The Emergence of fishing Communities in the Eastern Mediterranean region : A survey of Evidence from Pre- and Protohistoric periods
W. VAN NEER, I. ZOHAR and O. LERNAU
: Archaeozoology, Fish, Fishing, Diet. Mots Clefs : Archéozoologie, Poissons, Pêche, Régime alimentaire.
Fishing is an important economic aspect of many societies throughout the world today and has probably played a significant role in the life and subsistence of many prehistoric peoples. Several studies1 have demonstrated that fish exploitation started earlier than previously assumed, and that near-shore fishing was a fundamental and optimal strategy, that allowed coastal, riverine and lacustrine populations not just to survive,
1. YESNER, 1980 ; VAN NEER, 1986 ; GAUTIER and VAN NEER, 1989 ; Stewart, 1989 ; Rick and Erlandson, 2000 ; Rick etal., 2001. 2. YESNER, 1980 ; RICK and ERLANDSON, 2000.
but also to flourish. These studies also showed that, except for off-shore fishing and sea-mammal hunting, there is no need to call upon increased technological efficiency to explain intensification of aquatic exploitation2. It is therefore assumed that early fishing involved a lot of gathering, as is still practised today by some small-scale commercial fishermen in different
Paléorient, vol. 31/1, p. 131-157 © CNRS ÉDITIONS 2005
Manuscrit reçu le 15 mars 2005, accepté le 7 juin 2005
