Meat or milk?

Neolithic economies of Caput Adriae

Dimitrij Mlekuz, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana
dimitrij.mlekuz@guest.arnes.si

Sheep and goat kill-off curves from four Neolithic, Eneolithic and Bronze age sites were analysed in this case study.
Obtained curves show no evidence of specialised milk or meat optimised herding strategies. However there is discernible
trend from relatively simple, unoptimized subsistence based on meat towards more diversified and optimised economy
aimed at variety of animal products (meat and milk) principally for domestic use.

Problem:: milch vs
Problem vs.. meat pastoralism Results:: puzzling curves
Results
The identification of herd exploitation strategies poses a number of None of analysed kill-off curves resembles
challenges to the archaeological research. The question which was the main ideal meat neither ideal milk model.

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5%&6!7(03%/!0#
animal product is not important only in the context of economics. Different Examples of optimised meat economy can
labour requirements connected with milch and meat pastoralism play a be found - among other - in early Neolithic

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crucial role in shaping social relations of production and therefore influence Greek and Dalmatian sites. However,
every pore of life. those are relatively large, occupied year

60
,$+-./%/#0
round and provide evidence of domestic
While it may be reasonable to assume that milk was available for human and agricultural activities. They are in '#!)
consumption from the beginning of animal husbandry, Andrew Sherrat sharp contrast to the small, seasonally

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(1981) proposed that the intensification of dairying begin the 3rd millennium used caves, from where all analysed
BC as a component of the secondary products complex. assemblages derive. '%34

20
The key archaeological issue is therefore not to provide evidence for the Kill-off curves from the Edera (phases 1, 2 %&1 %-/ +-2!0-3) !0-3)

0
utilisation of dairy products, but rather to access the scale of production and and 3), Zingari (phase 2), Ciclami (phase 0 20 40
Meat optimised kill-off curve
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significance of this activity in prehistoric economies. 2) and Mitreo (phase 3) are similar to the !"#$%&$'(&)*+

dairying curve as they document relatively

high cull of infantile lambs. However, cull of juvenile and subadult animals
is closer to the ideal meat model (Edera and Mitreo, sites with relatively
large samples). Cull of adult animals is low. Curves from youngest
assemblages (Mitreo and Ciclami, phase 4) is structurally different.
Method:: kill
Method kill--off curves Comparing to the older curves it demonstrates lower cull of infantile
animals and increased culling of adults. Curves lies between ideal milk and
Traditional method used for detection of animal management strategies is meat curves.
analysis of kill-off curves. Payne (1973) proposed - on the basis of his
ethnoarchaeological research among Turkish Combined curves display trend towards higher cull
pastoralists - a middle range theory, which links flock of adult and lower cull of infantile animals.
However, cull of juvenile animals is too high for
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management strategies to the kill-off curves. It is Grotta dei Ciclami Grotta dell’Edera

based on the assumption than optimisation of animal ideal meat model.

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products can be
obtained by 4
60
60
100

% survived

manipulation of sex
% survived

2
and age structure of meat meat
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40

mea the herd. Ideal

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t
dairying and meat milk milk 3 Intepretation : no intensive dairy
Intepretation:
20
20

models differ in the 2

economy
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% survived

age when males are

1 adult
milk inf iuv subadult adult inf iuv subadult
1000
1000

culled. In ideal Grotta del 40 Mitreo

0 Grotta
20 degli40Zingari 60 0 20 60
How can we interpret these puzzling curves? First,
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age in months age in months

dairying model, most a seasonal bias needs to be accounted for. Since
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animals younger most sites were occupied in the time of lambing,

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than two months are 4 high number of infantile lambs may reflect high
60
60

% survived
% survived

inf iuv sub ad

culled in order to mortality and/or culling. High cull of juveniles may
0

0 20 40 60
reduce competition meat meat
3
reflect fodder optimisation strategies (e.g. autumn
40

40

age in months

Payne's optimal milk and meat models for milk with people. killing). Thus early curves demonstrate relatively
With optimal meat
2
milk milk2
simple, unoptimized economy aimed towards
20

20

strategy most domestic consumption of meat.

animals are culled when the reach age of one to three inf iuv subadult adult inf iuv subadult adult
0

years, as they achieve their maximum weight.

