Animal husbandry in the Early and Middle Neolithic settlement at Kopydlowo in the Polish lowlands. A multi-isotope perspective

Marciniak, Arkadiusz, Evans, Jane, Henton, Elizabeth, Pearson, Jessica ORCID: 0000-0001-6503-1041, Lisowski, Mikolaj, Bartkowiak, Marta and Sobkowiak-Tabaka, Iwona (2017) Animal husbandry in the Early and Middle Neolithic settlement at Kopydlowo in the Polish lowlands. A multi-isotope perspective. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 9 (7). pp. 1461-1479.

Access the full-text of this item by clicking on the Open Access link.

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12520-017-0485-6

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine the isotopic characterisation of domestic animals as it relates to birthing location and seasonality, diet, pasturing pattern, foddering and climatic conditions of herding and to determine variation between these aspects of cattle and caprine husbandry of the Neolithic Linearbandkultur (LBK) and Trichterbecherkultur (TRB) communities from Kopydłowo in Kujavia—one of the major centres of early farming in the European lowlands. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis was undertaken on faunal bone collagen; carbon, oxygen and strontium isotope ratios were measured from tooth enamel. Isotopic signatures may have been caused by different strategies of management of herds of these animal species. Different and more widely distributed carbon, nitrogen and strontium isotopic data for TRB cattle in comparison with its LBK counterparts is indicative of the exploitation of increasingly diverse ecological zones and more varied pastoral practises. The distribution of oxygen isotope values on caprine tooth made it possible to recognise herding seasonality. Irrespective of the chronology, cattle, sheep and goats kept by the inhabitants had C3 plant-based diet.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	European Neolithic, Linearbandkultur, Trichterbecherkultur, Animal husbandry, Stable isotopes
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	26 Jun 2017 15:42
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2023 07:02
DOI:	10.1007/s12520-017-0485-6
Open Access URL:	https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-0...
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3008155