Shipping amphorae and shipping sheep? Livestock mobility in the north-east Iberian peninsula during the Iron Age based on strontium isotopic analyses of sheep and goat tooth enamel

Abstract

Animal mobility is a common strategy to overcome scarcity of food and the related over-grazing of pastures. It is also essential to reduce the inbreeding rate of animal populations, which is known to have a negative impact on fertility and productivity. The present paper shows the geographic range of sheep provisioning in different phases of occupation at the Iron Age site of Turó de la Font de la Canya (7th to 3rd centuries BC). Strontium isotope ratios from 34 archaeological sheep and goat enamel, two archaeological bones and 14 modern tree leaves are presented. The isotopic results suggest that sheep and goats consumed at the site were reared locally (within a few kilometres radius) during the whole period of occupation. The paper discusses the isotopic results in light of the socio-political structure of this period, as complex, strongly territorial societies developed during the Iron Age in the north-east Iberian Peninsula.

Equid use and provision during the Early Iron Age in Can Roqueta (NE Iberian Peninsula). Zooarchaeological study and first strontium isotope result (87Sr/86Sr)

“…These values are in close agreement with those recorded in other samples of Pleistocene and Miocene sediments from other places (e.g. Evans et al, 2007;Scheeres et al, 2013;Valenzuela-Lamas et al, 2018;Voerkelius et al, 2010).…”

“…Conversely, three individuals (CRV09-294, CRV05-79 (2) and CRV05-103) present higher strontium values (0.7111-0.7126). Based on the local bioavailable strontium sampling as well as on other values drawn from the literature (Scheeres et al, 2013;Valenzuela-Lamas et al, 2018;Voerkelius et al, 2010), these strontium ratios correspond with those detected in relation to Triassic sediments. Within a 200-km radius of the site, Triassic sediments are present in the nearby Collserola mountain as well as in the Montseny, Albera-Serra de Rodes, and the Montagne Noire in France (Fig.…”

“…Three enamel samples -CR6, CRV09-285 (1) and CRII-223 (nd)are consistent with the local strontium signature, whereas the other three (CRV09-294, CRV05-79 (2), CRV05-103) probably originate from another location. The only study mapping the bioavailable strontium in the central Catalan area (Valenzuela-Lamas et al, 2018) has registered values higher than 0.71101 on Middle Upper Palaeozoic sediments and Mesozoic metamorphic rocks, which occur about 15 km from the site, in both the Littoral mountain range and the pre-Littoral mountain range, which marks the limit of the Vallès-Penedès valley in which Can Roqueta lies.…”

Livestock production, politics and trade: A glimpse from Iron Age and Roman Languedoc

“…The sampling and cleaning protocol for the archaeological samples and present-day tree leaves followed the ones described in Valenzuela-Lamas et al, 2016 andValenzuela-Lamas et al, 2018. A transversal slice from the protoconid of each archaeological tooth was cut using a dentist drill with a diamond cutter disc just above the enamel root junction (2-3 mm).…”

“…Matolcsi, 1970;Bökönyi, 1974;Altuna 1980;Ijzereef et al, 1981;Méniel, 1984;Vigne, 1988;Audoin-Rouzeau, 1991;Lepetz, 1996;Peters, 1998;Breuer et al, 1999;Forest and Rodet-Belarbi, 2002;Frémondeau et al, 2017;Valenzuela-Oliver et al, 2013;Colominas et al, 2017;Valenzuela-Lamas and Albarella, 2017;Duval and Clavel, 2018). The reasons behind the small size of animals are not clear, and explanations include preference for smaller more manageable animals (Clutton-Brock, 1981), consequence of climatic changes (Davis, 1981), intensification of sub-adult breeding (Manning et al, 2015) and impact of socio-political context (Valenzuela-Lamas and Albarella, 2017;Valenzuela-Lamas et al, 2018). Gailledrat, 2009;Janin and Py, 2008;Janin and Py, 2012;Gailledrat, 2014) (Fig.…”