Author, as appears in the article.: Martín, P; Messana, C; Di Simone, G; Allué, E; Expósito, I; Ollé, A; Vergès, JM; Forgia, V
Department: Història i Història de l'Art
URV's Author/s: Allue Marti, Ethel Ann / Martin Serrano, Pere Manel / Messana, Chiara / Ollé Cañellas, Andreu / Vergès Bosch, Josep Maria
Keywords: Zooarchaeology Sicilian uplands Morphological distinctions Middle neolithic Madonie massif Early bronze age sicilian uplands sheep remains percussion marks ovis middle neolithic mandibular teeth madonie massif hominid goats early bronze age cattle bones
Abstract: Starting in the mid-6th millennium cal BCE, Neolithic groups occupied the midlands of Sicily. The economy of these groups was based primarily on livestock farming. Archaeological and archaeobotanical data indicate an intensification of livestock practices during the Early Bronze Age, leading to a change in the landscape in the form of more open forests. The Vallone Inferno rockshelter in the Madonie massif is one of the few sites that has been systematically excavated in these midlands, and has yielded evidence of Middle Neolithic and Early Bronze Age occupations. This work focuses on the study of prehistoric husbandry in the Sicilian midlands and highlands through the analysis of the Vallone Inferno faunal remains. Although the Middle Neolithic and Early Bronze Age faunal assemblages of Vallone Inferno are mixed, the paucity of information from other sites in this area makes their study worthwhile. The faunal remains were analysed by means of a zooarchaeological and taphonomic study. Prehistoric Sicilian shepherds adapted to the conditions and resources of the Madonie massif midlands and highlands through husbandry and hunting practices. Husbandry was based on raising sheep and goats for meat and milk and exploiting their derivatives. Cattle, pigs and hunted animals were also exploited for their meat. The hunting of deer, leporids and, most probably, wild boar for meat and skins complemented livestock farming. Although mortality profiles should be interpreted with caution, the rockshelter was probably occupied seasonally as a sheepfold during the breeding months and most likely served as an intermediate settlement between herd movements across the Madonie massif. These occupations coincide with a period in which the forests were opened up in the Madonie mountains, which is related to the practice of livestock farming.
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: josepmaria.verges@urv.cat andreu.olle@urv.cat ethelann.allue@urv.cat chiara.messana@estudiants.urv.cat peremanel.martin@urv.cat peremanel.martin@urv.cat
Author identifier: 0000-0002-8643-5536
Record's date: 2024-08-03
Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
Papper original source: Journal Of Archaeological Science: Reports. 48
APA: Martín, P; Messana, C; Di Simone, G; Allué, E; Expósito, I; Ollé, A; Vergès, JM; Forgia, V (2023). Animal husbandry in Sicilian prehistory: The zooarchaeological perspective from Vallone Inferno (Scillato, Palermo). Journal Of Archaeological Science: Reports, 48(), -. DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103813
Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Journal publication year: 2023
Publication Type: Journal Publications
Repositori URV