Pràctiques ramaderes al nord-est de la Tarraconense durant la Tardoantiguitat (segles IV-VIII): aproximació arqueozoològica a l'explotació i l'alimentació del bestiar.

Identifier:  TDX:3843

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX3843

Authors:  Gallego Valle, Abel

Abstract:
The aim of this PhD dissertation – entitled “Animal husbandry in the north-east of Tarraconensis during Late Antiquity (IV-VIII centuries CE): an archaeozoological approach to the exploitation and feeding management of the herd” – is to contribute to a better understanding of the animal husbandry systems that were put into practice during the Late Antiquity period (4th – 8th c. CE) in the North-East of the ancient province of Tarraconensis. During this period, the region under study witnessed major changes at political, social and economic level. Within these major changes that influenced the society of the time is livestock, essential activity for the community development. The archaeozoological analysis carried out on Late Antiquity faunal remains from six archaeological sites from Tarraconensis– and their subsequent comparison with the few available previous case studies completed for this period of history – sheds some light onto livestock practices during this historical period, a field of study where today there is still some obscurity. Furthermore, with the application of the dental microwear analysis on ovicaprine molar remains from the analysed faunal assemblages – and the creation of the first dental microwear reference collection for domestic sheep, designed for and carried out with the objective of studying the feeding management systems exercised by past agropastoral societies – it can be proposed possible strategies used to feed the ovicaprine herds, taking into account current paleoenvironmental data. The present research reveals the practice of livestock strategies principally pointed towards the exploitation of ovicaprine herds above swine and bovines, a trend which is increased with the end of the villae model from the Roman tradition. In addition, the dental microwear data uncovered the generalised use of stored fodder for the diet of sheep and goats.