Size changes in wild and domestic pig populations between 10,000 and 800 cal. BC in the Iberian Peninsula: Evaluation of natural versus social impacts in animal populations during the first domestication stages

Abstract

In the early-Holocene, animal domestication processes entailed important changes to the subsistence strategies of Neolithic populations. Among the first domestic species, pigs played a key role as they soon came to be one of the main sources of meat. Several methodological approaches have been followed in archaeology to differentiate between wild and domestic forms in the faunal remains found at early Neolithic sites. Among these, biometry is essential. The biometric analysis applied to a significant sample of Sus domesticus and Sus scrofa remains from 53 sites in the Iberian Peninsula dated between 10,000 and 800 cal. BC reveals differential dynamics between the wild and domestic forms resulting from changes in the climate during that time and the increasingly systematic selective pressure of husbandry. Whereas the wild animals increased in size, the inverse tendency is documented in the domestic population, which gradually decreased in size after the early Neolithic. The point of greatest divergence is seen in the Bronze Age. Significant differences are also documented in different geographic areas, which corroborates the influence of climate on the physical characteristics of wild populations. The range of variability in each population also differs chronologically as it is relatively greater in the Neolithic, which may be connected with the existence of different ways of adopting and breeding domestic pig among the first Neolithic communities, some of which may have involved continuous cross-breeding between the two populations. The results are an initial point of reference for the classification of archaeological remains of prehistoric pig in the Iberian Peninsula, a key area for the study of the dynamics of neolithisation.

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

“…Although the presence of crops in La Draga is clear (Antolín, ; Antolín and Buxó, ;), the increase in δ 15 N values is quite low to propose an intensive manuring effect (Bogaard et al, ). However, the other Early Neolithic site, Cova de Frare, presents no isotopic differences between wild and domestic herbivores (Navarrete et al, ), likewise as observed at Cueva de Chaves.…”

“…Isotopic tests between wild and domestic herbivores have been carried out in order to test differences in husbandry management practices in other contemporary Iberian sites such as La Draga or Cova de Frare (Navarrete et al, ). At the first site, the domestic fauna showed higher δ 13 C and δ 15 N values (Navarrete et al, ). These slight isotopic differences could suggest different feeding strategies, such us using agricultural crops as one of the potential fodders for domestic species.…”

“…and Felis silvestris are considered as carnivores because of the lack of evidence to define them as either domestic or wild. We have followed Castaños () for determination of domestic or wild Sus specimens, but ruled out subadult specimens, which are impossible to distinguish between domestic and wild, as well as large‐sized pig remains following Navarrete and Saña ().…”

“…Stable isotope analysis of Early Neolithic remains has proved useful to establish the socio‐economic impact of farming (e.g., Arias, ; Lillie and Richards, ; Lubell, Jackes, Schwarcz, Knyf, & Meiklejohn, ; Schulting, ). This quantitative dietary approach has been useful in establishing subsistence patterns of the first farmers, as well as shedding light on animal and plant management practises at the time (e.g., Balasse et al, ; Navarrete et al, ).…”

“…In addition, δ 15 N values can be used to establish the trophic level a specific organism holds in the food chain of its environment, with an overall agreed estimated increase of 3‐5‰ per trophic step (Bocherens and Drucker, ). Using the same principles, it is also possible to detect domestic species‐specific feeding (Navarrete et al, ) and manuring practises due to high δ 15 N values (Bogaard, Heaton, Poulton, & Merbach, ; Bogaard et al, ). Analyzing the values of fauna and humans together can offer more information about aspects of the ecology of the first anthropic ecosystems during the onset of the Neolithic.…”