Wild, domestic and feral? Investigating the status of suids in the Romanian Gumelniţa (5th mil. cal BC) with biogeochemistry and geometric morphometrics

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

“…The first one is based on a free‐range management where pigs feed on their own and most of the diet comes from plants (Madgwick et al, ), resulting in an herbivorous isotopic signal. The other one is the household management one, where pigs feed on leftovers and human debris and therefore commonly show a mixed isotopic signature resulting from combining the different types of foods consumed by humans in each case (Balasse et al ; Madgwick et al, ; Müldner and Richards, ; Privat, O'connell, & Richards, ; Richards, Fuller, & Molleson, ). Some authors consider that both suid husbandry management models can occur simultaneously in what is called a "household model" with mixed diets only depending on the size of livestock (Navarrete et al, ).…”

“…Furthermore, Cueva de Chaves is one of the biggest pig husbandry communities in the Iberian Early Neolithic according to the number of pig remains recovered ( n = 1217) (Castaños, ), followed by La Draga ( n = 1048) (Saña, ), and shows mostly an infant and juvenile specimen slaughtering pattern as at La Draga (Saña, ). This kind of husbandry management is more usual in a household model (Halstead and Isaakidou, ), where number of pigs is limited by pig size, which is bigger as a result of feeding them with animal fat and protein in order to slaughter them earlier (Balasse et al, ).…”

“…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, ).…”

Diversity in pig husbandry from the Classical-Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods: An integrated dental analysis of Düzen Tepe and Sagalassos assemblages (Turkey)

“…Relatively newly developed methods, and their combined use (Balasse et al 2016;Mainland et al 2015), allow a better understanding of the past diversity of pig husbandry. Such new methods include dental microwear (Clavel and Sicard 2007;Ward and Mainland 1999;Wilkie et al 2007), linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) analysis (Clavel and Sicard 2007;Dobney and Ervynck 2000;Wang et al 2012;Teegen 2013), stable isotope analysis (e.g.…”

“…So far, a limited number of sites have been subject to a combination of several of these approaches (e.g. Levroux Les Arènes - Duval et al 2015;Frémondeau 2012; medieval sites in Flanders (Belgium) - Ervynck et al 2007; or Romanian Gumelniţa sites - Balasse et al 2016).…”