Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria: An Interpretation of Stable Isotope Values of Faunal Bone Collagen

Plicht, Johannes van der; Akkermans, P.M.M.G.; Buitenhuis, Hijlke; Kaneda, Akihiro; Nieuwenhuyse, Olivier; Russell, Anna

doi:10.1017/s003382220004707x

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…At this site, the equids also showed the lowest δ 15 N values, but the values overlapped with those of the gazelles and even some caprines. The differences in the mean δ 15 N values of these three groups at Tell Sabi Abyad [95] were several times smaller than those observed at Tell Humeida. For all these reasons, we proposed that either the Tell Humeida equids had a particular diet, controlled by humans, notably preceding the written sources, or they came from areas close to the river but without direct anthropogenic influence.…”

Section: Animal Diet and Husbandrycontrasting

confidence: 55%

“…This scarcity of equid remains was more evident in the few isotopic studies of fauna from Mesopotamian sites, which tended to focus more on plants and secondarily on domestic fauna. We only had data from the Late Neolithic levels at Tell Sabi Abyad, which included a few gazelle and equid remains, as well as sheep and goats [95]. At this site, the equids also showed the lowest δ 15 N values, but the values overlapped with those of the gazelles and even some caprines.…”

Section: Animal Diet and Husbandrymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Stable Isotopes and Herding Strategies in Middle Uruk Period in Tell Humeida (Syrian Euphrates Valley)

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The techniques of agriculture and animal husbandry at Tell Humeida, a Middle Uruk Period (Late Chalcolithic) site on the middle Syrian Euphrates, were studied using stable isotopes of bone collagen of domestic and wild mammals and from cereal and ruderal plant seeds. Two archaeological campaigns in 2009 and 2011 yielded a small collection of bones, most of which were taxonomically indeterminable. The work had to be interrupted due to the political conflict. The faunal study comprised collagen peptide fingerprinting for taxonomic identification, followed by isotopic analysis. Multiple 14C dating were performed to date the infill to around 3600 cal BC. An isotopic analysis of the sparse plant remains suggested that irrigation and manuring were common practices. Sheep and equids predominated in the faunal assemblage. Sheep grazed on manured soils, and their diet could include millet or another C4 plant, of which, however, no carpological remains were found. The diet of equids differed from that of sheep but also that of other wild ungulates (cervids/gazelles). Their isotopic signatures indicated that they grazed in humid areas, near the watercourse. These finds indicated a settlement that was closely linked to the availability of water, which made it possible to grow crops in an almost desert-like area, and the rearing of sheep.

show abstract

Section: Animal Diet and Husbandrycontrasting

confidence: 55%

Section: Animal Diet and Husbandrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable Isotopes and Herding Strategies in Middle Uruk Period in Tell Humeida (Syrian Euphrates Valley)

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Many of these small sites show only shortterm and intermittent habitation. While a degree of variation in the ovicaprid diet suggests that separate flocks were grazed in isotopically distinct areas throughout most of the sequence at the site, in the second half of the seventh millennium a (subtle and gradual) narrowing of dietary variability is witnessed (Russel 2010;van der Plicht et al 2012). This may indicate that towards the end of the seventh millennium cal.…”

Section: Some Initial Comparisonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breaking continuity? Site formation and temporal depth at Çatalhöyük and Tell Sabi Abyad

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spatial continuity of the house is often seen as crucial in providing temporal depth for the Neolithic societies of southwest Asia. While an emphasis on the creation of such continuities is evinced at densely agglomerated sites, other sites are characterised by dispersal and frequent relocation of habitation. Çatalhöyük (Turkey) and Tell Sabi Abyad (Syria) appear to be at either end of this spectrum. However, recently found evidence and reinterpretation of older evidence call into question the apparently stark distinction between the two sites. The purpose of this paper is to compare aspects of the archaeological evidence from Tell Sabi Abyad and Çatalhöyük, and in doing so to understand the different ways in which site formation and social continuity were achieved. In particular, the presence of breaks in spatial continuities – an often overlooked aspect of site formation – and its implications are discussed. It appears that at these two sites both continuity and breaks gave form and meaning to the settlements and to the societies that inhabited them. We argue that social continuities and anchors to the past can be constructed in many variable ways, and that direct spatial continuity of the house is but one.

show abstract

Radial route systems and agro-pastoral strategies in the Fertile Crescent: New discoveries from western Syria and southwestern Iran

Casana

2013

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria: An Interpretation of Stable Isotope Values of Faunal Bone Collagen

Cited by 6 publications

References 20 publications

Stable Isotopes and Herding Strategies in Middle Uruk Period in Tell Humeida (Syrian Euphrates Valley)

Stable Isotopes and Herding Strategies in Middle Uruk Period in Tell Humeida (Syrian Euphrates Valley)

Breaking continuity? Site formation and temporal depth at Çatalhöyük and Tell Sabi Abyad

Radial route systems and agro-pastoral strategies in the Fertile Crescent: New discoveries from western Syria and southwestern Iran

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About