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The Origins and Evolution of Pig Domestication in Prehistoric Spain

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The Origins and Evolution of Pig Domestication in Prehistoric Spain THE ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION OF PIG DOMESTICATION IN PREHISTORIC SPAIN Angelos Hadjikoumis A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Archaeology University of Sheffield April, 2010 Abstract From the main four domesticates (cattle, sheep, goat, and pig), the pig has only recently attracted scientific interest worthy of its archaeological importance. Synthetic works studying wild or domestic pigs in European regions such as Italy, Sardinia/Corsica and Poland have provided important insights often missed by site-focused zooarchaeological reports. This thesis constitutes the first study focusing on pigs and their interactions with humans in Spain from pre-Neolithic times until the Iron Age. Crucial archaeological issues addressed include, when and how pig domestication occurred, how it was integrated in the neolithisation of Iberia, and how it evolved in post-Neolithic periods. The relationships between humans and wild boar as well as between domestic pigs and their wild counterparts are also explored. A large volume of biometric data on postcranial and dental elements, combined with age and sex data of pig populations, allow reliable analyses and well- informed interpretations. These data are explored graphically and described to refine the picture of prehistoric pig populations in Spain and generate inferences on their relationship with humans. Biometric data from other countries and ethnoarchaeological data of traditional pig husbandry practices from southwest Iberia and other Mediterranean regions are analysed to enhance the interpretational value of the Spanish zooarchaeological data. The results support the appearance of domestic pigs from the early 6th millennium cal. BC in most parts of Spain and suggest ample diversity in early pig husbandry practices. By the end of the Neolithic, domestic pigs were present across Spain and more important than hunted wild boar. From the Late/Final Neolithic onwards, domestic pigs were morphologically distinguishable from wild boar on population level. The data also suggest an increase in wild boar hunting in the Bronze Age followed by further intensification of pig management in the Iron Age. Possible explanations and implications of these findings are discussed. I Resumen Entre las cuatro especies domésticas principales (bovino, ovino, caprino y porcino), el cerdo sólo recientemente ha atraído un interés arqueológico equivalente a su importancia en nuestro pasado. En algunas zonas de Europa como Italia, Cerdeña, Córcega y Polonia obras de síntesis centradas en suidos han generado nuevas aportaciones que normalmente se escapan de estudios zooarqueológicos centrados en yacimientos específicos. Esta tésis constituye el primer estudio que se enfoca hacia el cerdo y sus interacciones con grupos humanos en España desde tiempos pre-Neolíticos hasta la Edad del Hierro. Entre los asuntos arqueológicos tratados en esta tésis se incluyen preguntas como: cuándo y en qué manera ocurrió la domesticación del cerdo, cómo se integró en el proceso de neolitización en la península ibérica, y cuál fue la evolución de este proceso en períodos post-Neolíticos. También se exploran las relaciones entre humanos y jabalí, así como entre jabalí y cerdo. El gran volumen de datos biométricos postcraniales y dentales combinado con los datos sobre la estructura demográfica (edad y sexo) de poblaciones de cerdos permiten análisis fidedignos e interpretaciones fiables. Estos datos se analizan gráficamente y se describen extensivamente para refinar nuestro conocimiento del cerdo en España durante la prehistoria y generar inferencias sobre su relación con humanos. Datos biométricos de otros países así como datos etnoarqueológicos sobre la cría tradicional de cerdos Ibéricos en el suroeste de la península y otras regiones mediterráneas, se analizan para aumentar el valor interpretativo de los datos zooarqueológicos desde España. Los resultados apoyan la aparición de cerdos domésticos en el séptimo milenio cal. a.C. en la mayor parte de España y sugieren una amplia diversidad en las prácticas ganaderas relacionadas con cerdos. Antes del final del Neolítico, el cerdo doméstico se encontraba por toda España y desempeñaba un papel más importante que su homólogo salvaje (jabalí). Desde el Neolítico Tardío/Final, cerdos domésticos eran morfológicamente distinguibles del jabalí al nivel de población. Los datos también sugieren un incremento en la caza del jabalí en la Edad de Bronce seguida de una intensificación de la cabaña porcina en la Edad del Hierro. Las posibles explicaciones e implicaciones de estos hallazgos se discuten extensivamente en esta tesis. II Acknowledgements Before expressing my gratitude to the