This dissertation investigates the functioning of human-animal interactions at precolumbian Indigenous sites located in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. The five case studies that comprise this... Show moreThis dissertation investigates the functioning of human-animal interactions at precolumbian Indigenous sites located in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. The five case studies that comprise this work investigate the mortality ages and morphologies of animals, and the dietary linkages between humans and several animal species commonly found in archaeological sites throughout the Greater Antilles such as domesticated dogs and possibly managed endemic rodents known as hutias. Isotopic analysis of animal remains was conducted to determine the consumption of maize as a proxy for investigating closeness in human-animal interactions. In the frame of niche construction theory, the evidence presented in this dissertation relates to the environmental practices of Indigenous peoples. Slash-and-burn farming was a widely practiced environmental management strategy throughout the region which likely created mosaiced plant communities consisting of garden plots and old-growth forest. These mixed anthropogenic and natural environments have been shown to be beneficial to some dietary generalists, and the abundance of hutias in archaeological sites might be the result of ‘garden hunting’ of species that benefited from horticultural practices. This may have constituted a form of animal management that is tied to plant food production, and therefore represents an arguably sustainable form of low-level food production. Show less
Morphometric and morphological differences have been used extensively in the past to study domestication of the wolf and the origin of dogs. Certainly before genetic testing was performed, these... Show moreMorphometric and morphological differences have been used extensively in the past to study domestication of the wolf and the origin of dogs. Certainly before genetic testing was performed, these methods were the only means to diverge both groups. But still now, when aDNA cannot be extracted, morphometry and morphology are still important study methods to discern between wolves and dogs.Many of the historically claimed differences were based on studying rather low numbers of Specimens, and on comparisons with genetically isolated groups of dogs or breeds that had anatomical variants which diverge from the mean. This led to several claimed differences that needed rigorous re-evaluated, by investigating larger groups of specimens, both dogs and wolves, and more importantly, and if possible, Pleistocene wolves and the oldest archaeological dogs.We re-evaluated all important morphological and morphometric criteria published in the literature. Most are related to oral, mandibular and skull differences, but also difference in stature was reported. From all criteria we re-tested very few proved to be valuable. And those that show a difference, can often only be used to a limited extend, as only the extremes of these criteria are non-overlapping between groups. Show less
Until now the Late Neolithic period of Northern Syria (c. 6900 to 5300 BC) has remained somewhat of an enigma, despite the fact that it is acknowledged as one of the most important stages of... Show moreUntil now the Late Neolithic period of Northern Syria (c. 6900 to 5300 BC) has remained somewhat of an enigma, despite the fact that it is acknowledged as one of the most important stages of history in the Near East. It is a period that shows a vast amount of regional differentiation in terms of site types, chronologies, material culture and subsistence patterns, yet it is period for which there are pitifully few comprehensively excavated, analysed and published sites. It is this intriguing period of human history that forms the basis of this research, with the site of Tell Sabi Abyad in the Balikh Valley of the northern Syrian dessert steppe forming the central focus. This impressive site has revealed over 1000 years of seemingly uninterrupted occupation, the excavation of which has unveiled a wealth of finds giving an insight into life some 8000 years ago. One of the most numerous finds is the faunal material; thousands upon thousands of animal bone fragments being all that is left of generations of hunting and farming at and around the site. This book is the result of the research undertaken on this material by Anna Russell for her PhD thesis at Leiden University. The analysis of these remains has given important and new insights into hunting and farming practices over a millennium. The local spectrum of wild and domestic fauna in the area is discussed together with an assessment of the domestication status of some of the key domestic animals through time – sheep, goats, cattle and pigs - with the methods of herding implemented being carefully elucidated from the zooarchaeology data together with an isotopic study of diet. The relationship between the animals and their natural environment and the possible implications of an abrupt climate change (the ‘8.2 k BP Event’ which peaked c. 6200 BC) on the subsistence patterns of the late Neolithic people of Tell Sabi Abyad are also considered in detail. This comprehensive zooarchaeological study of the faunal remains, uncovered during the excavations of Tell Sabi Abyad, has not only shown the gradual development of animal husbandry to the detriment to hunting throughout the seventh millennium BC, but has also revealed for the first time one of the earliest uses of domestic animals for secondary products, such as milk and fibre. It has also uncovered evidence that people adapted to changes in their local environment brought about by climate change through local innovation and promotion of cultural adaptations developed as a result of generations of living in a marginal environment. As such this research brings us one step closer to filling the void in our knowledge of this pivotal period at the end of the Neolithic period. Show less
