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-Location and dates of the earliest ungulate domestication in Asia (animal outlines), of the Neolithic routes of transportation (arrows), of the early domesticates and of the different steps of the early spread of husbandry starting from the nucleus zones (concentric degraded green patches); according to Meadow (1981), Helmer et al. (2005), Larson et al. (2005, 2007), Peters et al. (2005), Flad et al. (2007), Cucchi et al. (2008, 2011), Yang et al. (2008), Hongo et al. (2009), Dobney & Jacques (2010), Linseele (2013), and Vigne & Debue (in press).
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This paper aims to identify a series of conceptual, strategic and technological challenges facing archaeozoology (and archaeobotany) in order to better understand when, where, how and why plant and animal domestication and farming developed during the last 12 000 years. Situated at the interface of human societies and their environment, this reflec...
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available online at https://www.sidestone.com/books/?c=archaeology&q=cat-dutch-archaeology&pg=4
Excavations at the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaueria in the years 2003–2005 produced a small but quite interesting assemblage of charred seeds and fruits. Their analysis adds to a small existing body of such evidence and sheds light on several issues including aspects of the physical environment in the past, the agricultural economy in the area of...
Historical evidence suggests that social status played a major role in all aspects of society in eighteenth–nineteenth century England. We present an insight into how socioeconomic status affected the dietary habits of two post-medieval urban populations from Greater Manchester, northwest England. Stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope ra...
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... In the case of cattle, the interpretation is more complex due to the scarcity of individuals, although exploitation for dairy production cannot be ruled out. In the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula and the eastern Pyrenees, similar mortality patterns have been identified that indicate the exploitation of dairy products during the Early Neolithic, such as in the Cova de la Sarsa (Boessneck and Von den Driesch 1980), Cova de l'Or (Pérez Ripoll 1980), Can Sadurní (Saña et al. 2015), Caserna de Sant Pau (Albizuri and Nadal 1993), La Draga (Saña 2011), Abri Joan Cros (Vigne 2015) or Font Juvénal (Debono-Spiteri et al. 2016). In addition, by the analysis of organic residues, it has been also possible to evidence the consumption and processing of dairy products in pottery at the Early Neolithic sites from northeastern (Martí et al. 2009;Debono-Spiteri et al. 2016;Breu et al. 2021;Tarifa-Mateo et al. 2021) and southern (Tarifa-Mateo et al. 2019;Breu et al. 2023) Iberia. ...
From the second part of the 6th millennium BC onwards, pottery manufacture is attested throughout the western Mediterranean. The study of the functional and use of vessels has become a valuable source of information on the culinary patterns and subsistence practices of past societies. In the present study, we have analyzed the organic residues of a total of 37 ceramic vessels from the first Neolithic settlements in the Central Pyrenees. Results from lipid analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and GC-stable carbon isotope ratio analyses (GC-IRMS) revealed that from the earliest phases, the use of pottery was related to the exploitation of dairy and meat products, as well as plant resources. The data obtained are contextualized within the general frame of the Pyrenees and the western Mediterranean.
... For this research, we considered domestication as a process of intensification of the interaction between humans and plants or non-human animals (e.g. Clutton--Brock, 1992;Vigne, 2011Vigne, , 2015Zeder, 2012Zeder, , 2015. The implementation of this process can be detected through the weed composition in the charred seed record for plants (Willcox et al., 2008), or through the taxon frequencies, the age at death profiles or the skeletal part representation for incipient husbandry for animals (e. g. ...
... The implementation of this process can be detected through the weed composition in the charred seed record for plants (Willcox et al., 2008), or through the taxon frequencies, the age at death profiles or the skeletal part representation for incipient husbandry for animals (e. g. Zeder and Hesse, 2000;Vigne, 2011bVigne, , 2015Stiner et al., 2014). This human control inflected the evolutionary trajectory of the non-human populations involved in the domestication process, provoking physiological or morphological change that became archaeologically visible only after a certain time following the initiation of the domestication process (Zohary, 1998;Vigne, 2011b;Zeder, 2012;Arbuckle, 2016). ...
