Animal Production and Secondary Products in the Fifth Millennium BC in northern Mesopotamia

Abstract

Abstract. Current anthropological and archaeological research posits a strong role for livestock in the development of economic specialization and social inequality in the ancient Near East. We examine animal production in the Ubaid through Late Chalcolithic 2 periods (c. 5200-3800 BC) in northern Mesopotamia, presenting new zooarchaeological data from Tell Surezha. Evidence for gradual and piecemeal intensification of livestock production and secondary products exploitation, especially wool and cattle traction, suggest their importance for the evolution of the political economy in the region. Metrical data from Surezha show potential evidence for the emergence of the wool economy: the appearance of large-sized sheep and an increasing number of males suggest experimentation with new forms of management geared towards fiber exploitation. However, kill-off data argue against specialized and intensive production strategies for wool. Meanwhile, a high proportion of cattle distal limb bones show evidence of traction-related pathologies. These data are consistent with the use of cattle for plowing fields in a process of agricultural extensification. Finally, the high numbers of pigs from Surezha and the unusual pattern of dog consumption in the LC 1 indicate the importance of previously unexplored aspects of a mixed livestock economy in Ubaid and Late Chalcolithic 1-2 northern Mesopotamia.