The transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age (around 1500 BCE) in the Carpathian
Basin was parallel by drastic cultural changes in Central-Europe, which strongly influenced
the dynamic of prehistoric Europe. The cultural fragmentation of the Middle Bronze
Age (2000 − 1500 BCE) Carpathian Basin was followed by a more homogeneous development
at the beginning of the Late Bronze Age (1500 − 1300 BCE), with the appearance of
the Tumulus culture. In the beginning of this period, the long-used tell-settlements
were abandoned, furthermore new pottery styles and metal types appeared. Whether these
changes were caused by immigration, or a local adaptation to external influxes, has
long been a matter of debate. Our study investigates this transition from the point
of view of diet and mobility from several key-sites of Hungary. Our results show (1)
low migration rates and a shift of migration trajectories; that (2) the beginning
of the systematic consumption of Panicum miliaceum was from 1540 − 1480 BCE; that
(3) the decrease of average animal protein intake was parallel by an increase of cereal
consumption and a tendency to less unequal diet. Overall, our results shed new light
on the dynamics of complex change in Bronze Age Europe.
