Autumn/Winter Births in Traditional and Pre-Pottery Neolithic Caprine Husbandry in Cyprus: Evidence from Ethnography and Stable Isotopes

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-13-2018

Publication Title

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

Volume

53

First page number:

102

Last page number:

111

Abstract

Highlights: Sequential oxygen isotope analysis in enamel reveals caprine birth patterns in PPNB Cyprus. PPNB caprines were breeding outside their wild ancestors’ restricted season. Autumn/winter births in PPNB caprines echo a similar pattern in traditional Cypriot husbandry. The distribution of births reflects adaptation to the Mediterranean precipitation regime. The ability of caprines to quickly adapt to new environments enables potentially fast diffusion of domestic caprines.

Disciplines

Archaeological Anthropology

Language

English

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