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. 2017 Jul 26;12(7):e0180164.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180164. eCollection 2017.

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

Claudia Gerling  1 , Thomas Doppler  1 , Volker Heyd  2 , Corina Knipper  3 , Thomas Kuhn  4 , Moritz F Lehmann  4 , Alistair W G Pike  5 , Jörg Schibler  1
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High-resolution isotopic evidence of specialised cattle herding in the European Neolithic

Claudia Gerling et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

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.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Geology of the study area.
The location of Arbon Bleiche 3 (white star) in Central Europe with major bedrock units [17, 18] in a 30 km perimeter. The baseline sampling for bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr determination (black dots; SI section III) covered all geological units in this area, with some samples also collected outside the mapped circle (cf. S2 Table). The 87Sr/86Sr ranges are as follows: Quaternary (0.7086–0.7104, n = 8), Upper Freshwater Molasse (0.7082–0.7091, n = 4), Upper Marine Molasse (0.7084–0.7094, n = 2), Lower Freshwater Molasse (0.7084–0.7118, n = 6), Lower Marine Molasse (0.7082, n = 1), Cretaceous (0.7077–0.7085, n = 5).
Fig 2
Fig 2. Cattle mobility patterns at Arbon Bleiche 3.
Settlement plan with reconstructed houses (modified after [15]) and distribution of cattle mobility patterns (MP) 1–3 (left). The grey-shading represents dates of construction. 87Sr/86Sr laser ablation profiles (right) illustrate representative patterns of Sr isotope ratio variations along the tooth enamel for each mobility regime (complete data set in S1 Fig).
Fig 3
Fig 3. Box plot of 87Sr/86Sr data for cattle based on individual intra-tooth measurements.
Cattle (Bos taurus) are grouped by mobility pattern and chronological order (cf. Table 1). The central black line in each box represents the median and the cross represents the mean. The coloured bar represents the local 87Sr/86Sr range (0.7083–0.7091).
Fig 4
Fig 4. Scatter plot of δ13C values of cattle bone collagen and average 87Sr/86Sr data of tooth enamel.
δ13C and 87Sr/86Sr (mean of all intra-tooth measurements for an individual) data for cattle (Bos taurus) are given in Table 1. Sample ID’s are indicated (excl. ARB). Red deer (Cervus elaphus) isotopic data (n = 6; 1σ standard error) are also provided for comparison. The grey bar represents the local 87Sr/86Sr range (0.7083–0.7091).
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The research leading to this article was part of the project CR12I2_143815/1 funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (www.snf.ch). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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