Jörg Schibler

Beyond affluence: the zooarchaeology of luxury

The statement, by the eighteenth-century economist Adam Smith, that luxuries are all things that are not necessities is too simplistic an approach to be useful within the context of zooarchaeology. To start with, all animal products could be regarded as unnecessary within the human diet. Therefore, a four-part subdivision is proposed, distinguishing between foodstuffs that fulfil basic physiological needs, those that fulfil imagined needs, those that render a diet affluent and, finally, luxury foods. Optimal foraging theory further develops this subdivision by also taking into account the costs involved in obtaining the ingredients. The distinction between the affluent and the luxurious diet in particular allows us to define criteria through which luxury foods can be recognized within a zooarchaeological assemblage. At the same time, however, the constraints of such an exercise become apparent. This theoretical approach is illustrated by case studies from Roman to post-medieval Europe.

The economy and environment of the 4th and 3rd millennia BC in the northern Alpine foreland based on studies of animal bones

Abstract The economic and environmental data presented here are based on identifications of more than 275000 animal bones from 126 Neolithic lake shore settlements dated to between 4300 cal. BC and 2500 cal. BC. Due to the excellent state of preservation of all organic material and the consequent precise dating, mostly by dendrochronology, only results from lake shore sites in the Swiss alpine foreland and the area of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) have been considered. Marked fluctuations in the importance of game animals can be recognised throughout the Neolithic lake dwelling period. These fluctuations coincide with climatically induced economic crises which, because of starvation, forced people to intensify hunting and gathering. Looking at the relative importance of the different domestic animals we notice chronologically and geographically influenced differences more than the effects of climatic factors. These differences are mainly due to the environmental evolution resulting from human impact. However, cultural factors may also have had an impact. A comparison of archaeozoological data from the Neolithic lake dwelling sites dated to between 4300 and 2500 cal. BC in the northern Alpine foreland shows a very complicated mosaic of factors influencing the economy of these sites. These include climatic conditions, the state of the environment, human impact and the topography, and all must be taken into account if an economic interpretation of a site, region or period is to be arrived at.

On-site data cast doubts on the hypothesis of shifting cultivation in the late Neolithic (c. 4300–2400 cal. BC): Landscape management as an alternative paradigm:

This article brings together in a comprehensive way, and for the first time, on- and off-site palaeoenvironmental data from the area of the Central European lake dwellings (a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 2011). The types of data considered are as follows: high-resolution off-site pollen cores, including micro-charcoal counts, and on-site data, including botanical macro- and micro-remains, hand-collected animal bones, remains of microfauna, and data on woodland management (dendrotypology). The period considered is the late Neolithic (c. 4300–2400 cal. BC). For this period, especially for its earlier phases, discussions of land-use patterns are contradictory. Based on off-site data, slash-and-burn – as known from tropical regions – is thought to be the only possible way to cultivate the land. On-site data however show a completely different picture: all indications point to the permanent cultivation of cereals (Triticum spp., Hordeum vulgare), pea (Pisum sativum), flax (Linum usitatissimum) and opium-poppy (Papaver somniferum). Cycles of landscape use are traceable, including coppicing and moving around the landscape with animal herds. Archaeobiological studies further indicate also that hunting and gathering were an important component and that the landscape was manipulated accordingly. Late Neolithic land-use systems also included the use of fire as a tool for opening up the landscape. Here we argue that bringing together all the types of palaeoenvironmental proxies in an integrative way allows us to draw a more comprehensive and reliable picture of the land-use systems in the late Neolithic than had been reconstructed previously largely on the basis of off-site data.

NATIVE OR NATURALIZED? VALIDATING ALPINE CHAMOIS HABITAT MODELS WITH ARCHAEOZOOLOGICAL DATA

Conservation of mammal species often requires the application of predictive habitat models. While empirical models can indicate the potential suitability and distribution of recent habitat, they may fail to depict native habitat and distribution. Therefore, we advocate validating such models with archaeozoological data. To demonstrate the power of archaeozoological data in investigating native distribution patterns, we use the alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) as a model species. After ex- periencing a severe historical population bottleneck due to overexploitation, chamois pop- ulations recovered markedly during the last century. Fostered by humans and having profited from translocations, this alpine ungulate greatly expanded its range and began to invade forested areas both within and outside the Alps, where damage to vegetation was soon obvious. Consequently, a controversy arose concerning the natural distribution and habitat of chamois. To study the native habitat and distribution of alpine chamois in Switzerland, we focus on the Late Mesolithic and Neolithic period (6000-2200 BC). This period best suits our purpose because pristine forests then dominated the landscape and human influence was as yet minimal. We describe two opposing habitat models: the alpine model assumes that chamois had survived only in alpine areas, whereas the forest model assumes that they also roamed in steep, entirely forested areas. We validate these models with archaeozool- ogical data. Because the probability of chamois bone occurrence in prehistoric settlements is expected to decrease with increasing distance from chamois habitat, the models differ in their geographical predictions of chamois bone records. Applying logistic regression models, only settlement proximity to chamois forest habitat explains recoveries of fossil chamois bones. The resulting function of catchment distances (i.e., the likelihood of hunting chamois depending on the distance between a settlement and the nearest chamois habitat) matches the spatial behavior of extant hunters within pristine forests. We conclude that Holocene chamois range in Switzerland naturally included steep and entirely forested regions, like the Jura Mountains. The recent invasion of these areas by chamois thus constitutes repatriation of native habitat. Accordingly, we propose a shift in perspective toward landscape integration of chamois.

