Search

Source de nourriture et matière première autant que porteur de symboles et de mythes, inspirant l’artiste et l’écrivain, l’animal tient une place essentielle dans les sociétés humaines. L’Afrique du Nord est un espace d’investigation très riche et encore peu exploité en ce domaine. Des chercheurs venus de sept pays des rives de la Méditerranée occidentale (Algérie, Espagne, France, Italie, Maroc, Tunisie et Royaume-Uni) examinent les relations complexes, à la fois étroites et distanciées, liant l’homme à l’animal, suivant trois grands thèmes : la rencontre de l’homme et de l’animal, par le langage et la perception de la « sauvagerie » ; l’animal utile, d’abord chassé et consommé, puis domestiqué et exploité pour l’alimentation, l’habillement, l’éclairage, le transport, etc. ; et enfin l’animal en représentation : dans les chasses princières ou les jeux du cirque, l’iconographie ou les croyances, les interactions homme-animal sont omniprésentes. La perspective résolument diachronique et multidisciplinaire permet de confronter les approches développées en archéologie et en histoire, de la Préhistoire à l’époque médiévale, et d’interroger ces relations sur le terrain du Maghreb, dans un paysage dont les conditions sont rappelées. Sont convoquées aussi les sources textuelles, faisant part à la linguistique et à la nomenclature.

Les fouilles du site d’Althiburos (Le Kef, Tunisie) ont permis de documenter une longue occupation, depuis le xe siècle av. J.-C. jusqu’à l’Antiquité tardive. Ce travail présente les résultats issus de l’analyse archéozoologique des restes de mammifères, qui permettent de reconstruire les pratiques d’élevage et l’alimentation d’origine carnée des populations numides habitant le site (proportion des espèces consommées, âges d’abattage, taille des animaux). Les données sont mises en relation avec la dynamique sociale et historique d’Althiburos et sont comparées à d’autres ensembles fauniques contemporains du Maghreb (Maroc, Algérie et Tunisie). Notre étude montre des différences claires entre les sites du Maroc, où l’on atteste une importante proportion de bœufs, et les ensembles de l’est de l’Algérie et de la Tunisie, où les caprinés (moutons et chèvres) sont de plus en plus abondants tout au long du premier millénaire av. J.-C. et au début du premier millénaire apr. J.-C. The archaeological excavations at Althiburos (Le Kef, Tunisia) revealed a long occupation from the 10th century BC to the Late Antiquity (5th century AD). This article presents the results from the zooarchaeological analysis of mammal bones. It focuses on the relative frequencies of the species, as well as the mortality profiles and biometry of the main domesticates. The results are contextualised in the process of increasing social complexity attested in the site, and are compared with other zooarchaeological studies on neighbouring areas—Northern Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. This macro-regional comparison shows significant differences between the Moroccan and the Tunisian and Eastern Algerian sites regarding species representation during the Iron Age and Roman times: the former have much higher relative frequencies of cattle, whereas sheep and goats predominate in the in the latter.

Empúries is a major archaeological site in the Gulf of Lion. Its long and continuous occupation during c.1,600 years offers a privileged opportunity to assess changes in animal mobility from Late Prehistory to Late Antiquity. The work developed during the ERC-StG ZooMWest comprised 231 carbon/oxygen and 167 strontium isotopic ratios from 60 cattle and caprine teeth sequentially sampled and spanning the whole period of occupation. The paper presents the obtained animal mobility patterns at different time periods (Late Bronze Age, Middle Iron Age, Early Roman Empire, Late Antiquity) together with their probable areas of movement. The isotopic results are contextualised with zooarchaeological and other isotopic data from other sites in present-day Catalonia.

