Foodways of “The Wall People”: unraveling medieval subsistence at the long-wall system in Mongolia through pottery residue analysis

This research presents the first comprehensive analysis of medieval pottery (10th–13th centuries CE) from Mongolia, focusing on ceramics unearthed from the Medieval Border Systems. Lipid residue and archaeobotanical analyses revealed the presence of domesticated plants, particularly various types of millets, suggesting that millet was an important dietary component alongside domesticated animals and wild resources through collection, hunting, and fishing. Miliacin, a biomarker specific to broomcorn millet ( Panicum miliaceum ), was identified in approximately 80% of the analyzed vessels. In addition, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed the use of foxtail millet for the preparation of food in pottery vessels. Isotope analysis of extracted palmitic and stearic acids is consistent with lipid residues derived primarily from C 3 -based resources, with C 4 -enriched signals interpreted as millet consumption and ruminant foddering practices. These findings demonstrate substantial millet use on the steppe, though the limited archaeobotanical evidence for on-site processing leaves the question of local cultivation versus external supply unresolved. The data reported here are significant not only for understanding dietary, culinary, and subsistence practices at Mongolian medieval frontier sites but also for contributing to a baseline for the study of the medieval diet and economy across the sparsely populated Mongolian steppe. By integrating multi-proxy evidence from lipid residue analysis and high-resolution microscopy of carbonized foodcrusts as well as stable isotope, archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data, this study offers valuable insights into the foodways and economic foundations of these frontier communities while addressing the gap in our understanding of medieval border management in Mongolia.