Reassessing Animal Exploitation in Northern Syria from the Early Bronze Age to the Persian/Hellenistic Period: The Evidence from Tell Tuqan (original) (raw)

PIG PRODUCTION AND EXPLOITATION DURING THE CLASSICAL PERIODS IN THE SOUTHERN LEVANT

In this paper we discuss the archaeozoological evidence for the production, management and consumption of domestic pig during the Roman and Byzantine periods in the Southern Levant. In the Byzantine period the frequency of domestic pigs increased markedly in all phytogeographic zones and has been attributed to a combination of four factors: (1) the growth of Christian communities in the region who exhibited a preference for pork, (2) climatic amelioration especially notable in the desert regions, (3) improved hydraulic technology which facilitated a more reliable and extensive water supply especially in the arid zones and, (4) reduced frequency of cattle in the northern region due to culturally induced degradation and loss of pasture to cultivation. The pig, an omnivore and efficient supplier of animal protein then provided a cheap and reliable meat substitute for beef. Thus, a combination of anthropogenic and environmental factors appear to have determined pig exploitation during the Classical periods in this region.

Early Pig Management in the Zagros Flanks: Reanalysis of the Fauna from Neolithic Jarmo, Northern Iraq

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2013

In this paper, we present a reanalysis of pig (Sus scrofa) remains from the Neolithic site of Qalat Jarmo, originally excavated in the 1940s and 1950s. Employing modern zooarchaeological techniques, not available during the initial analyses, we explore the nature of swine exploitation strategies and demonstrate that pigs were most likely managed by the early 7th millennium (Pottery Neolithic) and perhaps earlier. Comparing biometric data with those from other sites in the region, we show that the Jarmo pigs exhibit evidence for size decrease associated with intensive management, but had not yet achieved the degree of dental or post-cranial size reduction seen in later Neolithic domestic populations. Although samples from the earliest (Pre-Pottery) occupation of the site are small, there is some evidence to suggest that domestic pigs were present at Jarmo as early as the late 8th millennium cal. bc. In either case, Jarmo likely represents the earliest appearance of pig husbandry along the Zagros flanks, and we discuss the mechanisms by which Neolithic technologies, including domesticated animals, spread to new regions. This project emphasises the value of curated faunal assemblages in shedding new light on the spread of Neolithic economies.

Animal economy at Tell Arbid, north-east Syria, in the third millennium B.C., 25-43

Bioarchaeology of the Near East 4, 2010

The main aim of this paper is to reconstruct animal economy at Tell Arbid in the 3 rd millennium BC. The examined material consists of post-consumption bone remains retrieved from various contexts dated to the Ninevite 5, Early Dynastic III, Akkadian, and Post-Akkadian periods. Domesticated animals were the dominant species in all of the distinguished periods. Sheep and goat were the main species (~50%) followed by pig (~40%) and cattle (~10%). Starting in the Akkadian period there was a small increase in caprines and a concomitant decrease in pigs. The Arbidian animal economy was marginally supplemented by hunting wild animals (roe deer, gazelle, fallow deer, boar). Equids (onager, horse, donkey), canids (dog, jackal), and felids (domestic and wild cat, caracal) are represented in small numbers. The pattern of animal exploitation observed at Tell Arbid is comparable to the picture obtained for other Upper Khabur sites, although a significant share of pig (40−48%) is noticeable at the site during the 3 rd millennium BC.

Pigs in Sight: Late Bronze Age Pig Husbandries in the Aegean and Anatolia

Journal of Field Archaeology, 2020

This paper explores pig husbandry across the Aegean and Anatolia based on zooarchaeological data and ancient texts. The western Anatolian citadel of Kaymakçı is the departure point for discussion, as it sits in the Mycenaean-Hittite interaction zone and provides a uniquely large assemblage of pig bones. NISP, mortality, and biometric data from 38 additional sites across Greece and Anatolia allows observation of intra-and interregional variation in the role of pigs in subsistence economies, pig management, and pig size characteristics. Results show that, first, pig abundance at Kaymakçı matches Mycenaean and northern Aegean sites more closely than central, southern, and southeastern Anatolian sites; second, pig mortality data and biometry suggest multiple husbandry strategies and pig populations at Kaymakçı, but other explanations cannot yet be excluded; and, third, for the Aegean and Anatolia during the Late Bronze Age more generally, pig data suggests pluriformity, which challenges the use of "pig principles" in this region.

