The Bronze Age is increasinglycharacterised as a period in which the search for and trade in metals dominatesmobility and exchange in Europe. Chiefs travelled the lands and seas anddominated the... Show moreThe Bronze Age is increasinglycharacterised as a period in which the search for and trade in metals dominatesmobility and exchange in Europe. Chiefs travelled the lands and seas anddominated the acquisition and possession of critical resources. Most researchfocuses on the provenance and distribution of metals and on the mobility ofpeople. Yet, the mobility of one the most obvious sources of social andeconomic wealth in the Bronze Age has got little attention: livestock. Thisstudy explores the possible social role of livestock of cattle and sheep, bothin the household sphere and in the sphere of exchange as a means of ‘connectingpeople’. Here, strontium isotope data is presented from 58 cattle and sheepfrom settlement contexts from Bronze Age West-Frisia (2000-800 BC), theNetherlands, with the aim to gain an isotopic perspective on the socio-economicsignificance of livestock. The data provide evidence for long-distance trade orexchange of livestock. Besides their monetary value, we suggest that livestock,and in particular cattle, may have been perceived as equal to people in termsof labour and production and as members of the household. Their mobility andexchange therefore signal more than just economic trade, it signals a socialpractice. By changing our perspective towards the social ideology of farminglife, we will move closer to understanding Bronze Age societies in more diverseand inclusive ways. Research into livestock mobility is therefore consideredfundamental for a more diverse understanding of Bronze Age farming life. Show less
