1. Behind the steps of ancient sheep mobility in Iberia: new insights from a geometric morphometric approach
- Author
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P. Castanyer, J. Burch, O. Olesti, J. Casas, P. Campmajó, Allowen Evin, J.-M. Palet, Lídia Colominas, Cèsar Carreras, Jordi Guàrdia, J. Tremoleda, E. Pons, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (UMR ISEM), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR226-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR226
- Subjects
Ovis aries ,010506 paleontology ,Archeology ,[SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory ,Iron Age ,Astragalus ,01 natural sciences ,Peninsula ,0601 history and archaeology ,Livestock management ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Morphometrics ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,060102 archaeology ,business.industry ,Ecology ,06 humanities and the arts ,Animal husbandry ,humanities ,Roman period ,Morphological changes ,Anthropology ,Western europe ,Period (geology) ,Livestock ,business ,Iberian Peninsula - Abstract
International audience; In Western Europe, the transition from the middle Iron Age to theearly Roman period implied changesin livestock practices, withthe emergence of a specialized and selective animal husbandry. These changes have been related in Italy and south of France withchanges in livestock management involving their mobility between ecologically complementary areas. The study of this question inthe Iberian Peninsula has only been partiallyinvestigated through palaeoenvironmental analyses, and the information about theorigin and significance of this phenomenon is very scarce. To shed new light on this topic we used an archaeozoological approach,with the application of geometric morphometrics. They were used to study size and shape variability in sheep astragali from 9 sitesdating from the middle Iron Age to the early Roman period (5th c. BC–3rd c. AD) and located on the Pyrenees and on the north-eastern Iberian coast as a case study. The results we obtained, combined with Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) and kill-offpatterns, showed local specificities in terms of breeding methodsand sheep morphologies between the two areas during the middleIron Age. On the contrary, sheep with similar size and the implementation and development of similar sheep husbandry practices inthe Pyrenees and the north-eastern Iberian coast were documented during the early Roman period. These results suggest theexistence of livestock links between these two areas during the Roman period, that could be involved a possible movement ofsheep between the lowlands and the Pyrenees for the first time
- Published
- 2019
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