Reconstruction of human subsistence and husbandry strategies from the Iberian Early Neolithic: A stable isotope approach

Villalba-Mouco, Vanessa; Utrilla, Pilar; Laborda, Rafael; Lorenzo, José Ignacio; Martínez-Labarga, Cristina; Salazar‐García, Domingo C.

doi:10.1002/ajpa.23622

Cited by 23 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…One of individuals was in a complete anatomical articulation. A human isotopic dietary study shows a high animal protein intake consumed by all individuals [61]. This was related to the existence of a specialized animal husbandry management community in which agriculture was not intensively developed.…”

Section: Archaeological Sites and Sample Description Troisième Caverne Of Goyet (Upper Paleolithic)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Survival of Late Pleistocene Hunter-Gatherer Ancestry in the Iberian Peninsula

et al. 2019

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Section: Archaeological Sites and Sample Description Troisième Caverne Of Goyet (Upper Paleolithic)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was related to the existence of a specialized animal husbandry management community in which agriculture was not intensively developed. We included four Neolithic individuals for genetic analyses in this study: CHA001, adult (6, [61].…”

Section: Archaeological Sites and Sample Description Troisième Caverne Of Goyet (Upper Paleolithic)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Survival of Late Pleistocene Hunter-Gatherer Ancestry in the Iberian Peninsula

et al. 2019

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“…In addition, the painted pebbles or with traces of ochre Baldellou, 2007, 2001) and a burial in a pit, dated to 5308-5057 cal BC (Utrilla et al, 2008), stand out. The diet of buried humans shows a high animal protein intake by all individuals (Villalba- Mouco et al, 2018). Finally, the faunal assemblage, with over 12,000 identified remains (Castaños, 2004) is one of the most important for the Early Neolithic in the Iberian Peninsula.…”

Section: Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Sheep husbandry in the early Neolithic of the Pyrenees: New data on feeding and reproduction in the cave of Chaves

Sierra

Balasse

Rivals

et al. 2021

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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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.

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“…We now know that the early evidence for the Neolithic in inland Iberia can be dated to the second half of the 6th millennium BCE (e.g. Baldellou Martínez 2011;Fernández-Eraso and Mujika-Alustiza 2013;García-Martínez de Lagrán 2014;Fernández-Eraso et al 2015;Villalba-Mouco et al 2018). Most of these inland sites are located around the Ebro valley, which suggests that this river was one of the main routes of communication and diffusion of the new economic system from the coast towards the inland (Arias 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early sheep herd management in the inland of the Iberian Peninsula: results of the incremental isotopic analyses of dental remains from El Mirador cave (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

Martín

Tornero

García

et al. 2021

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The beginning of husbandry in the Iberian Peninsula has been documented from the second half of the 6th millennium BCE and was based on the breeding of domestic caprines, mainly sheep. The first evidence of these practices comes from the Mediterranean region, but they quickly expanded inland. Previous studies have reported on the importance of the El Mirador sheepfold cave (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain) for understanding the process of the adoption of a farming economy in this inland region. In this study, we focus on husbandry and sheep management occurring in the 6th and 5th millennium cal BCE occupations of El Mirador cave by means of sequential oxygen (δ 18 O) and carbon (δ 13 C) isotope analyses in sheep molar tooth enamel. The results show a rapid adaptation and adoption of domestic sheep in the inland of the Iberian Peninsula. In El Mirador cave, well-organised sheep breeding was developed based on the concentration of births at the end of winter and early spring, for a period of~2.64 months, which made husbandry more compatible with other economic activities. In 5th millennium levels, autumn births were also documented and may be indicative of the intervention of the shepherd in the reproductive cycle of the sheep and of a progressive adaptation of these animals to the interior of the Peninsula. All these strategies may have been supported by the recurrent occupations of the sheepfold, flocks grazing in the areas surrounding the cave and the possible use of leaf fodder in winter.

show abstract

Reconstruction of human subsistence and husbandry strategies from the Iberian Early Neolithic: A stable isotope approach

Cited by 23 publications

References 78 publications

Survival of Late Pleistocene Hunter-Gatherer Ancestry in the Iberian Peninsula

Survival of Late Pleistocene Hunter-Gatherer Ancestry in the Iberian Peninsula

Sheep husbandry in the early Neolithic of the Pyrenees: New data on feeding and reproduction in the cave of Chaves

Early sheep herd management in the inland of the Iberian Peninsula: results of the incremental isotopic analyses of dental remains from El Mirador cave (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

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