0 20 40 60 0 20
Kill-off curvesageofin months
analysed assemblages, grouped
However, use of faunal kill-off patterns to define scale
and specifics of animal husbandry has been heavily
criticised. Besides problems inherent in preservation
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age in by phases
months Curves from the youngest assemblages may
document trends towards optimisation of meat
production and/or intensification of dairying. These
curves may be result of mixed farming strategies,
where small number of a variety of animals are
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and recovery of animal bones, ancient ancient livestock Trieste Karst kept for mixture of products (meat and milk)
may have different productivity than modern, principally for domestic use. This pattern not only
especially breed animals. High juvenile culling need not seems more economically plausible but is also
indicate a dairy economy but can be the result of evident in the considerable heterogeneity that
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fodder preserving strategies. Even more, the presence exists in Late Neolithic, Eneolithic and Broze age
of lambs may be prerequisite of early dairying in order faunal assemblages (Mlekuž 2005). However, we
to stimulate lactation of the sheep. Therefore modern, can find no evidence of intensive dairy economy.
optimised strategies can not serve as a reliable model
60
% survived

for prehistoric flock management strategies.

meat
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ph
as
e4

pha
se 3

Data:: four sites

Data sites,, four phases ph
milk
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as
e4 phase
2 References
phase 1
Kill-off curves from the four sites (Grotta dell’Edera/ pha
se Bon, M. 1996. La fauna neolitica della Grotta degli Zingari nel Carso
Stenašca; Boschin and Riedel 2000, Grotta degli inf iuv 3 subadult adult
Triestino. Atti della Società per la Praistoria e Protoistoria della
0

Zingari/ Ciganska jama; Bon 1996, Grotta del Mitreo/ 0

phase
2 20 of four chronological
40 60 Regione Friuli-Venezia Giulia 9, 127-135.
Combined kill-off curves phases
Mitrej; Petrucci 1997 and Grotta dei Ciclami/ Orehova phase 1
Boschin, F. and A. Riedel 2000. The late Mesolithic and Neolithic
pejca; Riedel 1968) age in months fauna of the Edera cave (Aurisina, Trieste Karst): a preliminary
were analyzed. report. Società Preistoria Protoistoria Friuli-Venezia Giulia 82,
Ciclami

Zingari
Mitreo
Edera

phase Quaderno 8, 73-90.

Faunal assemblages were grouped into Mlekuž, D. 2005. Trajektorije mezoltskih in neolitskih krajin severnih Dinaridov . PhD Thesis,
four chronological phases. However,
3
4 Eneolithic/
A3 4
Bronze Age Department of Archaeology, University of Ljubljana.
5
loose stratigraphical control over
Payne, S. 1973. Kill-off patterns in sheep and goats: the mandibles from Asvan Kale. Anatolian
contexts, general lack of radiocarbon studies 23, 281-303.
data and difficulties connected with the
3 AB4 Late Neolithic/
2 6
AB5 Eneolithic

traditional chronologies based on pottery Petrucci G. 1997. Resti di fauna dai livelli neolitici e post-neolitici della Grotta del Mitreo nel Carso di
Trieste (Scavi 1967). Atti della Società per la Praistoria e Protoistoria della Regione Friuli-Venezia
2 2a AB6
7
5 Vla!ka group
and lithic typology mean that this Giulia 10, 99-118.
8
chronological sequence has only
heuristical value and has no pretension Riedel A. 1969. I mamifer domestici della Caverna dei Ciclami nel Carso Triestino. Atti e Memorie
della Commissione Grotte “E. Boegan” 82, 79-110.
1 3
3a
Mesolithic/Neolithic
transition
to challenge established local
chronologies. Sherratt, A. 1981. Plough and pastoralism: aspects of the Secondary Products Revolution. In: I.
Hodder, G. Isaac and N. Hammond (Eds.), Pattern of the past. Cambridge, Cambridge University
Chronological table of analyzed assemblages Press, 261-306.

(c) 2005 Dimitrij Mleku!