changes, not just in diet, but in the structure of society itself.

People began living in simpler villages that left behind fewer traces, and it seems there were either fewer elites or they were less distinct within the community. According to researchers, this points to a less hierarchical society where power was more distributed rather than concentrated.

What dental plaque revealed about their diet

In addition to analysing bones, researchers also examined microscopic remains preserved in dental plaque. These findings showed that people consumed ground grains, such as millet flour, and in some cases, traces of cow’s milk were also detected. One of the most intriguing discoveries of the study concerned the introduction of millet. This small but nutrient-rich and fast-growing grain was ideal for feeding larger communities.

According to the researchers, this site has yielded the earliest known evidence in Europe of millet being intentionally cultivated and regularly consumed.

Millet consumption spread around the beginning of the Late Bronze Age, around 1,500 BCE, coinciding with shifts in local lifestyles. People abandoned hilltop villages that were typical of earlier times and moved to more dispersed settlements. This transition also brought dietary changes. While millet allowed for feeding larger populations more efficiently, it also led to a less diverse diet, possibly linked to broader social transformations.

Communities became less biologically diverse

Chemical analysis of the skeletal remains also offered clues about where the buried individuals had come from. In the Middle Bronze Age, many people came from outside the area, such as the Northern Carpathians or the Upper Tisza region. These communities mixed and formed more open societies.

In later periods, fewer newcomers settled the area. Those who did often arrived from different regions, such as Transdanubia or the Southern Carpathians. Local communities became increasingly closed off and appear to have maintained fewer connections with distant regions.

Leaving the hilltops

Researchers also noted changes not only in diet and origin but in the people’s dwellings. During the Middle Bronze Age, settlements were often built on hilltops, known as tell settlements. A tell (Hebrew for “mound”) is an archaeological term for a raised settlement mound, often the site of ancient towns. These were well-fortified, central villages reflecting tight-knit communal life.

In later times, these settlements were abandoned in favour of simpler, scattered villages. As a result, community structures became looser, which was reflected not just in housing arrangements but also in diet and daily life.

The cemetery uncovered at Tiszafüred-Majoroshalom demonstrated how Bronze Age people adapted to change: they began eating new foods, changed how they lived together, and gradually let go of old customs. The research highlights that history is not only the story of battles and kings, but also of ordinary people who, just like us, tried to make their way in the world.

To read or share this article in Hungarian, click here: Helló Magyar

Read also:

• Did you know Queen Sisi had a tattoo? Or that she spoke Hungarian in secret?
• Explaining the Treaty of Trianon to non-Hungarians