Sheepfold caves under study: A review of zooarchaeological approaches to old and new-fashioned research questions

Identifier:  imarina:9366235

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9366235

Authors:  Martin, Patricia; Tornero, Carlos

Abstract:
Since the implementation of herding in the Neolithic period, specialized areas for livestock activities have emerged in the Western Mediterranean region, such as some caves and shelters, which were systematically used for the stabling of herds. By definition, this type of sites has a great potential for the study of the beginning of livestock practices and offer high-resolution information on the exploitation and management of herds. Different disciplines analyze these activities through the analysis of faunal, archaeobotanical or sedimentological remains from these sites. In this paper, we offer a state of the art on the contribution to the study of early husbandry practices of zooarchaeological studies of faunal assemblages from sheepfold caves.