Animal exploitation at a large late Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlement: The zooarchaeological record from es-Sifiya, Jordan

Abstract

Abstract. The late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (LPPNB) east of the Jordan Valley marked an unprecedented expansion in settlement size and architectural density, and also witnessed the emergence of new subsistence modes focused on the herding of domesticated sheep and goats. Here, we examine animal exploitation at es-Sifiya, a substantial LPPNB settlement located in the Wadi Mujib, Jordan. Goat and sheep husbandry played a central role in animal-based subsistence at es-Sifiya, mirroring animal exploitation systems used at other contemporaneous settlements located in southern Jordan. Harvesting strategies at es-Sifiya focused on the slaughter of older lambs for tender meat and also moderate harvesting of yearling for more optimal meat production. While female goats were retained into adulthood, evidence for dairy exploitation in harvesting profiles is ambiguous. The delayed kill-off of sheep compared to goats at es-Sifiya, also practised at other LPPNB settlements east of the Jordan Valley, may reflect meat storage “live on the hoof” or preservation of valuable animals newly introduced to the region. The very low frequencies of gazelle at es-Sifiya compared to other LPPNB settlements may reflect increased predation pressure by human hunters or a population depression caused by increased competition for graze and browse with domesticates. Altogether, the zooarchaeological data from es-Sifiya further demonstrate rapid intensification of caprine herding associated with the initial translocation of domesticated sheep and goats to regions east of the Jordan Valley hypothesised for the late 8th-early 7th millennium BC.