1. Provisioning urbanism: a comparative urban-rural zooarchaeology of ancient Southwest Asia
- Author
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Gaastra, Jane S., Lawrence, Dan, and Tumolo, Valentina
- Subjects
Animal remains (Archaeology) -- Analysis ,Anthropological research ,Land use -- Analysis -- Middle East ,Livestock industry -- Analysis ,Urbanization -- Research ,Anthropology/archeology/folklore - Abstract
Historically, urban centres are seen as consumers that draw in labour and resources from their rural hinterlands. Zooarchaeological studies of key urban sites in Southwest Asia demonstrate the movement of livestock, but the region-wide application of these findings has not been tested and the logistics of urban provisioning remain poorly understood. Here, the authors analyse zooarchaeological data from 245 sites in the Levant and Mesopotamia to examine patterns of livestock production and consumption over a 5000-year period. They find that although preferences varied over time and space, urban sites consistently relied on rural satellites to overcome local limitations to support their large and diverse populations. Keywords: Middle East, Levant, Mesopotamia, zooarchaeology, urbanism, land use, food production, Introduction Urban centres in most regions of the ancient world, including Southwest Asia, are characterised by relatively high population densities and the presence of inhabitants who do not engage in [...]
- Published
- 2024
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