Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle-CNRS, UMR 7209 Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique : sociétés, pratiques et environnements, Département Ecologie et Gestion de la Biodiversité, Paris, France.
CNRS-Paris 1, UMR 8096 Archéologie des Amériques, Nanterre, France.
PLoS One. 2014 Jan 31;9(1):e87559. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087559. eCollection 2014.
Llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Vicugna pacos) are the only large domesticated animals indigenous to the Americas. Pastoralism occupies a fundamental economic, social and religious role in Andean life. Today, camelid livestock are confined to the ecozone of the puna (above 3,500 masl), while their presence on the Pacific coast during pre-Hispanic times is attested by archaeological skeletal remains. This study aims to document herding practices on the northern Peruvian coast during the Early Intermediate Period (200 BC-600 AD) by gaining insights into diet, location of breeding and mobility of archaeological camelids from the funerary and ritual contexts of two Mochica sites, Uhle Platform in Huacas de Moche and El Brujo. The three first early years and the long-term life histories of the animals were documented by the combined bulk analysis of bone collagen (δ(13)C col and δ(15)N col) and bone structural carbonate (δ(13)C bone and δ(18)O bone) and the serial analysis of structural carbonate of molar tooth enamel (δ(13)C enamel and δ(18)O enamel). Mochica camelids were bred in the low and/or middle valleys, unlike their modern counterparts, who are restricted to highland puna C3 pastures. Archaeological camelids had diverse and complex life histories, usually with substantial maize foddering. An ontogenetic switch in diet and possible residential mobility during the course of life were identified for some specimens. Although the inference of geographic origin from δ(18)O bone and δ(18)O enamel values was limited because of the lack of understanding of the influence of environmental and biological factors, tooth enamel analysis has great potential for exploring camelid herding practices and Andean pastoralism. Our study suggested that Mochica herders adapted their practices to the difficult lowland environment and that herding practices were varied and not restricted to breeding at higher altitudes. The role of maize in different aspects of the economic life of the Mochicas is also underlined.
羊驼（Llama glama）和骆马（Vicugna pacos）是美洲唯一的大型本土驯化动物。畜牧业在安第斯生活中占据着基础的经济、社会和宗教地位。如今，骆驼科动物仅限于潘帕斯草原生态区（海拔 3500 米以上），而在史前时期，它们曾出现在太平洋沿岸，这一点可从考古骨骼遗骸中得到证明。本研究旨在通过对莫奇卡两个遗址——胡阿卡·德莫切的乌勒平台和埃尔布鲁霍——的丧葬和仪式背景中的考古骆驼进行饮食、繁殖地点和移动性分析，来记录秘鲁北部沿海地区在早中期（公元前 200 年至公元 600 年）的放牧实践。动物的前三年和长期生活史是通过骨胶原（δ(13)C col 和 δ(15)N col）和骨结构碳酸盐（δ(13)C bone 和 δ(18)O bone）的批量分析以及磨牙牙釉质结构碳酸盐的序列分析来记录的（δ(13)C 牙釉质和 δ(18)O 牙釉质）。莫奇卡骆驼是在低地和/或中低地山谷中繁殖的，与现代骆驼不同，现代骆驼只限于高地潘帕斯草原 C3 牧场。考古骆驼具有多样化和复杂的生活史，通常大量食用玉米饲料。在一些样本中，发现了饮食的个体发育转变和生命过程中可能的居住移动。尽管由于缺乏对环境和生物因素影响的了解，从δ(18)O 骨和 δ(18)O 牙釉质值推断地理起源受到限制，但牙釉质分析对于探索骆驼放牧实践和安第斯畜牧业具有巨大潜力。我们的研究表明，莫奇卡牧民根据低地环境的困难条件调整了他们的做法，而且放牧做法多种多样，并不限于在高海拔地区繁殖。玉米在莫奇卡经济生活的不同方面所扮演的角色也很重要。
