The evolution of sheep and goat husbandry in central Anatolia

Arbuckle, Benjamin S.; Öztan, Aliye; Gülçur, Sevil

doi:10.5252/az2009n1a6

Cited by 43 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Göbekli Tepe and Çatalhöyük) [112–114]. Wild animal hunting likely held particular symbolic importance, which became especially poignant as the division of labor and labor scheduling were reconfigured during the development of animal management and cultivation [108,110,115,116]. Wild animal hunting may have sent a more costly signal of group membership than that of controlled animals during many types of rituals at KHH, such as feasts featuring the communal hunting of multiple dangerous wild cattle individuals [11].…”

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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“…Yet, the use of less nutritious foods remains low but fairly constant, suggesting that suitable resource provision remained possible. Support for this is found in evidence of healthy herds with limited confinement-related pathologies (Russell and Martin, 2005), and by robust herd security allowing some slaughter to be delayed beyond the most economic kill-off age (Arbuckle et al, 2009).…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 86%

The combined use of oxygen isotopes and microwear in sheep teeth to elucidate seasonal management of domestic herds: the case study of Çatalhöyük, central Anatolia

Henton

2012

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…ZooMS was applied to the collagen in order to test the fidelity of morphological specific identifications and to differentiate the caprines. The rationale for doing so is (a) that some of the selected specimens were very fragmentary and therefore had heightened chances of having been misidentified, (b) that sheep and goats are often raised for very different purposes and may feed on different foodstuffs (Arbuckle, Öztan, & Gülçur, ), (c) to determine the composition of the caprine component of the Racot 18 faunal assemblage, and (d) to evaluate the validity and utility of morphometric and metric methods of caprine differentiation.…”

Section: Zoomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Separating caprine (Capra/Ovis) distal tibiae: A case study from the Polish Neolithic

Gron

Rowley‐Conwy

Jensen

et al. 2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Distinguishing the skeletal remains of sheep (Ovis aries) from goats (Capra hircus) is a fundamental and habitual problem in zooarchaeology. Such a distinction is desirable because the taxa can be raised to serve variable purposes, are behaviourally different and are biologically dissimilar; all factors influencing their role in past human economies. Although considerable effort has been spent exploring various methods for their distinction in the Near East, in the Mediterranean world, and in modern populations, the rarity of Neolithic caprines north of the Alps has meant that distinction has not been attempted on any systematic basis. In this study, we present the first attempt to do so, using one of the more problematic elements, the distal tibia, to investigate the caprine remains from Racot 18, Poland, a settlement of the Neolithic Late Lengyel culture. The assemblage is characterised by an unusual proportion of caprines, and ZooMS results indicate relative parity in numbers of sheep and goats. Standard and new biometrics and morphological identifications were also applied. Morphological identifications did not reliably distinguish the taxa. Nonetheless, both standard and new biometrics demonstrate significant size differences between the taxa in this assemblage. This study represents the first step required of establishing effective criteria for differentiation of caprines in Neolithic Poland and by extension other Neolithic contexts north of the Alps.

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The evolution of sheep and goat husbandry in central Anatolia

Cited by 43 publications

References 73 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

The combined use of oxygen isotopes and microwear in sheep teeth to elucidate seasonal management of domestic herds: the case study of Çatalhöyük, central Anatolia

Separating caprine (Capra/Ovis) distal tibiae: A case study from the Polish Neolithic

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