Pigs and humans in Early Neolithic South-eastern Europe

The Bulgarian site Džuljunica-Smărdeš, dating to 6205-5529 cal. BC, is one of the oldest Neolithic sites in Europe. Both domestic cattle and caprines are present in the zooarchaeological assemblage, but Sus, in contrast, is extremely rare. It is not known if the earliest Neolithic people in Europe did rear domestic pigs, practised some form of pig management, or only hunted wild boar. This research investigates the human pig relationships, using biometry, kill-off patterns and isotopic dietary analysis. With this integrated methodological approach, it might be possible to characterize human-suid relationships in this pivotal Early Neolithic site with greater accuracy. Understanding this relationship at this site contributes to the broader debate on how Neolithisation and domesticates spread through Europe, and which bio-cultural mechanisms were responsible for differential patterns of animal exploitation.

Download Full-text

Pigs and humans in Early Neolithic South-eastern Europe

Documenta Praehistorica ◽

10.4312/dp.45.4 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 38-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Donna De Groene ◽

Petar Zidarov ◽

Nedko Elenski ◽

Youri Van den Hurk ◽

Thijs Van Kolfschoten ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Wild Boar ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Early Neolithic ◽

Dietary Analysis ◽

Domestic Pigs ◽

South Eastern ◽

Neolithic Site ◽

South Eastern Europe ◽

Pig Management

Download Full-text

Genomic and dietary transitions during the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic in Sicily

10.1101/2020.03.11.986158 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marieke S. van de Loosdrecht ◽

Marcello A. Mannino ◽

Sahra Talamo ◽

Vanessa Villalba-Mouco ◽

Cosimo Posth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Material Culture ◽

Eastern Europe ◽

Central Position ◽

Neolithic Period ◽

Early Neolithic ◽

Hunter Gatherers ◽

South Eastern ◽

South Eastern Europe ◽

Early Farmers ◽

Late Mesolithic

AbstractSouthern Italy is a key region for understanding the agricultural transition in the Mediterranean due to its central position. We present a genomic transect for 19 prehistoric Sicilians that covers the Early Mesolithic to Early Neolithic period. We find that the Early Mesolithic hunter-gatherers (HGs) are a highly drifted sister lineage to Early Holocene western European HGs, whereas a quarter of the Late Mesolithic HGs ancestry is related to HGs from eastern Europe and the Near East. This indicates substantial gene flow from (south-)eastern Europe between the Early and Late Mesolithic. The Early Neolithic farmers are genetically most similar to those from the Balkan and Greece, and carry only a maximum of ∼7% ancestry from Sicilian Mesolithic HGs. Ancestry changes match changes in dietary profile and material culture, except for two individuals who may provide tentative initial evidence that HGs adopted elements of farming in Sicily.One-sentence summaryGenome-wide and isotopic data from prehistoric Sicilians reveal a pre-farming connection to (south-) eastern Europe, and tentative initial evidence that hunter-gatherers adopted some Neolithic aspects prior to near-total replacement by early farmers.

Download Full-text

Beginnings of the Neolithic in Southeast Europe: the Early Neolithic sequence and absolute dates from Džuljunica-Smărdeš (Bulgaria)

Documenta Praehistorica ◽

10.4312/dp.41.3 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 51-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Raiko Krauß ◽

Nedko Elenski ◽

Bernhard Weninger ◽

Lee Clare ◽

Canan Çakırlar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Southeast Europe ◽

Early Neolithic ◽

South Eastern ◽

South Eastern Europe ◽

Balkan Region ◽

Climate Fluctuation ◽

Insight Into

Investigations of a balk in the centre of the prehistoric settlement of Džuljunica-Smărdeš comprised a sequence of archaeological deposits from the very onset of Neolithisation in South-eastern Europe throughout the end of the Early Neolithic. The arrival of Neolithic lifeways in the region coincides with the end of a period for which palaeoclimate proxies attest to considerable climate fluctuation. In connection with these investigations, the zoological finds were examined, which provide insight into the economy of this key settlement for the entire Balkan region.

Download Full-text