Sheep predominate the Early Neolithic faunal assemblages in the Iberian Peninsula. Their exploitation for meat and milk production made them key to the economy of these early farming societies. Management of sheep breeding season and feeding in the context of the local environment were decisive in obtaining these livestock products. This work focuses on these aspects through stable isotope and dental microwear analyses on sheep teeth from the cave of Chaves (Huesca, Spain). The results show the existence of “out of season” (autumn/early winter) sheep births in the Early Neolithic, contrasting significantly with spring lambing prevailing in Neolithic husbandries elsewhere in Europe and confirming the antiquity of a western Mediterranean characteristic in this regard. Furthermore, little changes in sheep diet throughout the year have been documented, as far as could be evidenced from stable carbon isotope ratios and dental microwear. Only two individuals showed higher variability in diet on a seasonal scale with possible contribution of C₄ plants, possibly from grazing in the valley steppes at lower altitudes. Overall the results suggest good adaptation of sheep to the Pyrenean mid-altitude environment and strong zootechnical knowledge of the earliest shepherds in this area.

绵羊在伊比利亚半岛的新石器时代早期动物群落中占主导地位。他们对肉类和奶类生产的剥削使它们成为这些早期农业社会经济的关键。在当地环境下管理绵羊的繁殖季节和饲养对获得这些牲畜产品具有决定性的作用。这项工作通过对Chaves洞穴（西班牙韦斯卡省）的绵羊牙齿进行稳定的同位素和牙齿微磨损分析，着重于这些方面。结果表明，新石器时代早期存在“过时”（秋季/冬季初）的绵羊出生，这与欧洲其他地方的新石器时代的畜牧业盛行的春季羔羊形成鲜明对比，并证实了这方面的地中海古代特征。此外，据记录，全年绵羊的饮食变化很小，从稳定的碳同位素比和牙科微磨损所能证明的范围内。只有两个个体在季节规模上显示出较高的饮食变异性，可能与C的贡献有关。₄种植物，可能是在海拔较低的山谷草原上放牧而来的。总体而言，结果表明绵羊对比利牛斯山脉中海拔环境具有良好的适应性，并且对该地区最早的牧羊人具有丰富的动物技术知识。