Messana Chiara, Tornero Carlos, Colominas Lídia
Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Tarragona, ES Spain.
Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona, 43002 ES Spain.
Archaeol Anthropol Sci. 2025;17(1):16. doi: 10.1007/s12520-024-02116-z. Epub 2024 Dec 26.
During the Iron Age, north-eastern Iberian communities relied on crop cultivation and animal husbandry for their subsistence. The latter was mainly focused on caprine, with sheep being prominent due to their suitability to the Mediterranean climate, orography, and environment. Despite the pivotal role of sheep in livestock husbandry, information on Iberian communities' feeding strategies for this species is limited. To address this lacuna, this study investigates the livestock feeding habits at four Catalan sites dating back to the 3rd century BC: Mas Castellar de Pontós, Tossal de Baltarga, Sant Esteve d'Olius, and Turó de la Rovira. Bulk carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses (δC and δN) of bone collagen and sequential carbon and oxygen analyses (δC and δO) of dental enamel were performed on 74 remains (43 bones, 31 teeth) from 51 sheep. Additionally, 153 bone remains from other domestic and wild species from the four sites were analysed. Our results revealed the complex and adaptive livestock feeding strategies of Iron Age Iberian populations. Sheep exhibited minimal diet variations, mainly consuming C plants across the four sites. Nevertheless, their feeding habits changed seasonally depending on pasture availability and settlement requirements. The other main domestic species were subject to individualised and variable feeding strategies within the same settlement. This diversified feeding management unveiled the complex and adaptive nature of the husbandry practices employed by Iron Age Iberian communities. Finally, the extensive number of remains analysed provides the first data on livestock feeding strategies for the Middle/Late Iron Age in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-024-02116-z.
在铁器时代，伊比利亚半岛东北部的社区依靠作物种植和畜牧业维持生计。后者主要集中在山羊养殖上，由于绵羊适合地中海气候、地形和环境，所以绵羊养殖尤为突出。尽管绵羊在畜牧业中起着关键作用，但关于伊比利亚社区对该物种的饲养策略的信息却很有限。为了填补这一空白，本研究调查了四个可追溯到公元前3世纪的加泰罗尼亚遗址的家畜饲养习惯：马斯·卡斯特拉尔·德·庞托斯、托萨尔·德·巴尔塔尔加、圣埃斯特韦·德·奥柳斯和图罗·德拉罗维拉。对来自51只绵羊的74份遗骸（43块骨头、31颗牙齿）进行了骨胶原的碳氮稳定同位素分析（δC和δN）以及牙釉质的碳氧顺序分析（δC和δO）。此外，还分析了来自这四个遗址的其他家养和野生动物的153份骨头遗骸。我们的研究结果揭示了铁器时代伊比利亚人群复杂且适应性强的家畜饲养策略。绵羊的饮食变化极小，在这四个遗址主要以C3植物为食。然而，它们的饮食习惯会根据牧场的可利用性和定居点的需求季节性地变化。其他主要家养物种在同一定居点内则采用个性化和多样化的饲养策略。这种多样化的饲养管理揭示了铁器时代伊比利亚社区所采用的畜牧实践的复杂性和适应性。最后，大量被分析的遗骸提供了伊比利亚半岛东北部中/晚期铁器时代家畜饲养策略的首批数据。
在线版本包含可在10.1007/s12520-024-02116-z获取的补充材料。
