A new international study has uncovered major lifestyle shifts in Central Europe during the Bronze Age, revealing that communities around 1500 BC experienced a sharp decline in diet quality, mobility, and social structure.

The findings originate from the excavation of a cemetery in Tiszafüred-Majoroshalom, Hungary. Utilized during both the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, the site provided researchers with a rare opportunity to compare how life changed over time.

The study, led by Tamás Hajdu of Eötvös Loránd University and Claudio Cavazzuti of the University of Bologna, was published in Scientific Reports.

Researchers analyzed burial remains to examine how people lived, ate, and moved during the two distinct periods. Their goal was to determine whether the rise of the Tumulus culture marked the arrival of new populations or reflected cultural shifts among existing groups.

Diet worsened, and inequality declined

One of the key discoveries centered on changes in food consumption. During the Middle Bronze Age, diets were varied, and access to meat differed by individual, reflecting social inequality.

By the Late Bronze Age, those differences had faded. People consumed more similar diets, but the overall quality declined. Researchers found less evidence of meat consumption and a greater reliance on less nutritious plant sources.

The appearance of broomcorn millet during this period also marked a shift. Carbon isotope analysis showed that the fast-growing, high-energy grain became part of the local diet during the Late Bronze Age. This represents the earliest known evidence of millet consumption in Europe.

Population movement slowed

Chemical analysis of teeth and bones revealed changes in mobility patterns. Middle Bronze Age Tiszafüred was home to both residents and migrants from nearby regions, like the Upper Tisza and northern Carpathians.

Around 1500 BCE, Europeans strangely abandoned fortified settlements, began building burial mounds, and started eating millet instead of meat.

An international team of researchers has investigated the strange, radical transformations that took place in the diet, mobility, and… pic.twitter.com/keOP8GOJ12

— Brian Roemmele (@BrianRoemmele) June 6, 2025

That pattern changed in the Late Bronze Age. Fewer migrants were identified, and those who did arrive came from farther away, possibly from Transdanubia or the Southern Carpathians. Radiocarbon dating indicates that this west-to-east migration began around 1500 BC, aligning with the emergence of the Tumulus culture.

Communities became scattered and less structured

At the same time, long-used settlements were abandoned. People began living in smaller, less centralized communities. Researchers believe this shift reflected a breakdown in established social systems and a move toward more flexible, loosely organized ways of life.

The findings also challenge earlier assumptions that the Tumulus culture heavily relied on raising animals. Microscopic remains from dental plaque, along with further bone analysis, showed a significant decline in animal protein consumption during the Late Bronze Age.

The study highlights the value of integrating traditional archaeology with modern scientific methods. According to the authors, only by using both can experts fully understand the social and economic transformations that shaped life in Bronze Age Europe.