Holocene Palaeoenvironmental Changes in North-West Europe: Climatic Implications and the Human Dimension

Holocene climate changes and variability in Europe are outlined on three time scales: long-term changes throughout the period as a whole; shorter-term fluctuations at centennial to millennial scales; and events with an annual to multi-decadal duration. Human population history in Europe during the Holocene is considered in relation to this history of climatic change and variability; in particular, evidence is reviewed that may indicate that human populations responded to, and perhaps also contributed to, climatic changes. The limitations of the data sources and chronological techniques available are briefly outlined.

Inter- and intraspecies variability in stable isotope ratio values of archaeological freshwater fish remains from Switzerland (11th–19th centuries AD)

This paper presents carbon and nitrogen isotopic results from several Swiss freshwater fish (Esox lucius, Perca fluviatilis, Barbus barbus, Rutilus rutilus and other Cyprinidae) in order to provide information about their trophic level, feeding habits and provenance. Freshwater fish remains are regularly recovered from archaeological contexts in Switzerland, which attests to the importance of these aquatic food resources to past communities. However, it can be difficult to determine the effect of freshwater fish consumption in human bone isotope signatures by stable isotope ratio analysis. Therefore, an establishment of baseline isotope signatures of freshwater fish by region and time is necessary. Additionally, freshwater fish isotope analysis can serve as a backdrop for research on former aquatic isotopic ecology. We measured carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of 140 freshwater fish bone samples from sites dating between the 11th and 19th centuries AD. Suitable C:N ratios (2·9–3·6) were obtained from 56 of the samples, a rather low success rate that may be the result of diagenetic contamination and insufficient sample weight (<20 mg). A high inter- and intraspecies variability of freshwater fish isotope signature was observed. The δ15N results indicate a size and age-related trophic level effect. Heterogeneous carbon isotope signatures from samples from the same site could indicate spatial variation in isotope values within a single ecosystem or alternatively represent the use of different fishing grounds.

Burial condition is the most important factor for mtDNA PCR amplification success in Palaeolithic equid remains from the Alpine foreland

Faunal remains from Palaeolithic sites are important genetic sources to study preglacial and postglacial populations and to investigate the effect of climate change and human impact. Post mortem decay, resulting in fragmented and chemically modified DNA, is a key obstacle in ancient DNA analyses. In the absence of reliable methods to determine the presence of endogenous DNA in sub-fossil samples, temporal and spatial surveys of DNA survival on a regional scale may help to estimate the potential of faunal remains from a given time period and region. We therefore investigated PCR amplification success, PCR performance and post mortem damage in c. 47,000 to c. 12,000-year-old horse remains from 14 Palaeolithic sites along the Swiss Jura Mountains in relation to depositional context, tissue type, storage time and age, potentially influencing DNA preservation. The targeted 75 base pair mitochondrial DNA fragment could be amplified solely from equid remains from caves and not from any of the open dry and (temporary) wetland sites. Whether teeth are better than bones cannot be ultimately decided; however, both storage time after excavation and age significantly affect PCR amplification and performance, albeit not in a linear way. This is best explained by the—inevitable—heterogeneity of the data set. The extent of post mortem damage is not related to any of the potential impact factors. The results encourage comprehensive investigations of Palaeolithic cave sites, even from temperate regions.

High-resolution isotopic evidence of specialised cattle herding in the European Neolithic

Reconstructing stock herding strategies and land use is key to comprehending past human social organization and economy. We present laser-ablation strontium and carbon isotope data from 25 cattle (Bos taurus) to reconstruct mobility and infer herding management at the Swiss lakeside settlement of Arbon Bleiche 3, occupied for only 15 years (3384–3370 BC). Our results reveal three distinct isotopic patterns that likely reflect different herding strategies: 1) localized cattle herding, 2) seasonal movement, and 3) herding away from the site year-round. Different strategies of herding are not uniformly represented in various areas of the settlement, which indicates specialist modes of cattle management. The pressure on local fodder capacities and the need for alternative herding regimes must have involved diverse access to grazing resources. Consequently, the increasing importance of cattle in the local landscape was likely to have contributed to the progress of socio-economic differentiation in early agricultural societies in Europe.

Miners and mining in the Late Bronze Age: a multidisciplinary study from Austria

The extraction and processing of metal ores, particularly those of copper and tin, are regarded as among the principal motors of Bronze Age society. The skills and risks of mining lie behind the weapons, tools and symbols that drove political and ideological change. But we hear much less about the miners themselves and their position in society. Who were these people? Were they rich and special, or expendable members of a hard-pressed workforce? In this study the spotlight moves from the adits, slags and furnaces to the bones and seeds, providing a sketch of dedicated prehistoric labourers in their habitat. The Mauken miners were largely dependent on imported meat and cereals, and scarcely hunted or foraged the resources of the local forest. They seem to be the servants of a command economy, encouraged to keep their minds on the job.

Ancient mtDNA diversity reveals specific population development of wild horses in Switzerland after the Last Glacial Maximum

On large geographical scales, changes in animal population distribution and abundance are driven by environmental change due to climatic and anthropogenic processes. However, so far, little is known about population dynamics on a regional scale. We have investigated 92 archaeological horse remains from nine sites mainly adjacent to the Swiss Jura Mountains dating from c. 41,000–5,000 years BP. The time frame includes major environmental turning points such as the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), followed by steppe vegetation, afforestation and initial re-opening of the landscape by human agricultural activities. To investigate matrilinear population dynamics, we assembled 240 base pairs of the mitochondrial d-loop. FST values indicate large genetic differentiation of the horse populations that were present during and directly after the LGM. After the retreat of the ice, a highly diverse population expanded as demonstrated by significantly negative results for Tajima’s D, Fu’s FS and mismatch analyses. At the same time, a different development took place in Asia where populations declined after the LGM. This first comprehensive investigation of wild horse remains on a regional scale reveals a discontinuous colonisation of succeeding populations, a pattern that diverges from the larger Eurasian trend.