Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio (Incipit), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Instituto de Historia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
PLoS One. 2021 Jan 6;16(1):e0244139. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244139. eCollection 2021.
Sheep remains constitute the main archaeozoological evidence for the presence of Early Neolithic human groups in the highlands of the Southern Pyrenees but understanding the role of herding activities in the Neolithisation process of this mountain ecosystem calls for the analysis of large and well-dated faunal assemblages. Cova de Els Trocs (Bisaurri, Huesca, Spain), a cave located at 1564 m a.s.l on the southern slopes of the Central Pyrenees, is an excellent case study since it was seasonally occupied throughout the Neolithic (ca. 5312-2913 cal. BC) and more than 4000 caprine remains were recovered inside. The multi-proxy analytical approach here presented has allowed us to offer new data elaborating on vertical mobility practices and herd management dynamics as has not been attempted up until now within Neolithic high-mountain sites in the Iberian Peninsula. For the first time, δ18O and δ13C stable isotope analyses offer direct evidence on both the regular practice of altitudinal movements of sheep flocks and the extended breeding season of sheep. Autumn births are recorded from the second half of the fifth millennium cal. BC onwards. Age-at-death distributions illustrate the progressive decline in caprine perinatal mortality together with the rising survival rate of individuals older than six months of age and the larger frequency of adults. This trend alongside the 'off-season' lambing signal at the implementation of husbandry techniques over time, probably aiming to increase the size of the flocks and their productivity. Palaeoparasitological analyses of sediment samples document also the growing reliance on herding activities of the human groups visiting the Els Trocs cave throughout the Neolithic sequence. In sum, our work provides substantial arguments to conclude that the advanced herding management skills of the Early Neolithic communities arriving in Iberia facilitated the anthropisation process of the subalpine areas of the Central Pyrenees.
绵羊遗骸是南比利牛斯山高地新石器时代早期人类群体存在的主要考古动物学证据，但要了解放牧活动在这个山地生态系统的新石器化过程中的作用，需要对大型且年代准确的动物群组合进行分析。Cova de Els Trocs（西班牙韦斯卡的比斯乌里，海拔 1564 米）是一个极好的案例研究，因为它在整个新石器时代（约公元前 5312-2913 年）都有季节性居住，并且在内部发现了超过 4000 只山羊遗骸。本文提出的多代理分析方法使我们能够提供新的数据，详细阐述垂直迁移实践和畜群管理动态，这在伊比利亚半岛新石器时代高山遗址中以前从未尝试过。首次，δ18O 和 δ13C 稳定同位素分析为绵羊群的定期垂直运动和绵羊繁殖季节的延长提供了直接证据。从公元前 5 千年下半年开始，就有秋季出生的记录。年龄分布说明了山羊围产期死亡率的逐渐下降，以及 6 个月以上个体的存活率上升和成年个体的频率增加。这种趋势伴随着随着时间的推移，在实施畜牧业技术时出现“淡季”产羔信号，可能旨在增加羊群的规模和生产力。对沉积物样本的古寄生虫学分析也记录了在新石器时代序列中，访问 Els Trocs 洞穴的人类群体对放牧活动的依赖程度不断增加。总之，我们的工作提供了充分的论据，可以得出结论，到达伊比利亚的新石器时代早期社区的先进畜牧业管理技能促进了中央比利牛斯山亚高山地区的人类化进程。
