ABSTRACT

Archaeozoological assemblages are important sources of information on past management strategies, which are influenced by cultural practices as well as the physical geography and climate. Sheep, goat and cattle arrived in Europe with early Neolithic migrants. Their distribution is believed to have been mainly influenced by the geography of European regions although individual species may have held symbolic importance for specific Neolithic cultures. Domesticated animal mortality data derived from dental eruption, wear and replacement can provide insights into slaughter management and consequently animal husbandry practices. Previous studies have focused on caprines (sheep and goat) collectively as a results of their morphological similarity. Here we present a species specific study of sheep and goat mortality data from early European and Anatolian Neolithic contexts using correspondence analysis. The results show that for sheep there were significant differences in slaughter management practices between regions, cultures and site types whereas for goats there was none. This initial examination into sheep and goat husbandry during the Neolithic suggests that cultural practices as well as regional geography played an important role in shaping management practices.

摘要

考古动物群落是过去管理策略的重要信息来源，受文化习俗以及自然地理和气候的影响。绵羊、山羊和牛随着新石器时代早期的移民来到欧洲。他们的分布被认为主要受到欧洲地区地理的影响，尽管个别物种可能对特定的新石器时代文化具有象征意义。来自牙齿萌出、磨损和更换的驯化动物死亡率数据可以为屠宰管理和畜牧业实践提供见解。以前的研究集中在山羊（绵羊和山羊）上，因为它们的形态相似。在这里，我们使用对应分析对来自欧洲和安纳托利亚新石器时代早期环境的绵羊和山羊死亡率数据进行了物种特异性研究。结果表明，绵羊的屠宰管理实践在地区、文化和地点类型之间存在显着差异，而山羊则没有。对新石器时代绵羊和山羊饲养的初步研究表明，文化习俗和区域地理在塑造管理实践方面发挥了重要作用。