A study of 500-year-old Ottoman tax records suggests Greek and Albanian villages in southern Greece grew more alike in their farming decisions as expanding trade and mounting tax demands made local resources more important than inherited traditions.
In the northwestern Peloponnese, the communities had followed different agricultural practices. Greek farmers traditionally combined grain with vineyards and other tree crops. Albanian settlers, who arrived after warfare and plague reduced the population, relied mainly on wheat and livestock.
Researchers examined Ottoman tax registers from 1460-63, 1514-15 and 1583-84. The documents recorded village households, agricultural taxes, and production. Comparing those records with local geography, the team traced changing influences on vineyard cultivation across more than a century.
In the 1460s, vineyard taxes were concentrated largely in Greek villages. Albanian communities began cultivating vines by the 1510s. By the 1580s, “the previously sharp ethnic divide has largely dissolved,” the researchers wrote.
How Greek and Albanian villages changed their farming practices
The study, published in Nature Communications, found that ethnicity was initially a strong predictor of vineyard farming. In the statistical models, Greek identity was associated with a vineyard tax share about 21 percentage points higher in the 1460s, after accounting for other factors. That gap fell to roughly seven points in the 1510s and three in the 1580s.
Researchers linked the shift to a period of greater political stability, population growth, and stronger trading connections across the Mediterranean. Farmers also faced pressure to earn cash to meet taxes. A 20% reduction in the poll tax for Albanian settlers ended in the 1510s.
Vineyards offered one way to respond. Unlike grain, which was taxed in produce, vineyard products were taxed mainly in cash. Growing vines also required investment, years of patience, and specialized knowledge, making village wealth and the suitability of nearby land increasingly important in deciding what to plant.
Similar choices did not mean identical harvests
The findings do not mean every village produced more wine. The overall share of vineyards declined slightly as grain remained necessary to feed a growing population. What changed was how farmers chose to use their land.
By the 1580s, Greek and Albanian villages were making farming decisions that reflected their resources and surroundings more than separate traditions. That shift did not erase Albanian identity, which persisted for centuries.
Researchers found little evidence that climate explained the pattern. They cautioned that statistical links cannot prove causes and that tax records only indirectly reflect farming practices. Later registers lacked ethnic labels, so researchers also checked villagers’ names.
The study suggests that stability, rising demand, and tax pressure encouraged farmers to change long-standing practices within a few generations.
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