“The Status of the Shepherd” in the Neolithic Communities of the Eastern Atlasic Maghreb regions, since 7000 BP

Neolithization through karstic rocky territories from Eastern Maghreb is supported by a special form of pastoralism. Between 7000–5000 BP, a prominent sheep and goat animal husbandry represents a shepherd’ permanent objective, while domestic cattle seems to play a saving role. Aure&grave;s reaches allowed us to study a global shepherd living, initiated by small groups, labelled as Neolithic of Capsian Tradition, stricto sensu (NCT). A new approach focuses here on non local archaeological finds from the Cape´letti cave, a residential key-site located on the slopes of the Khanguet Si Mohamed Tahar amphitheatre (1540m), gives the lead to explore a winter lowland transhumance behaviour, which was a yearly extension of a summer upland behaviour. Through synchronized data, selected among exotic cultural documents, such as polished stone axes and adzes; marine and ivory-ornaments; and lowland botanic remains from marshes, such as elements of a steppic and salted vegetation, trapped inside sheep fleece, new evidences emerged which were linked, then, with new data based on flocks evaluation as alive animals. This study gives precision on: <l type="unord"><li>the shepherd’s long term objective;</li><li>the initial and natural animal husbandry which moved, through an empirical management, on an increasing and controlled sheep, goat and cattle breeding;</li><li>the non local cultural goods broad-spectrum, coveted by the shepherds;</li><li>the flock meat/animal goods, coveted by peddling nomadic people;</li><li>the exchange act and its conventions;</li><li>how and when vanished epipaleolithic traditions of this NCT facies, through shepherds’ deliberate and progressive exchanges;</li><li>and how and when, outside farming process, might have appeared, on lowlands and hilly areas, a typical open countryside landscape, strictly linked with this ongoing pastoralism.</li></l>This first local Status of the Shepherd which was the main objective of this neolithization may have settled and spread out through Maghreb territories, an Atlasic Pastoral Society. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]