... We considered using the term of domestic plant or animal if and only if one of these features was detected. Consequently, the process of domestication precedes the appearance of the domestic form of sometimes several centuries (Vigne, 2011(Vigne, , 2015. ...
The interdisciplinary approach and analytical tools applied in the last 30 years in the Amathous region (Cyprus),
especially at the sites of Shillourokambos and Klimonas, generated a huge quantity of archaeological, geo-
archaeological and bioarchaeological data. They significantly contributed to document the interactions between
the early Neolithic human societies and the environment and natural resources of an isolated island, during this
pivotal period when both the climate and the human subsistence strategies went through radical changes. This
paper briefly reviews these changes through several insights: hydrological changes and their impact on the
establishment and preservation of Neolithic sites; plant and vertebrate faunal evolution, especially as a conse-
quence of the introduction of new wild and domestic species in the island; birth and evolution of the commensal
fauna (e.g. mice, cats); local domestication of wild boar and goats; adaptation and intensification of cultivation
and breeding to the local environments. Altogether, these insights can provide a heuristic model at a regional
scale to further understand the incipient human niche construction of the Eastern Mediterranean area.
... Pokud se podíváme na dnešní stav bádání o interakci člověka a přírody ve starším úseku pozdního pleistocénu na Předním východě, tedy v období od konce posledního glaciálního maxima po začátek oteplení a zvlhčení klimatu v interstadiálu B/A (23 000 BP -14 500 BP cal.), vidíme různé a pestré způsoby lidských environmentálních a kulturních adaptací. Jedno ale mají společného a to ustálení určitých kulturních mechanismů a strategií obživy (Vigne 2015). Je zřejmé, že řada charakteristik, které pozorujeme jako rozvinuté v levantském natufienu, jsou nesporně základem evoluční proměny na cestě k plnému zemědělství. ...
Book in the Czech language, English summary. Full-text PDF. The text of the book is split into four sections. The first section, The Prologue, is devoted to the history of research into the beginnings of agriculture. We consider it very important as without a detailed depiction of the development of concepts and historical research results it is not easy to understand the contemporary views of this issue. Much of the study deals with environmental archaeology as this science has been at the forefront of research into the beginnings of agriculture, but we also mention the development of paleoecology and agronomic sciences. The second section, with the name The Frames, describes in detail the basic palaeoecological factors (climate and vegetation paleoecology) and social conditions under which humans of the end of the Pleistocene entered the scenery of the agricultural beginnings. We also pay our attention to anthropological research of “relict“ hunting and gathering groups as these archaic communities provide model testimony of possible paleoeconomic practices that may be cautiously used as a reconstructive tool for the situation in prehistory. In the thematically regional core of our study (the third section), called The Centers, we depict events and processes in important parts of the world with the exception of the Americas. For the area of the Near East and China and to a certain extent also Africa and Europe, we used a uniform scheme of interpretation which includes the development of the local climate and vegetation, followed by the description of local communities. The final section of the book summarizes the results.
... The domestication of plants and animals represents undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements mankind has ever made, as the cultivation of "selected" plant species enabled humans to increase their food supply, while the domestication of animal species made it easier to perform diversified tasks, such as hunting and managing cultivated land. The domestication of surrounding flora and fauna by ancient human populations required an intentionality and an understanding of other species' behavior and reproductive biology [3,4]; thus, the cognitive demands of the human-mediated domestication process constitute a phenomenon distinct from other interspecific mutualisms, i.e., those evolved by social insects [5,6]. ...
