Eaters of flesh or drinkers of milk?

Production and consumption in the Neolithic Caput Adriae

Dimitrij Mlekuž
Department of Archaeology,
Faculty of Arts,
University of Ljubljana

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

 Domestic Mode of Production ...
... and Consumption

household

consumption

production

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

 “Carnivorous Pastoralism”

Small stock economy, with no possibility of conversion to

large stock. Main animal product is meat.

With no alternative form of security available, a household

is forced to accumulate herds by minimising their off-take.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
 “Milch Pastoralism”

Resource extraction from milch animals constitutes an

essential part of their everyday care, which means greater
labour demand.

Households in milch pastoralism spread their interests by

distributing animals as gifts and loans to a range of stock-
associates.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
 Mitreo
Benussi
Edera Azzura
Caterina Zingari
Ciclami
Mala Triglavca
Trhlovca

Podmol
Acijev spodmol

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

 Assemblages

Mala Triglavca
Tartaruga

Trhlovca
Gigante

Podmol
Benussi
Ciclami

Zingari
Azzura
Mitreo

Acijev
Edera

Eneolithic/
Early BronzeAge
Late Neolithic/
Eneolithic
“Vlaška group”
Mesolithic/
NeolithicTransition
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
 Caput Adriae Kill-off Curves
Grotta dell’Edera Grotta del Mitreo
100

100
Phase 1 (N=10) Phase 2 (N=10)
Phase 2 (N=25) Phase 3 (N=25)
80

80
Phase 3 (N=10) Phase 4 (N=6)
% survived

% survived
60

60
meat meat
40

40
milk milk
20

20
inf iuv subadult adult inf iuv subadult adult
0

0
0 20 40 60 0 20 40 60
age in months age in months

Grotta dei Ciclami Grotta degli Zingari

100

100
Phase 2 (N=10) Phase 2 (N=10)
Phase 3 (N=14)
80

80
% survived

% survived
60

60
meat meat
40

40

milk milk
20

20

inf iuv subadult adult inf iuv subadult adult

0

0 20 40 60 0 20 40 60
age in months age in months
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
 Caput
CaputAdriae
AdriaeCombined
Combined
100

Phase 1 (N=10)
Phase 2 (N=61)
Phase 3 (N=49)
80

Phase 4 (N=6)
60
% survived

meat
40

milk
20

inf iuv subadult adult

0

0 20 40 60
age in months
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
 Tinj-Podlivade: Early Neolithic Village in Dalmatia
!"#$%!%&'()"*+(,
100
80 60
% survived

meat
40

milk
20

inf iuv subadult adult

0

0 20 40 60
age in months
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
 Caput
CaputAdriae
AdriaeCombined
Combined
100

Phase 1 (N=10)
Phase 2 (N=61)
Phase 3 (N=49)
80

Phase 4 (N=6)
60
% survived

meat
40

milk
20

inf iuv subadult adult

0

0 20 40 60
age in months
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
 GoatsPhases
Goats:

!"+
$

!"*
,-./.-01.23.43.8196/-12:7

,-./.-01.23.43.8196/-12:7
%
!")
$
$!&
!"(

%
!"'

$
!"&

#
#

!"! !"# !"$ !"% !"& !"' !"( !")

,-./.-01.23.435.6073123.8196/-12:7

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

 proportion of ass

proportion of ass
proportion of as

proportion of as
Specialisation and Diversification

2
2

2
1

1
1

1
0

0
0

0
Mesolithic/ Late 0.0 0.2 0.0
0.4 0.2
0.6 0.4
0.8 0.6
1.0 0.8 1.00.0 Eneolithic/ 0.2 0.0
0.4 0.2
0.6 0.4
0.8 0.6
1.0 0.8 1.0

Middle
Neolithic Neolithic/ proportion of ovicaprines
proportion of ovicaprines
Early proportion of ovicaprines
proportion of ovicaprines

Phasetransition
Neolithic
1 Phase 1 Phase 2 Eneolithic
Phase 2 Phase 3
Phase 1
Phase 3
Phase 1
Bronze Age
Phase 4
Phase 2
Phase 4
Phase 2

5
5

5
5

5
5

5
5

5
proportion of assemblages

proportion of assemblages
proportion of assemblages

proportion of assemblages
proportion of assemblages

proportion of assemblages
proportion of assemblages

4
4

4
4

4
4

proportion of assemblages

proportion of assemblages
proportion of assemblages

proportion of assemblages
proportion of assemblages

4
4

4
3

3
3

3
3

3
3

3
3

3
2

2
2

2
2

2
2

2
Small

2
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

stock
1

1
1

1
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0.0 0.2 0.0
0.4 0.2
0.6 0.4
0.8 0.6
1.0 0.8 1.00.0 0.2 0.0
0.4 0.60.0 0.4
0.2 1.00.0
0.80.2 0.6 0.4 0.80.2
0.6 1.00.4
0.8 0.6
1.0 0.8 1.00.0 0.2 0.0
0.4 0.2
0.6 0.4
0.8 0.6
1.0 0.8 1.0
0.0 0.2 0.4
0.0 0.6
0.2 0.8
0.4 1.0
0.6 0.8 1.0 0.0 0.2 0.4
0.0 0.6
0.2 0.8
0.4 1.0
0.6 0.8 1.0
proportion of ovicaprines
proportion of ovicaprines proportion ofproportion
proportion of ovicaprines ovicaprines proportion of ovicaprines
of ovicaprines proportion of ovicaprines
proportion of ovicaprines
proportion of ovicaprinesproportion
in assemblage
of cattle
proportion of cattle proportion of cattle
proportion of cattle

Phase 3 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 4

Phase 1 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 4
5

5
5

5
5

5
4 5

4 5
of assemblages

of assemblages
proportion of assemblages

proportion of assemblages

proportion of assemblages
proportion of assemblages

proportion of assemblages
of assemblages

proportion of assemblages

of assemblages

4
4

4
3 4

3 4
3

3
3

3
2 3

2 3
2
proportion

proportion

2
2

2
1 2

1 2
proportion

proportion

Cattle
1

1
1

1
0 1

0 1
0

0
0

0
0

0.0 0.2 0.0

0.4 0.2
0.6 0.4
0.8 0.6
1.0 0.8 1.00.0 0.2 0.0
0.4 0.2
0.6 0.4
0.8 0.6
1.0 0.8 1.0
0.0 0.2 0.00.4of ovicaprines
0.2proportion
0.6 0.40.8of ovicaprines
0.61.0 0.8 1.0 0.0 0.2 0.00.40.8 0.20.61.00.0
0.00.4of ovicaprines
0.20.6 0.40.8 0.61.0
0.2 0.8
0.4 1.0
0.6 0.8 1.0 0.0 0.2 0.4
0.0 0.6
0.2 0.8
0.4 1.0
0.6 0.8 1.0
proportion proportion proportion of ovicaprines
proportion of cattle
proportion of cattle
proportion of cattle
proportion of cattle
inproportion
assemblage
proportion of cattle of cattle
proportion of cattle proportion of cattle
proportion of cattle

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

 30 40
%
70
60
50
Specialisation
Caput andand
Adriae: Sheep Diversification
Cattle

Cattle
20
10

Small
0

stock
1
Mesolithic/ 2 3
Late 4
Eneolithic/
MiddlePhase
Neolithic Neolithic/ Early
Neolithic
transition Eneolithic Bronze Age

Wednesday, March 2, 2011