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)

Abstract

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.

Early Dalmatian farmers specialized in sheep husbandry

“…Mortality profiles have shown a very similar exploitation of sheep for Tinj and Crno Vrilo, with meat and milk being the main products exploited. Finally, the data on sheep reproduction show that most of the births of sheep in both sites were concentrated at the beginning of winter, which contrasts with the data from the western Mediterranean for the Early Neolithic 21 , 22 , 68 , 69 .…”

“…A main lambing period in early winter is different from what has been documented up to now in Neolithic Europe: in temperate Europe the dominant pattern is late winter/spring births 24 , 37 . Early winter births are documented in the Early and Middle Neolithic in the northwestern Mediterranean 21 , 22 , 68 , 69 but in association with autumn lambing. Autumn lambing in the northwestern Mediterranean is explained by a capacity of Mediterranean breed for out-of-season breeding (an extended fertility period or less intense sexual rest) 70 , 71 and manipulation by the herders who separate females and males and reintroduce males only in the spring to obtain autumn births.…”

Early husbandry practices in highland areas during the Neolithic: the case of Coro Trasito cave (Huesca, Spain)

“…Considering that each domesticate exhibits distinct requirements and behaviors, a combination of planning and control mechanisms becomes essential to ensure the wellbeing and reproduction of the herds. Although more works address this problem in the Iberian Peninsula (Navarrete et al, 2017(Navarrete et al, , 2019Tornero et al, 2018;Sierra et al, 2019;Martin et al, 2021;Navarrete et al, Accepted;Tejedor-Rodríguez et al, 2021), there is still a gap in information on animal management strategies during the Neolithic in mountain areas, and the characterization of grazing areas, foraging strategies, and the relation of the herds with the environmental characteristics of the area, the type of site and the use of the settlement. The combined use of archaeozoological and stable isotope analysis can provide us with the keys to the study of pastoral management strategies (Madgwick et al, 2012;Balasse et al, 2016;Navarrete et al, 2017, Accepted).…”

Long-Term Camelid Husbandry and Agricultural Intensification in the Southern Nasca Region, Peru: Insight from Faunal Isotopes

“…Over the last 40 years, archaeologists have increasingly analyzed stable isotopes to gain insight into ancient agricultural practices (Araus et al 1999;Barton et al 2009;Buikstra and Milner 1991;Hu et al 2006) and animal husbandry (Balasse et al 2003;Ma et al 2021;Makarewicz and Tuross 2006;Martín et al 2021;Melton et al 2023). Indeed, several of the foundational isotopic studies in archaeology used carbon and nitrogen to discriminate signatures associated with early agricultural, pastoral, and huntergatherer diets (e.g., Ambrose and DeNiro 1986;Schoeninger and DeNiro 1984).…”