The process of canine domestication represents certainly one of the most interesting questions that evolutionary biology aims to address. A “multiphase” view of this process is now accepted, with a first phase during which different groups of wolves were attracted by the anthropogenic niche and a second phase characterized by the gradual establishment of mutual relationships between wolves and humans. Here, we provide a review of dog (Canis familiaris) domestication, highlighting the ecological differences between dogs and wolves, analyzing the molecular mechanisms which seem to have influenced the affiliative behaviors first observed in Belyaev’s foxes, and describing the genetics of ancient European dogs. Then, we focus on three Mediterranean peninsulas (Balkan, Iberian and Italian), which together represent the main geographic area for studying canine domestication dynamics, as it has shaped the current genetic variability of dog populations, and where a well-defined European genetic structure was pinpointed through the analysis of uniparental genetic markers and their phylogeny.
... Numerous taxa can go feral (McKnight, 1964), but the most important are those initially domesticated in the Near East, which spread to Europe and have a primary function in agricultural production (Manning et al., 2013a;McClure, 2015;Vigne, 2015). These include the domestic cow (Bos taurus), pig (Sus scrofa), sheep (Ovis aries), and goat (Capra hircus). ...
... These include the domestic cow (Bos taurus), pig (Sus scrofa), sheep (Ovis aries), and goat (Capra hircus). To these I add horses (Equus caballus) because, although their domestication postdates the European Neolithic (Vigne, 2015), the taxon is relevant to the North American examples given below. Other domestic animals can go feral, including domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and cats (Felis silvestris), but neither taxon is generally considered to play a central role in farming. ...
The presence of domestic animals is a key feature of the Neolithic. Their earliest presence in archaeological contexts across the European continent is often interpreted as reflecting farming practices. However, domestic animals often escape, survive, and become feral. Using the comparative example of colonial North America, this article's aim is to illustrate what happens when livestock are introduced to a new, continental temperate environment. Taking a dual historical and archaeological perspective, the author reiterates and elaborates on the suggestion that feral animals were almost certainly a feature of the European Neolithization process.
... Each case is different but all share elements of mutualism, while also influenced by human culture. Biological aspects were more important in the early steps of the meandering path of domestication, while socioeconomic and cultural conditions were increasingly more influential in the later phases of spread and further development (Vigne, 2015). Reduced to a short definition and acknowledging the risk of oversimplification, domestication is a range of coevolutionary relationships between people and animals with sustained mutual benefits for all partners, primarily increased population capacity. ...
... It is important to note that the translocation of animals by watercraft does not necessarily equate to domestication per se. For example, early Neolithic peoples introduced the wild fallow deer (Dama dama mesopotamica) to Cyprus, supposedly to replenish the island with game for hunting, yet they never domesticated these cervids [30]. Much the same thing happened with wild deer (Rusa timorensis) in prehistoric Wallacea, although it is uncertain when the human-mediated dispersal of this taxon began [31]. ...
The Sulawesi warty pig (S. celebensis) is a wild and still-extant suid that is endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. It has long been theorised that S. celebensis was domesticated and/or deliberately introduced to other islands in Indonesia prior to the advent of the Neolithic farming transition in the region. Thus far, however, there has been no empirical support for this idea, nor have scientists critiqued the argument that S. celebensis was a pre-Neolithic domesticate in detail. Here, it is proposed that early foragers could have formed a relationship with S. celebensis that was similar in essence to the close association between Late Pleistocene foragers in Eurasia and the wild wolf ancestors of domestic dogs. That is, a longstanding practice of hunter-gatherers intensively socialising wild-caught S. celebensis piglets for adoption into human society as companion animals (‘pets’) may have altered the predator–prey dynamic, brought aspects of wild pig behaviour and reproduction under indirect human selection and control, and caused changes that differentiated human-associated pigs from their solely wild-living counterparts.
... During this period, domestication of animals from their wild progenitors took place at different locations across the globe [3][4][5]. Three proposed pathways of domestication exist; commensal pathway, prey pathway and directed pathway [6][7][8] and cattle are believed to be domesticated a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 through prey pathway [7], in which animals were domesticated to increase the predictability of a prey animal. Wild aurochs (Bos primigenius) is considered as the ancestor of modern cattle [9,10]. ...