The expansion of the Roman Empire was a gradual process and far more encompassing than a mere military conquest: it also corresponded to the dissemination of novel cultural, religious and economic models. The introduction of new agricultural and husbandry practices, foodstuffs and other biological resources were fundamental steps of this process. However, the de facto implementation of the modus romanus throughout a vast and diverse territory, inhabited by a wide variety of communities with distinct backgrounds and identities, was particularly complex and varied. Thus, understanding the regional or provincial specificities is crucial to properly access and characterize the impacts of the roman administration among the everyday life of indigenous communities. In this session, we aim to explore how biological resources were exploited by indigenous communities, at local and regional levels, and to understand their role within the framework of the new economical and territorial exploration model imposed by the Roman Empire from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD. A wide variety of studies are thus welcomed, namely archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, ancient DNA and isotopic analysis, as well as other proxy directly associated with biological resources. Papers should focus all themes associated with plant and animal remains such as subsistence strategies, agricultural technical aspects, trade, species distribution, introduction, improvement/selection and their role in rituals and other cultural/social activities. Approaches addressing other rarer biological products such as honey, fungi, wild animals and plants, as well as these activities impacts in the perceivable environment are also welcomed. Regional or broader synthesis are preferred but interdisciplinary and highly informative site-studies will also be accepted.

Valenzuela S., Portillo M., García-Suárez A., Gadekar Ch., García-Granero JJ., Jiménez S., Navas C., Tarifa N., Zupancich A., Zurro D. (2022) Lugar celebración: Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales (CCHS), Madrid

[CA] Cap al 1400 ANE, les poblacions que habitaven l’arxipèlag balear iniciaren la utilització de distints indrets com illots, platges o caps costaners. Aquesta nova tipologia de jaciments arqueològics ha estat relacionada per alguns investigadors amb l’aprofitament de la mar i l’augment dels contactes, que es reflecteix amb l’arribada d’elements exògens (ivori d’elefant africà i estany). En aquest estudi s’analitzen les restes de fauna recuperades a s’Illot des Porros (Santa Margalida, Mallorca) procedents dels nivells del Bronze mitjà i final (ca. 1400-850 cal. ANE) per caracteritzar l’origen de la formació del conjunt i la seva funcionalitat, contribuint així a la comprensió de l’explotació d’aquesta tipologia de jaciments., [ES] Hacia el 1400 ANE, las poblaciones que habitaban el archipiélago balear iniciaron el uso de diferentes entornos como islotes, playas o cabos. Esta nueva tipología de yacimientos arqueológicos ha estado relacionada por parte de algunos investigadores con el aprovechamiento del mar y con el aumento de contactos, que se reflejarían con la llegada de elementos de carácter exógeno (marfil de elefante africano y estaño). En el presente estudio se analizan los restos de fauna recuperados en el yacimiento de s’Illot des Porros (Santa Margalida, Mallorca) procedentes de los niveles del Bronce medio y final ( ca. 1400-850 cal. ANE) con el objetivo de caracterizar el origen de la formación del conjunto y su funcionalidad, contribuyendo de este modo a la comprensión de los regímenes de explotación de esta tipología de yacimientos. [EN] During 1400 BC the inhabitants of the Balearic archipelago started to use islets, beaches and capes. Some researchers have related these new archaeological sites with the exploitation of the sea and the rise of maritime contacts, reflected by the arrival of exogenous materials (ivory and tin). On this study, the faunal remains from s’Illot des Porros site (Santa Margalida, Mallorca) dated from the Middle and Late Bronze Age (ca. 1400-850 cal. BC) are analyzed to characterize its formation origin and functionality, as a way to contribute to the understanding about of the use of this type of archaeological site., Aquest treball forma part de la transferència de coneixement del projecte R+D Movilidad y conectividad de las comunidades prehistóricas en el Mediterráneo occidental durante la prehis- toria reciente: el caso de las Islas Baleares (PID2019-108692GB), finançat pel Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. També ha estat parcialment finançat pel projecte La construcció dels paisatges culturals durant l’Edat del Bronze a les Illes Balears (PRD2018/19) de la Comunitat Autònoma de les Illes Balears a través de la Direcció General de Política Universitaria i Recerca amb el finançament de la Llei de Taxa d’Estada Turística ITS 2017-006. El tre- ball de Lua Valenzuela ha estat realitzat gràcies al suport de la beca predoctoral de la Conselleria d’Educació, Cultura i Universitats del Govern de les Illes Balears i el Fons Social Europeu (FPI/1693/2014).