Pig (Sus scrofa) Exploitation at Hallan €emi, Southeastern Anatolia: Proposing an Alternative Model

2012

Hallan Çemi presents itself as a unique site to study the transitional period before the onset of agriculture in the Near East. The site fails to fit nicely into demographic or environmental models that have widely been accepted for the region. Hallan Çemi thus represents the potential to study innovative human strategies for subsistence, and to provide insight into the processes that led to the eventual adoption of agriculture only a few millennia later.

CONSUMPTION OF ANIMAL RESOURCES AT THE SITES OF AKARÇAY TEPE AND TELL HALULA (MIDDLE EUPHRATES VALLEY, 8th - 6th MILLENNIA CAL BC)

The archaeological sites of Akarçay Tepe (Urfa, Turkey) (7580-6080 cal. BC) and Tell Halula (Aleppo, Syria) (8800-6500 cal. BC) are located in the middle Euphrates valley and cover the Neolithic period, including the 8th and 7th millennia cal. BC. The archaeozoological analysis of the faunal remains retrieved during the archaeological excavations at Akarçay Tepe and Tell Halula allows us to formulate some preliminary hypotheses regarding the management strategies of the animal resources used by the communities that occupied the settlements. This analysis reveals the main changes which occurred at these sites throughout the archaeological sequence. The thorough study of the different assemblages on the basis of their condition (quantity and quality of the recovered material) and composition (species, age classes, physical aspect of the animal) indicates a signifi cant space-time variability which demonstrates a differential dynamic in the hunting and husbandry strategies practiced during this period. At the same time, the wide diversifi cation identifi ed necessitates working with minimal units of observation in order to establish possible correlations between the different assemblages and sites and formulate appropriate explanations. We present in this work the general results obtained for these two sites, fi rst evaluating the economic strategy implemented in each of them and the main changes that occurred, and then analyzing all this information in an integrated form.

Bronze Age Animal Economy in al-Jazira Area of Northeastern Syria

論 文 要 旨 本論文では、北東シリアの遺跡における動物遺存体分析から、青銅器時代(紀元前 3000-1300 年)の社会と政治組織の発達に関連した生業活動の変化を考察する。動物資源 の消費と分配といった方策は、骨の分散を詳細に分析することで復原できる。そうした分 析を時間的・空間的に行うことで青銅器時代の各時期における地域間の交流のあり方を明 らかにできると考えた。 タルビデリ遺跡とタルガーネムアルアリ遺跡から出土した動物遺存体を分析し、動物資 源の経済的な構造を考察した。なお、時間的な分析には動物種の出現頻度と動物群の管理 技術を含む。また、本研究では遺跡における骨の分散パターンを示すこと、出土動物が家 畜か否かを査定し、家畜の利用比率を示すことの2つに注目した。 両遺跡の分析結果から、乾燥したステップ地帯に居住地をもつ EBA 期の経済システムが 復原できた。それは、青銅器時代の各時期を通して家畜に依存し、ヒツジとヤギからタン パク質の大部分と多様な生産物(乳製品、毛、皮革など)を得るというジャジラ地域に長 年守られてきた慣例に従うことを示す。ただし、他の家畜種は地域あるいは社会的な影響 によって、出現頻度が変化する。 また、農村における動物遺存体の様相は、動物製品の消費における大都市からの統治の あり方を示唆する。地域間における動物製品の余剰の流通は、青銅器時代中期から統制さ れ始めたと考えられる。 最後にカブル地域とユーフラテス川渓谷地域の文化における動物遺存体を時期ごとに比 較し、環境が社会経済に与える影響を考察した。これまでジャジラ地域の発達に影響を与 えたと考えられてきた青銅器時代中期の気候の悪化は、生業活動の変化を導かなかった。 つまり、上部メソポタミア地域における動物経済の変化は、都市の社会的な決定によって 促進されたと考えられるのである。 i Abstract This dissertation examines the faunal remains from northeastern Syria archaeological sites, aiming to assess the changes in the subsistence patterns associated within the development of social and political organizations in this region during the Bronze Age period (3000-1300 B.C.). The temporal and spatial examination of animal economy intend to highlight the models of interregional interaction among early urban-estates in the different phases of Bronze Age, through the analytical analysis of bone dispersal patterns which are utilized in reconstructing the strategies of animal recourses consumption and distribution. The evaluation of the economic systems of Tell Bderi and Tell Ghanem al-Ali sites depended on applying zoo-archaeological methods to retrieved faunal assemblages. Several temporal analyses are included in this research such as, the taxonomic frequencies, herd management strategies. In addition, the study of the faunal collections focused on displaying the patterns of bone dispersal at each site, and the assessment of wild versus domestic recourses exploitation ratios. The results of the faunal analysis at both sites indicate that Early Bronze Age settlements situated in the arid steppe areas followed the long-established traditions observed in other parts of the al-Jazira region, displaying a consistent dependency on domestic animal species, in particular sheep and goats; the main provider of protein and a variety of secondary products throughout the different phases of Bronze Age. The frequencies of other livestock changed in relation to spatial and social factors that influenced the composition of the array of animals presented at Bronze Age settlements. The faunal analysis of rural settlements' assemblages proposes autonomy of animal products consumption practices from the large-urban centers, which are assumed to control the distribution of animal products surplus on an interregional level starting from the middle of Early Bronze Age period. The temporal comparative faunal study of several cultural entities established in Khabur and Euphrates valleys emphasized on substantial effect of the environmental conditions on the socio-economic aspects of Bronze Age occupations. However, the climatic deterioration during Middle Bronze Age, which is argued to have a drastic impact on the progressive development of urbanism in al-Jazira, didn't lead the changes in the subsistence patterns. Furthermore, the socio-economic decisions of the urban organizations seem to stimulate the alternations of animal economy trends in upper Mesopotamia region.

