Author, as appears in the article.: Sierra, Alejandro; Balasse, Marie; Rivals, Florent; Fiorillo, Denis; Utrilla, Pilar; Sana, Maria;
Department: Història i Història de l'Art
URV's Author/s: Rivals, Florent Joseph Louis
Keywords: Stable carbon and oxygen isotopes Sheep Seasonality Reproduction Past herds Ovis-aries Morphological distinctions Microwear Mandibular teeth Isotope ratios Iberian peninsula Goats Feeding Enamel bioapatite Early neolithic Diet Dental microwear Birth
Abstract: Sheep predominate the Early Neolithic faunal assemblages in the Iberian Peninsula. Their exploitation for meat and milk production made them key to the economy of these early farming societies. Management of sheep breeding season and feeding in the context of the local environment were decisive in obtaining these livestock products. This work focuses on these aspects through stable isotope and dental microwear analyses on sheep teeth from the cave of Chaves (Huesca, Spain). The results show the existence of "out of season" (autumn/early winter) sheep births in the Early Neolithic, contrasting significantly with spring lambing prevailing in Neolithic husbandries elsewhere in Europe and confirming the antiquity of a western Mediterranean characteristic in this regard. Furthermore, little changes in sheep diet throughout the year have been documented, as far as could be evidenced from stable carbon isotope ratios and dental microwear. Only two individuals showed higher variability in diet on a seasonal scale with possible contribution of C-4 plants, possibly from grazing in the valley steppes at lower altitudes. Overall the results suggest good adaptation of sheep to the Pyrenean mid-altitude environment and strong zootechnical knowledge of the earliest shepherds in this area.
Thematic Areas: Science and technology studies History Geociências Ciencias sociales Ciencias humanas Archeology (arts and humanities) Archeology Archaeology
licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
Author's mail: florent.rivals@urv.cat
Author identifier: 0000-0001-8074-9254
Record's date: 2024-07-27
Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
Link to the original source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X21001474
Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
Papper original source: Journal Of Archaeological Science: Reports. 37
APA: Sierra, Alejandro; Balasse, Marie; Rivals, Florent; Fiorillo, Denis; Utrilla, Pilar; Sana, Maria; (2021). Sheep husbandry in the early Neolithic of the Pyrenees: New data on feeding and reproduction in the cave of Chaves. Journal Of Archaeological Science: Reports, 37(), -. DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.102935
Article's DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.102935
Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Journal publication year: 2021
Publication Type: Journal Publications
Repositori URV