Animals and inequality in Chalcolithic central Anatolia

Arbuckle, Benjamin S.

doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2012.01.008

Cited by 33 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Understanding how new political and economic models affected indigenous cultures and societies is one of the major challenges in archaeology, mainly tackled through changes in material cultures [ 1 ]. Using the animal remains from archaeological sites as a proxy of cultural changes is an alternative approach; which considers that animal husbandry and consumption are both highly culturally driven [ 2 ] and central within complex social environments, where their value is both economic and social [ 3 , 4 ]. Such an approach relies on the demographic and morphological changes in domestic animals [ 5 , 6 ], and it has proven to be highly efficient in documenting their role in the social complexification in Middle Chalcolithic Anatolia [ 3 ] and during the Romanization of Britain [ 7 ], Gaul [ 8 ] and Iberia [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Complexification and Pig (Sus scrofa) Husbandry in Ancient China: A Combined Geometric Morphometric and Isotopic Approach

et al. 2016

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Pigs have played a major role in the economic, social and symbolic systems of China since the Early Neolithic more than 8,000 years ago. However, the interaction between the history of pig domestication and transformations in Chinese society since then, have not been fully explored. In this paper, we investigated the co-evolution from the earliest farming communities through to the new political and economic models of state-like societies, up to the Chinese Empire, using 5,000 years of archaeological records from the Xiawanggang (XWG) and Xinzhai (XZ) sites (Henan Province). To trace the changes of pig populations against husbandry practices, we combined the geometric morphometric analysis of dental traits with a study of the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from bone collagen. The domestication process intensified during the Neolithic Yangshao, prompted by greater selective pressure and/or better herd control against wild introgression. After that, pig farming, in XWG, relied on local livestock and a gradual change of husbandry practices overtime. This was characterized by a gentle increase in millet foddering and animal protein intake, until a complete change over to household management during the Han dynasty. The only rupture in this steady trend of husbandry occurred during the Longshan period, with the appearance of small sized and idiosyncratic pigs with specific feeding practices (relying on millet and household scraps). From three exploratory hypothesis, we explored the possibility of anti-elite pig production in XWG during the Longshan period, as a means to resist incorporation into a new economic model promoting intensified domestic production. This exploratory hypothesis is the most suitable to our dataset; however, numerous areas need to be explored further in order to adequately document the role of pigs in the rise of China’s complex societies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Complexification and Pig (Sus scrofa) Husbandry in Ancient China: A Combined Geometric Morphometric and Isotopic Approach

et al. 2016

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“…In other world regions such as the Near East, zooarchaeological data has proven useful for examining processes of urbanization and centralized control of animal resources, especially secondary animal products such as wool (e.g. Zeder & ; Arbuckle & ). As more sites in China are analysed, we will be able to make better assessments about the control of animal products in emerging urban centers and more accurately construct broader narratives about changing patterns in domestic animal management.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sheep, Cattle, and Specialization: New Zooarchaeological Perspectives on the Taosi Longshan

Brunson

Dai

2015

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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In this paper, we present a zooarchaeological analysis of the Longshan period sites of Taosi and Zhoujiazhuang (ca. 2300–1900 cal. BC) in southern Shanxi Province, China. We compare the faunal record at both sites in terms of the proportions of wild and domestic taxa; the slaughter patterns for the main domesticates; the types of bones used to produce utilitarian and decorative bone artifacts; and the types of bones used for ritual oracle bone divination. Differences in the faunal records at Taosi and Zhoujiazhuang provide insights into the connections between specialization and early urbanism. Our research also provides clues about how sheep and cattle pastoralism was initially adopted in the Yellow River Valley during the late 3rd millennium BC. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…Chicha production is coeval with the formation of communities in the Middle Formative associated with civic architecture, suggesting that economic changes sparked the development of more rigid social boundaries and perhaps the reorganization of labor. Benjamin Arbuckle's () analysis similarly exemplifies the important role that subsistence goods can play in economic change. His research on Chalcolithic central Anatolian societies illustrates how changes in herding practices and consumption of sheep and goats were linked to the emergence of new sociopolitical environments.…”

Section: The Role Of the Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropological Archaeology in 2012: Mobility, Economy, and Transformation

Kahn

2013

American Anthropologist

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In 2012, archaeologists continued to grapple with large questions concerning process and structure and how they shaped the nature of humanity. The movement of populations, ideas, and material culture stands out prominently, including mobility's role in promoting social change and how forms of travel and communication, such as pilgrimages or long-distance trade, promoted social interaction. Research concerning the structure of ancient economies acknowledges the amazing diversity within which prehistoric communities organized food production and material goods manufacture and exchange. Social complexity as transformation illustrates how local histories

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Animals and inequality in Chalcolithic central Anatolia

Cited by 33 publications

References 42 publications

Social Complexification and Pig (Sus scrofa) Husbandry in Ancient China: A Combined Geometric Morphometric and Isotopic Approach

Social Complexification and Pig (Sus scrofa) Husbandry in Ancient China: A Combined Geometric Morphometric and Isotopic Approach

Sheep, Cattle, and Specialization: New Zooarchaeological Perspectives on the Taosi Longshan

Anthropological Archaeology in 2012: Mobility, Economy, and Transformation

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