Animal Economy in the Middle Euphrates Valley: Faunal Analysis at the Site of Tell Ghanem Al-Ali (Syria)

2010

The Bronze Age is a critical period in the history of the Mesopotamian region. During this phase new cultural and social development of human settlements led to the appearance of exceedingly sophisticated communities in southern Mesopotamia, while the northern parts of Mesopotamia witnessed the formation of its first estates in several centuries following the southern renowned urban centers. The study of human occupations that emerged throughout upper Mesopotamia principally aims to demonstrate the steps of estates formation in northern Mesopotamia, and to identify the contributions of the Syrian urban-centers to the history of the region. The Middle Euphrates valley in north-eastern Syria which is known as al-Jazira (Arabic for the Island) is one of the areas that witnessed the emergence of a matrix of cities and towns during the Early Bronze Age period [Akkermans and Schwartz 2003]. Archaeological investigations conducted in al-Jazira mainly focused on the examination of large-sca...

What the pig ate: A microbotanical study of pig dental calculus from 10th–3rd millennium BC northern Mesopotamia

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2016

One of the main questions that zooarchaeologists have attempted to answer in their studies of ancient agropastoral economies relates to animal diet. Starch granules and phytoliths, which derive from the plant foods consumed over the course of an animal's life, become imbedded in dental calculus and thus offer direct clues about diet. In this paper, we investigate pig diet with an eye toward understanding husbandry strategies in northern Mesopotamia, the region in which pigs were first domesticated, from the Epipaleolithic though the Early Bronze Age. Our data reveal that pigs consumed an assortment of plant foods, including grasses, wild tubers, acorns, and domestic cereals. Although poor preservation plagued the identification of plant microremains at Epipaleolithic (10 th millennium cal. BC) Hallan Çemi, the identification of a diet based on tubers and grasses matches models of wild boar diet. Pigs at 6 th millennium Domuztepe, 5 th millennium Ziyadeh, and 4 th millennium Hacinebi consumed cereals, particularly oats (Avena sp.) and barley (Hordeum sp.), as well as wild plant food resources. Several of the cereal starch granules showed evidence of cooking, indicating that pigs had access to household refuse beginning at least in the late Neolithic. Moreover, calculus from morphologically wild specimens also contained cooked cereal grains. This points to a close relationship between wild boar populations and human settlements in the Neolithic and beyond. Preservation was poor for 3 rd millennium sites in the study, including Atij, Raqa'i, Ziyadeh, and Leilan, but the available data suggest that pigs ate oats, barley and other Triticeae (the tribe that includes wheat, barley, and goatgrass), and other grasses. This may represent foddering practices in the Early Bronze Age.