Where did the herds go? Combining zooarchaeological and isotopic data to examine animal management in ancient Thessaly (Greece)

Historians and archaeologists have been debating the scale of animal husbandry in ancient Greece for decades. This study contributes to the debate by examining Classical and Hellenistic faunal assemblages from Magoula Plataniotki, New Halos, and Pherae through non-destructive zooarchaeological metho...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Filioglou, Dimitris, Valenzuela Lamas, Sílvia, Patterson, William P., Pena González, Leopoldo David, Presslee, Samantha, Timsic, Sandra, Delgado Huertas, Antonio, Prummel, Wietske, Çakirlar, Canan
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/219076
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/219076
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Paleobiologia
Paleoecologia
Geoquímica
Isòtops
Paleobiology
Paleoecology
Geochemistry
Isotopes
Descripción
Sumario:Historians and archaeologists have been debating the scale of animal husbandry in ancient Greece for decades. This study contributes to the debate by examining Classical and Hellenistic faunal assemblages from Magoula Plataniotki, New Halos, and Pherae through non-destructive zooarchaeological methods and a multi-isotopic (87Sr/86Sr, δ13C, and δ18O) approach. Zooarchaeological data suggest that small-scale sedentary animal husbandry focused on caprine production in Magoula Plataniotiki and New Halos, and small-scale and semi-specialised animal husbandry was practised in Pherae. Isotopic data show both sedentary and mobile management of livestock in all sites, indicating different levels of production intensity and variety of goals. Based on our results, we propose an economic model whereby semi-specialised and small-scale animal husbandry co-existed, confirming mixed husbandry models for ancient Greece.