Theme:
5. Theories and methods in archaeology: interactions between disciplines
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
The Complexity of Neolithic Livestock Management, Dairy Production, and Farming Strategies North of the Alps
Content:
Recent years have seen an increasing numbers of studies of early cattle-based agricultural production, mostly through zooarchaeology, isotopic methods, and ceramic residue analysis. Results have shown that in some regions, dairying was adopted much later than cattle breeding, and in some areas not at all. In other regions, dairying appears to have been practiced from the introduction of domestic stock. This variability underscores the diversification of Neolithic farming practice once agriculture moves north of the Alps.
Initial studies focused on detecting the presence or absence of dairy products, but the field is now ready to explore the complexity of cattle-based farming systems. In particular, the ways in which knowledge could have been transferred within and between societies is of great interest. Specialist knowledge and skills were needed to ensure ongoing productivity, especially if dairying was involved, and to maximize livestock-based agricultural production, so it follows that methods and techniques of production would have changed depending on environmental setting. It should also involve an examination of the character of husbandry traits of different cattle breeds, including milk production and meat quality. This diversification of farming practice would also have had influence on the material culture, for example, in the case of specialized pottery for manufacturing dairy products. It would also have had an effect on mobility patterns, with animals likely being moved for various purposes and at various scales.
To explore the complexity of cattle-based agricultural production, we invite papers that explore the processes leading to the earliest dairying in Europe north of the Alps, and the adaptation of farming to various settings. We invite papers of any applicable method for understanding the interplay between cattle-based agricultural production and prehistoric societies, their economies, mobility, genetics and material culture.
Keywords:
Neolithic, Husbandry, Cattle, Dairy, Pottery, Farming
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Bente Philippsen (Denmark) 1,2
Co-organisers:
Kurt Gron (United Kingdom) 3
Arkadiusz Marciniak (Poland) 4
Lasse Sørensen (Denmark) 1
Affiliations:
1. National Museum of Denmark
2. Aarhus AMS Centre
3. Durham University
4. Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan
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