Animal remains from Chalcolithic São Pedro (Redondo, Alentejo): evidence for a crisis in the Mesolithic
2012; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Português
ISSN
0874-2782
Autores Tópico(s)Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
ResumoEnglishalmost 700 animal bones and teeth from this Chalcolithic site in the alentejo are described and compared with other zooarchaeological collections in southern portugal and adjacent regions of spain. approximately half the sao pedro bones derive from wild animals like aurochs, red and roe deer, horse, wild boar, rabbit, hare and lynx. the other half includes domesticated animals like sheep, goat, cattle and pig. the sao pedro fauna like that of several other contemporary sites in the interior of portugal and spanish Extremadura and andalusia includes many wild animals perhaps reflecting their relative small human population, the ephemeral nature of these settlements or even their military nature with soldiers less inclined to keep livestock. Bos and Sus are therefore present in both wild and domestic forms. measurements of the aurochs, red deer and wild boar compared with those from other periods show that these three taxa were probably small in the mesolithic but had recovered their larger size by Chalcolithic times. It is suggested that this may reflect over ‑hunting of large mammals in the mesolithic — part of a general ‘environmental stress’ at that time. portuguesCerca de 700 ossos e dentes de animais recuperados deste sitio Calcolitico no alentejo sao descritos e comparados com outras coleccoes zooarqueologicas da regiao. Cerca de metade dos ossos de sao pedro derivam de animais selvagens como o auroque, veado, corso, cavalo, javali, coelho, lebre e lince. a outra metade inclui animais domesticados como a ovelha, cabra, gado bovino e porco. a fauna de sao pedro, bem como de alguns sitios contemporâneos no interior de portugal e na Extremadura e andaluzia, inclui muitos animais selvagens. Este facto pode ser talvez indicador duma populacao humana de baixa densidade, povoamento ocasional ou o facto de se tratar de um povoado fortificado com pouca vocacao produtora. Bos e Sus estao presentes em ambas as formas — selvagens e domesticos. as medidas dos auroques, veados e javalis em comparacao com restos doutros periodos sugerem que estas tres especies eram mais pequenas no mesolitico, mas recuperam os seus tamanhos normais antes do Calcolitico. e sugerido que o tamanho reduzido destes animais reflecte a sua caca em excesso durante o mesolitico — parte de um ‘stress ambiental’ neste momento
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