A combined approach to reconstructing livestock management in Iron Age north-eastern Iberia: estimating the season of death and palaeodiet using cementochronology and dental micro- and mesowear analyses

Abstract

Two major settlements were established in the Empordà region (north-eastern Iberian Peninsula) in the Iron Age (6th-2nd centuries BC), 15 km from each other: the Greek colony of Empúries and the Iberian city of Ullastret. This coexistence of two different ethnic entities in the same region – and the same environment – presents an opportunity to shed light on the variability of livestock practices in these settlements, as well as their relationship with the environment. For this purpose, in addition to traditional zooarchaeological approaches, we reconstructed the animal palaeodiet and seasonality of death using three different proxies: dental meso- and microwear analyses, and cementum analysis. The results of the study, conducted on caprine and bovine teeth from both sites, support the hypothesis proposed in previous works, namely that the environment was exploited differently depending on livestock species. Caprinae (sheep and goats) were fed in marginal areas and less suitable areas for agriculture while, in contrast, cattle grazed on rich grassland and/or in wetland areas. The combination of cementochronology and dental microwear suggests a lower consumption of grasses in summer for Caprinae and cattle. Seasonality results show that Caprinae were mainly slaughtered during spring and summer.