Estonian archaeologists have reached this conclusion after studying ancient bones, teeth and pottery fragments.

Mari Tõrv of the University of Tartu and her colleagues analyzed previously collected archaeological material from Northern Estonia, from sites such as Iru hill fort and the stone-cist graves of Jõelähtme, dating from 1250 to 500 BCE.

The authors divided Bronze Age populations in Estonia into three chronological, spatial and social groups: earlier small-scale farmers, later small-scale farmers and residents of fortified settlements.

Fortified settlements — and therefore their inhabitants — appeared only in the later period, after 800 BCE.

The researchers examined the archaeological material using modern high-level techniques at the molecular and isotope level.

Writing in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, they say that plants made up the majority of food in all groups, most likely primarily grains such as wheat and barley.

Bronze Age people probably ate fewer vegetables, though the available data does not clearly reveal their share in the diet.

"Bronze Age people appear to have been quite fond of porridge," Mari Tõrv noted on Vikerraadio's science program "Labor."

The meat of terrestrial animals — most likely mainly domesticated animals — and other animal products accounted for about a quarter of dietary calories in the earlier period and about a third later on. This was perhaps the main, though relatively small, change over the period studied.

After 800 BCE, small-scale farmers began eating slightly more meat and fish than before, in roughly similar amounts to their neighbors in fortified settlements.

Lipid analysis also shows that milk or dairy products were consumed in Bronze Age Estonia. This is supported by other studies indicating that Bronze Age people already had lactose tolerance in their genes.

Computer modeling also helped researchers determine the proportions of different food groups.

"Without the model, we would interpret the high protein consumption as evidence of heavy meat and fish consumption, but the model shows that nearly three-quarters of the Bronze Age diet actually consisted of plants," Tõrv said.

The study's findings therefore suggest that, at least when it came to food and drink, social stratification in Bronze Age Estonia was barely reflected at all.

Residents of fortified settlements were likely wealthier and more influential than small-scale farmers living in open landscapes, but the menu was fairly similar for both.

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