Studies undertaken several years ago indicated little change in cattle size in Portugal before the fifteenth century AD, indeed even Roman cattle were not very different from preceding Iron Ages ones. The Roman province of Lusitania comprised the southwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day central and southern Portugal and Spanish Extremadura). Here we present some evidence of cattle size increase in the newly founded Lusitanian Roman cities, that is, those with no previous occupation. these cities include, for example, Emerita Augusta (Mérida, Spain) and the ancient Ammaia (near Marvao, Portugal). We compare their measurements with those from smaller Roman towns and sites from other periods. Our hypothesis is that the size increase reflects better nourishment or the presence of different cattle morphotypes (by selection or introduction of new animals). Osteometric analyses suggest that cattle from the main Roman cities were generally bigger in Roman newly founded cities, contrary to sites with pre-Roman occupation. Innovations could have been implemented via the import of new stock and/or new breeding strategies.

The introduction and spread of the Neolithic “way of life” in Europe was a process that took several millennia, followed by different rhythms and displayed singularities in each geographic area. It was therefore a very complex phenomenon that, despite highly significant advances in research in recent decades, is yet to be fully understood. To deepen our understanding of the very early stages of the introduction of herding and agriculture throughout the Old Continent, the 1st Conference on the Early Neolithic of Europe wasorganisedinBarcelonaon6–8November2019.Theconferencewasagreatsuccesswithmore than 200 participants, creating a stimulating arena to discuss and debate, exclusively, the transition to the Neolithic in Europe. This special issue brings together 52 of the contributions presented in Barcelona, offering an interesting overview of the current state of research across Europe, from the Anatolia to the Algarve, highlighting the geographical, chronological and socioeconomic diversity of the transformation processes involved in the Neolithisation of Europe and providing useful starting points for future research., The work was financed by a grant generously provided by the Catalan Agency for Managementof University and Research Grants (AGAUR) (grant reference: SGR-2017-995) of the Generalitat de Catalunya

Madrider Mitteilungen, Bd. 62 (2021), Unter der Leitung von Alexia Echevarr��a S��nchez f��hrte die Grabungsfirma Grupo ��nfora (Gesti��n Integral del Patrimonio,Huelva) von April bis September 2019 eine Probegrabung auf dem Cabezo La Joya in Huelva (Andalusien, Spanien) durch, wo sich eine Nekropole befindet, die seit den 1970���1980er Jahren als Referenz der Tartessischen Arch��ologie bekannt ist. Zu den Neufunden geh��ren acht Brandgr��ber des 7. Jahrhunderts v. Chr; sie bilden den Mittelpunkt dieses Aufsatzes, der einen Vorbericht der Ausgrabung und der laufenden interdisziplin��ren Forschungen darstellt, an denen sich die Madrider Abteilung des Deutschen Arch��ologischen Instituts beteiligt. Die Ergebnisse der Zusammenarbeit bieten tiefe Einblicke in die Besonderheiten der lokalen Grab- und Bestattungssitten. Wie im Gegenlicht spiegeln sich Spuren von dreizehn Menschen (Frauen, M��nner, Kinder) und ihrem Umfeld im ���tartessischen Huelva��� wider. Sie reflektieren Traditionen und eigenst��ndige kulturelle Merkmale sowie einen besonderen Umgang mit fremden/ph��nizischen Einfl��ssen, die sich in der materiellen Kultur und den ideologischen Sph��ren der Grab- und Bestattungssitten abzeichnen.

2º encuentro de zooarqueología ibérica. 23-25 de junio de 2021

2nd Iberian Zooarchaeology Meeting, Madrid

Over the past few years, zooarchaeological studies in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula suggest that a significant dietary change occurred from the Iron Age to Roman times. This entailed different consumption patterns and also changes in the size of the main domesticates. This paper offers an integrated study of the zooarchaeological evidence from present-day Catalonia, part of the Roman province of Hispania tarraconensis. Our study shows that cultural change probably took place at different levels and rhythms at different settlements, probably even at the household scale. In addition, our results highlight the value of zooarchaeology as a tool in the study and understanding of colonial encounters, but also the inherent risk in analysing cultural change based on a single archaeological indicator.