Andaman cattle is a precious indigenous livestock species endemic to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Till date, origin and genetic makeup of the breed which is warranted for breed conservation is not known. Moreover, the spread of zebu cattle from Indus valley to different parts of Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) is not properly understood. Here, we report the genetic diversity, population structure of Andaman cattle and their evolution in the context of epicentre of zebu domestication and ISEA. High genetic diversity in complete mitochondrial D-loop sequences indicated the ability of the breed to withstand impending climate change. Total 81 haplotypes were detected and all of them except three belonged to Bos indicus. The presence of taurine haplotypes in Andaman cattle indicate introgression by European-derived cattle. A poor phylogenetic signal of Andaman cattle with genetic affinities with cattle of Indian subcontinent and ISEA was observed. The poor phylogenetic structure may be due to multidirectional gene flow from Indian subcontinent and ISEA, with which Andaman shares a close cultural and trade relationship from Neolithic age. We hypothesize that Andaman cattle is the outcome of Neolithic diffusion from centre of zebu domestication along with multidirectional commercial exchange between Indian subcontinent and ISEA.
... Since domestication, livestock species have adapted to abiotic factors that characterized their cradle of origin and subsequently their different breeding areas. Farmers have directed the evolution of livestock species in response to their production needs, and according to the landscape and bioclimatic factors at different latitudes [1,2]. ...
Understanding the relationships among geography, climate, and genetics is increasingly
important for animal farming and breeding. In this study, we examine these inter-relationships in the context of local cattle and sheep breeds distributed along the Italian territory. To this aim, we used redundancy analysis on genomic data from previous projects combined with geographical coordinates and corresponding climatic data. The effect of geographic factors (latitude and longitude) was more important in sheep (26.4%) than that in cattle (13.8%). Once geography had been partialled out of analysis, 10.1% of cattle genomic diversity and 13.3% of that of sheep could be ascribed to climatic effects. Stronger geographic effects in sheep can be related to a combination of higher pre-domestication genetic variability together with biological and productive specificities. Climate alone seems to have had less impact on current genetic diversity in both species, even if climate and geography are greatly confounded. Results confirm that both species are the result of complex evolutionary histories triggered by interactions between human needs and environmental conditions.
... The dark red transparent area represents the domestication center and early dispersal area of sheep/goats and cattle (Murphy, 2007;Vigne, 2015). Circled red numbers indicate sites mentioned in the text: 1, Obishir V site; 2, Ganggangwa site; 3, Huoshiliang site; 4, Miaoliang site; 5, Hongliang site; 6, Houtaomuga site; 7, Nizhnyaya Sooru site. ...
Cattle, sheep, and goats were first domesticated in West Asia, but the history of utilization of these livestock in China is controversial. The Hexi Corridor, located in the northwestern Gansu-Qinghai (GQ) region of northwest China, was a conduit of cultural exchange between East and West Eurasia. Based on the identification and radiocarbon dating of animal remains unearthed from two Xichengyi culture sites in the Hexi Corridor (Huoshiliang (火石梁) and Ganggangwa (缸缸洼), ranging from 4060 cal BP to 3650 cal BP), combined with other archaeological data published from the GQ region, this study aims to reveal the history of pastoralism and the timing for the emergence of the earliest domesticated cattle and caprines in the GQ region. Our results suggest that directly dated domestic sheep/goat bones (4060-3840 cal BP) and cattle bones (3970-3830 cal BP) unearthed from these two sites are the earliest yet reported for sites within GQ region, but are significantly later than those reported elsewhere in the temperate-grassland areas of northern China. Furthermore, the unearthed animal remains suggest that early pastoralism in the GQ region occurred at the beginning of the Qijia/Xichengyi culture period (∼4000 cal BP), significantly later than other previously reported evidence for the substantial increase of sedimental coprophilous fungal spores in this region since∼5600 cal BP. We argue that previously reported evidence for increased coprophilous fungal spores in the GQ region before 4000 cal BP may come from raising domestic pigs and/or wild animals rather than domestic cattle and sheep/goats, and should not be taken as evidence for the intensification of pastoralism of cattle and sheep/goats.