The beginning of husbandry in the Iberian Peninsula has been documented from the second half of the 6th millennium BCE and was based on the breeding of domestic caprines, mainly sheep. The first evidence of these practices comes from the Mediterranean region, but they quickly expanded inland. Previous studies have reported on the importance of the El Mirador sheepfold cave (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain) for understanding the process of the adoption of a farming economy in this inland region. In this study, we focus on husbandry and sheep management occurring in the 6th and 5th millennium cal BCE occupations of El Mirador cave by means of sequential oxygen (δ¹⁸O) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotope analyses in sheep molar tooth enamel. The results show a rapid adaptation and adoption of domestic sheep in the inland of the Iberian Peninsula. In El Mirador cave, well-organised sheep breeding was developed based on the concentration of births at the end of winter and early spring, for a period of ~2.64 months, which made husbandry more compatible with other economic activities. In 5th millennium levels, autumn births were also documented and may be indicative of the intervention of the shepherd in the reproductive cycle of the sheep and of a progressive adaptation of these animals to the interior of the Peninsula. All these strategies may have been supported by the recurrent occupations of the sheepfold, flocks grazing in the areas surrounding the cave and the possible use of leaf fodder in winter.

据记载，从公元前6世纪下半叶开始，伊比利亚半岛开始放牧，其基础是饲养国内山羊，主要是绵羊。这些做法的第一个证据来自地中海地区，但很快就向内陆扩展。先前的研究报道了El Mirador羊眼洞（Sierra de Atapuerca，西班牙布尔戈斯）对于了解内陆地区采用农业经济的过程的重要性。在这项研究中，我们侧重于牧羊管理发生在昆内特拉米拉洞穴的第六和第五千年CAL BCE职业通过连续氧气（手段δ ¹⁸ O）和碳（δ ¹³C）绵羊磨牙牙釉质的同位素分析。结果表明，伊比利亚半岛内陆地区的家养绵羊得到了迅速的适应和收养。在埃尔米拉多（El Mirador）洞穴中，根据冬季和早春出生时的出生集中情况，开发了井井有条的绵羊繁殖技术，繁殖期约为2.64个月，这使畜牧业与其他经济活动更加兼容。在第5千年的水平中，也记录了秋季出生的情况，这可能表明牧羊人干预了绵羊的繁殖周期，并表明这些动物逐渐适应了半岛的内部。所有这些策略可能都受到绵羊褶皱的反复占领，洞穴周围地区的羊群放牧以及冬季可能使用叶草的支持。