The development of agricultural societies is closely entangled with that of domestic animals and plants. Local and traditional domestic breeds and varieties are the result of millennia of selection by farmers. DEMETER (2020-2025) is an international project which is aiming to characterize the changes in animal and plant agrobiodiversity (pigs, sheep, goats, and barley) in relation with environmental and socioeconomic factors in the northwestern Mediterranean basin since the beginnings of agriculture. The project is based on a combination of approaches including phenomics (through geometric morphometrics), databasing, zooarchaeology, archaeobotany, climate modeling, paleoproteins (ZooMs) and statistical analyses. Several hundreds of archaeological sites from the South of France and Catalonia will be studied, covering the maximum environmental, societal and cultural diversity of context over the course of the last eight millennia.

Unter der Leitung von Alexia Echevarría Sánchez führte die Grabungsfirma Grupo Ánfora (Gestión Integral del Patrimonio, Huelva) von April bis September 2019 eine Probegrabung auf dem Cabezo La Joya in Huelva (Andalusien, Spanien) durch, wo sich eine Nekropole befindet, die seit den 1970–1980er Jahren als Referenz der Tartessischen Archäologie bekannt ist. Zu den Neufunden gehören acht Brandgräber des 7. Jahrhunderts v. Chr; sie bilden den Mittelpunkt dieses Aufsatzes, der einen Vorbericht der Ausgrabung und der laufenden interdisziplinären Forschungen darstellt, an denen sich die Madrider Abteilung des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts beteiligt. Die Ergebnisse der Zusammenarbeit bieten tiefe Einblicke in die Besonderheiten der lokalen Grab-und Bestattungssitten.

This paper explores changes in cattle size in the North-East (NE) and South-West (SW) of the Iberian Península from Chalcolithic to Roman times. Zooarchaeological data are contextualised with the ecological characteristics and settlement pattern of both areas. Results reveal significant differences in cattle size and morphology between the two areas, as well as changes through time. Jntegration of zooarchaeological, ecological and settlement data suggest that orography played a significant role both in the changes in settlement pattern and in the evolution ofcattle morphology in the two regions. In this sense, the fiatter orography and higher solar irradiation in the SW would have provided better ecological conditions far cattle husbandry. In addition, exchanges ofanimals were probably easier in the SW compared with the hillier orography of the NE. The Roman conquest hada dlfferent impact on cattle size as well: a clear size change was visible in the NE (where lron Age cattle were very small), whereas size increase was more subtle in the SW In both areas, cattle remained smaller compared to the large animals attested in North-Western Europe in Roman times (e.g. the Netherlands and France). These results pro vide a diachronic and wide territorial perspective to better assess what were the fáctors (ecological and/or social) that contributed to the changes observed on cattle size at two opposite sides of the Iberian Península., This work first began as part of the FCT postdoctoral fellowship SFRH/BPD/46583/2008 (SVL) and could not be done without the guidance and help from S.J.M. Davis and C. Fabiiio, who provided data, access to materials and scientific discussion, and C. Detry who helped enormously with bibliographical refercnces and invaluable friendship. The work has been subsequently expanded as part of the ERCStG project ZooMWest (ERC-StG 716298), and is still in progress. This work presents the current state of our research and provides the first comparison of cattle morphology at these two extremes of the Iberian Península.

Roman conquest is known to have had a significant impact on animal husbandry across the Western provinces. Northern Italy is no exception, and zooarchaeological studies have demonstrated a variety of developments to livestock exploitation during Roman times. However, several of these developments have origins in later prehistory, well before Roman political hegemony in the region. In particular, significant size increases in cattle and sheep during the Iron Age point to an early re-organisation of livestock management, which was further impacted in Roman times. This presentation explores zooarchaeological evidence for changes in husbandry strategies in northern Italy over later prehistory and the Roman period through NISP, biometry, and age data, attempting to characterise similarities and differences in these two waves of change. Results are contextualised with historical evidence for Roman farming in Italy and environmental/landscape data in order to better understand the role of livestock in the regional agricultural economy and its development through the Roman period.