Where Did the Herds Go? Combining Zooarchaeological and Isotopic Data to Examine Animal Management in Ancient Thessaly (Greece)

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2024 Oct 22

PMID 39436871

Authors

Dimitris Filioglou

Silvia Valenzuela-Lamas

William P Patterson

Leopoldo D Pena

Samantha Presslee

Sandra Timsic

Antonio Delgado Huertas

Wietske Prummel

Canan Cakirlar

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Historians and archaeologists have been debating the scale of animal husbandry in ancient Greece for decades. This study contributes to the debate by examining Classical and Hellenistic faunal assemblages from Magoula Plataniotki, New Halos, and Pherae through non-destructive zooarchaeological methods and a multi-isotopic (87Sr/86Sr, δ13C, and δ18O) approach. Zooarchaeological data suggest that small-scale sedentary animal husbandry focused on caprine production in Magoula Plataniotiki and New Halos, and small-scale and semi-specialised animal husbandry was practised in Pherae. Isotopic data show both sedentary and mobile management of livestock in all sites, indicating different levels of production intensity and variety of goals. Based on our results, we propose an economic model whereby semi-specialised and small-scale animal husbandry co-existed, confirming mixed husbandry models for ancient Greece.

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