Distinguishing Wild Boar from Domestic Pigs in Prehistory: A Review of Approaches and Recent Results

Rowley‐Conwy, Peter; Albarella, Umberto; Dobney, Keith

doi:10.1007/s10963-012-9055-0

Cited by 100 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 65 publications

(66 reference statements)

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“…The survivorship of juvenile Sus at KHH is also lower than at earlier PPNB sites [24,75,85]. Still, diverse potential pig management strategies [103] are known to cause significant demographic variability in domestic populations, leading to equifinality in Sus demographic profiles. Hunting is also expected to produce higher proportions of juveniles than in other progenitor taxa since more young Sus are naturally available due to high rates of fecundity [104].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Provisioning the Ritual Neolithic Site of Kfar HaHoresh, Israel at the Dawn of Animal Management

2016

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It is widely agreed that a pivotal shift from wild animal hunting to herd animal management, at least of goats, began in the southern Levant by the Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period (10,000–9,500 cal. BP) when evidence of ritual activities flourished in the region. As our knowledge of this critical change grows, sites that represent different functions and multiple time periods are needed to refine the timing, pace and character of changing human-animal relationships within the geographically variable southern Levant. In particular, we investigate how a ritual site was provisioned with animals at the time when herd management first began in the region. We utilize fauna from the 2010–2012 excavations at the mortuary site of Kfar HaHoresh—the longest continuous Pre-Pottery Neolithic B faunal sequence in the south Levantine Mediterranean Hills (Early–Late periods, 10,600–8,700 cal. BP). We investigate the trade-off between wild and domestic progenitor taxa and classic demographic indicators of management to detect changes in hunted animal selection and control over herd animal movement and reproduction. We find that ungulate selection at Kfar HaHoresh differs from neighboring sites, although changes in dietary breadth, herd demographics and body-size data fit the regional pattern of emerging management. Notably, wild ungulates including aurochs and gazelle are preferentially selected to provision Kfar HaHoresh in the PPNB, despite evidence that goat management was underway in the Mediterranean Hills. The preference for wild animals at this important site likely reflects their symbolic significance in ritual and mortuary practice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Provisioning the Ritual Neolithic Site of Kfar HaHoresh, Israel at the Dawn of Animal Management

2016

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“…Sus bones comprised on average ~30% of Ertebølle game assemblages151617. Traditional biometrical analyses of Ertebølle pig skeletal remains indicated that these animals were mainly large-bodied, and therefore were probably wild boar4151617.…”

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confidence: 99%

Use of domesticated pigs by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in northwestern Europe

Krause‐Kyora¹,

Makarewicz

Evin

et al. 2013

Nat Commun

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Mesolithic populations throughout Europe used diverse resource exploitation strategies that focused heavily on collecting and hunting wild prey. Between 5500 and 4200 cal BC, agriculturalists migrated into northwestern Europe bringing a suite of Neolithic technologies including domesticated animals. Here we investigate to what extent Mesolithic Ertebølle communities in northern Germany had access to domestic pigs, possibly through contact with neighbouring Neolithic agricultural groups. We employ a multidisciplinary approach, applying sequencing of ancient mitochondrial and nuclear DNA (coat colour-coding gene MC1R) as well as traditional and geometric morphometric (molar size and shape) analyses in Sus specimens from 17 Neolithic and Ertebølle sites. Our data from 63 ancient pig specimens show that Ertebølle hunter-gatherers acquired domestic pigs of varying size and coat colour that had both Near Eastern and European mitochondrial DNA ancestry. Our results also reveal that domestic pigs were present in the region ~500 years earlier than previously demonstrated.

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“…The lengths of pig lower M 3 s from Houjiazhai were measured according to the criteria of von den Driesch (). The reduction of lower M 3 size is considered as an important indicator of pig domestication, which is frequently used in wild/domestic determination (Evin et al, ; Rowley‐Conwy, Albarella, & Dobney, ; Albarella, Davis, Detry, & Rowley‐Conwy, ). However, overlaps between the ranges of M 3 lengths of wild boars and domestic pigs influenced by varying factors (geography, temperature, vegetation, foraging habitats, etc.)…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation into the strategy of pig husbandry combining zooarchaeological and stable isotopic approaches at Neolithic Houjiazhai, China

Dai

Kan

Zhang

2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Huai River, the third longest river in China, runs parallel with and between the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. It is the passageway for cultural communication between Northern and Southern China as well as an important distribution range of rice and millet mixed farming. Along the upper Huai River Valley, domestic pigs were discovered about 9,000 years ago at Jiahu. Nevertheless, chronological changes regarding strategies of pig utilization and husbandry in subsequent periods along the whole Huai River Valley are still ambiguous. Thus, this current study integrating zooarchaeological and stable isotopic approaches on faunal assemblage from Neolithic Houjiazhai(7,300–5,200 cal BP) along the middle Huai River Valley was performed to discuss related issues. Our results indicate that (1) hunting and fishing activities contributed almost equally to human meat sources as the domestic pig and (2) domestic pigs were most likely kept in a free‐range manner and foraged around human residences as their wild counterparts did. Dietary differences of ancient Sus populations among sites from the Central Plain area and the Huai River Valley were observed, which were closely linked to crop cultivation and abundance of wild animal resources. This stimulated us to consider the diversities in terms of pig husbandry strategy in ancient China.

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Distinguishing Wild Boar from Domestic Pigs in Prehistory: A Review of Approaches and Recent Results

Cited by 100 publications

References 65 publications

Provisioning the Ritual Neolithic Site of Kfar HaHoresh, Israel at the Dawn of Animal Management

Provisioning the Ritual Neolithic Site of Kfar HaHoresh, Israel at the Dawn of Animal Management

Use of domesticated pigs by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in northwestern Europe

An investigation into the strategy of pig husbandry combining zooarchaeological and stable isotopic approaches at Neolithic Houjiazhai, China

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