numerous institutions and individuals in Britain and abroad involved in this project, I would like to refer to the people who were closest to me personally and supported me throughout the demanding period of carrying out my doctoral research. First and foremost, I would like to thank my mother Gregoria and my father Michalis who have offered me life, education, and limitless emotional and material support throughout the last ten years of my studies. They could have influenced me to pursue a more ‘sensible’ career but instead, they always advised me to follow my dream of becoming an archaeologist. I would also like to express my deep gratitude and love to Silke who has been my partner over the last five years, sharing with me all the ups and downs of life. This project could not have been realised without the inspirational guidance of Umberto Albarella, who has been from the beginning to the end a supportive supervisor and a very good friend; his support exceeded my expectations. Paul Halstead has been a very understanding advisor, whose positive influence has improved me greatly as a researcher. I would also like to thank the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield in general for its fertile and pleasant research environment. This project became financially viable due to a three-year studentship awarded to me by the University of Sheffield, to which I will always be grateful; not only for its financial help but also for the high-quality education it offered to me. The same institution has enabled me to enhance my research skills by funding a five-week visit to the Archaeozoology Laboratory of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in 2008 through its Excellence Exchange Scheme. I would also like to thank the Dudley Stamp Memorial Fund that has partly funded my visit in southwest Iberia in 2008. That research visit enabled me to study the traditional pig husbandry practices surviving there, which is a vital aspect of the ethnoarchaeological component of this thesis. In Spain, many institutions and individuals have made this project not only possible but also a very pleasant experience. Arturo Morales at the Laboratorio III de Arqueozoología of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (U.A.M.) has allowed me access to many faunal assemblages and the extensive reference collection of the laboratory. He has also generously offered me valuable training, access to his personal library and help with translations to Spanish. At a more general level, he inspired me in several hours of discussions over coffee or lunch during my five-week stay at the U.A.M. From the same laboratory, I would also like to thank Eufrasia Roselló and Laura Llorente for making me feeling welcomed and being helpful towards my work. From the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, I would like to thank Maria Saña in particular for allowing me access to faunal material, supplying crucial information on sites and general zooarchaeological literature. Also in Barcelona, I have been fortunate enough to meet Jordi Nadal who has supplied me with useful information and literature on pig husbandry. Many people have made my one-month stay at the Museo de Arqueología de Álava both productive and pleasant. I am deeply grateful to the director, then, of the museum Amelia Baldeón granting me access to the assemblages kept there but I would also like to express my gratitude to Jaione, Elisa, Mari Jose and Sergio, who have generously offered me help and created a very pleasant environment for me to work as well as meet the Basque Country. From the Basque Country, I am thankful for three pioneer zooarchaeologists – Jesús Altuna, Koro Mariezkurrena and Pedro Castaños – who were always willing to facilitate my study of assemblages they had previously studied (by helping me locate them and offering me relevant literature), even though I have not had the pleasure to meet them personally yet,. From the Sección de Bienes Muebles y Arqueología/Museo de Navarra in Pamplona, I would like to thank Jesús Sesma, Javier Armendáriz and Jesús García. I would also like to thank the personnel of the Museo Arqueológico Provincial de Huesca and especially its director Vicente Baldellou. Further thanks go to the Museo de Prehistoria y Arqueología de Cantabria (Raul Gutierrez) and its director. IV From Germany, I would like to give my special thanks to Joris Peters, the director of the Institut für Paläoanatomie, Domestikationsforschung und Geschichte der Tiermedizin at the Ludwig-Maximilian Universität München, as well as to Henriette Manhart and the rest of the members at the institute. They all have so kindly spent time to facilitate my access to faunal assemblages from Spain, supplied me with relevant literature, and allowed me to benefit from the vibrant research environment of the institute. Many people have contributed to the successful implementation
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