An isotopic perspective on the socio-economic significance of livestock in Bronze Age West-Frisia, the Netherlands (2000–800 BCE)

Brusgaard, Nathalie; Fokkens, H.; Kootker, L.M.

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.101944

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Despite its demonstrated potential, however, stable isotope analysis has been used very sparingly in Dutch zooarchaeological studies with only a recent increase in its application [e.g. 54 – 56 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hunting before herding: A zooarchaeological and stable isotopic study of suids (Sus sp.) at Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands (5450–4250 cal BC)

et al. 2022

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Suids (Sus sp.) played a crucial role in the transition to farming in northern Europe and, like in many regions, in the Netherlands pig husbandry became an important subsistence activity at Neolithic sites. Yet little is known about wild boar palaeoecology and hunting in the Late Mesolithic Netherlands with which to contextualize this transition. This paper presents the first multi-proxy analysis of archaeological suid remains in the Netherlands. It explores human-suid interactions at the Swifterbant culture sites of Hardinxveld-Giessendam Polderweg and De Bruin (5450–4250 BC) through biometric analysis, estimation of age-at-death, and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. The results reveal targeted hunting of adult wild boar in the Late Mesolithic (5450–4850 BC), with a possible shift over time towards more juveniles. The wild boar in this period are demonstrated to be of comparably large size to contemporary northern European populations and exhibiting a wide range of dietary regimes. In the final occupational period (4450–4250 BC), small suids are present, possibly domestic pigs, but there is no evidence of pig management. This study demonstrates that the nature of human-suid interactions varied over time, which may have been connected to changing environmental conditions, human mobility, and wild boar behaviour. This study also contributes the first biometric and dietary baseline for mid-Holocene wild boar in the Netherlands.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hunting before herding: A zooarchaeological and stable isotopic study of suids (Sus sp.) at Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands (5450–4250 cal BC)

et al. 2022

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“…While aDNA data can reveal long time-scale demographic developments and mobility, strontium isotopes ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) allow us to trace movement on an individual basis and short time scale of both humans and animals (Bentley 2006;Ericson 1985;Montgomery 2010). The data enable us to discuss various kinds of mobility patterns, networks and population dynamics (Brusgaard et al 2019;Frei et al 2015;Frei et al 2019a;Gron et al 2016;Knipper 2011;Montgomery and Evans 2006;Sjögren et al 2009). The strontium (Sr) isotope ratios in humans mirror the isotope composition of bioavailable Sr in the area where people resided, assuming that they consumed locally procured water and food.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobility patterns in inland southwestern Sweden during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age

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Sjögren

Knipper

et al. 2021

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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In this paper, we investigate population dynamics in the Scandinavian Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in southwestern Sweden. Human mobility patterns in Falbygden were studied by applying strontium isotope analysis combined with archaeological and bioarchaeological data, including mtDNA and sex assessment on a large dataset encompassing 141 individuals from 21 megalithic graves. In combination with other archaeological and anthropological records, we investigated the temporal and spatial scale of individual movement, mobility patterns of specific categories of people and possible social drivers behind them. Our results of strontium and biomolecular analyses suggest that mobility increased in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age compared to the earlier parts of the Neolithic. The data indicate individuals moving both into and away from Falbygden. Mobility patterns and contact networks also shift over time.

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“…Recentring coupled human-beaver prehistories aligns with current attempts in archaeology to develop more inclusive accounts of the past (Hill, 2021;Hussain, 2023b;Kay and Haughton, 2019;Pilaar, 2017) and to explore the varying contributions of nonhuman animals to human pursuits and projects (e.g. Armstrong Oma and Goldhahn, 2020;Brusgaard et al, 2019;Harris and Cipolla, 2017;Hill, 2013;Hussain, 2019;Løvschal, 2022;Mannermaa, 2013;Marciniak, 2020;Oma Armstrong, 2018;Overton, 2016;Russell, 2012;Sykes, 2015). Just as animal historians have proposed to employ a dedicated 'animal lens' (Specht, 2016) to disclose new perspectives, insights and understandings of the past, multispecies archaeologists are now beginning to draw attention to the often-underestimated involvement of animal others in the making of prehistory (Fredengren, 2021;Hamilakis and Overton, 2013;Kost and Hussain, 2019;Pilaar, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Human-beaver cohabitation in the Early and Mid-Holocene of Northern Europe: Re-visiting Mesolithic material culture and ecology through a multispecies lens

Hussain,

Brusgaard

2023

The Holocene

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The Eurasian beaver ( Castor fiber) was an important member of Early and Mid-Holocene landscapes and animal communities in Northern Europe. Previous zooarchaeological research has established the alimentary roles of beavers for Mesolithic societies and their importance for fur procurement. In this paper, we develop an integrated biocultural approach to human-beaver interactions, examining the position of humans and beavers in Mesolithic and Early Neolithic multispecies systems. We contextualize beaver landscape agency in hydroactive environments with human behaviour, synthesizing currently available data on mammalian assemblages, ichtyofauna and beaver-related material culture across Northern Europe. This cross-cultural, diachronic analysis reveals previously overlooked facilitations of human behaviour by beaver practices and ecological legacies. We show that long-term trajectories of human-beaver cohabitation differed between northern European regions. While in Southern Scandinavia, human-beaver intersections witnessed major re-organizations during the Mid-Holocene, beavers retained a key role for human societies across Northeastern Europe throughout much of the Holocene and played an important part at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the Dutch wetlands. Divergent pathways are also evidenced by Mesolithic beaver-related material culture, highlighting the cultural keystone status of Castor fiber in higher latitude European landscapes. We argue that this keystone status is grounded in the supply of human hunting, fishing, and gathering affordances by the animals, pointing to the generative commensality between Mesolithic foragers and their beaver neighbours. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the importance of the beaver in the making of Early and Mid-Holocene forager societies in Northern Europe and illustrate the fruitfulness of deploying an integrated multispecies approach.

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An isotopic perspective on the socio-economic significance of livestock in Bronze Age West-Frisia, the Netherlands (2000–800 BCE)

Cited by 6 publications

References 53 publications

Hunting before herding: A zooarchaeological and stable isotopic study of suids (Sus sp.) at Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands (5450–4250 cal BC)

Hunting before herding: A zooarchaeological and stable isotopic study of suids (Sus sp.) at Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands (5450–4250 cal BC)

Mobility patterns in inland southwestern Sweden during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age

Human-beaver cohabitation in the Early and Mid-Holocene of Northern Europe: Re-visiting Mesolithic material culture and ecology through a multispecies lens

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An isotopic perspective on the socio-economic significance of livestock in Bronze Age West-Frisia, the Netherlands (2000–800 BCE)

Cited by 6 publications

References 53 publications

Hunting before herding: A zooarchaeological and stable isotopic study of suids (Sus sp.) at Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands (5450–4250 cal BC)

Hunting before herding: A zooarchaeological and stable isotopic study of suids (Sus sp.) at Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands (5450–4250 cal BC)

Mobility patterns in inland southwestern Sweden during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age

Human-beaver cohabitation in the Early and Mid-Holocene of Northern Europe: Re-visiting Mesolithic material culture and ecology through a multispecies lens

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An isotopic perspective on the socio-economic significance of livestock in Bronze Age West-Frisia, the Netherlands (2000–800 BCE)