Fishing together, fishing on its own: Fish exploitation patterns at the Neolithic Alepotrypa cave (Diros, Greece) and Aegean prehistoric fishing traditions

Abstract

AbstractVarious marine animal assemblages from prehistoric contexts across the Mediterranean suggest a focus on the exploitation of marine resources by coastal populations as early as the Mesolithic. Along with the harvesting of nearshore coastal resources (fish and invertebrates), a more organised fishing activity that targeted pelagic species, traditionally considered migratory, is evident in several Mesolithic assemblages. With the advent of the Neolithic, marine‐related subsistence activities seem to be gradually restricted to the exploitation of coastal year‐round resources. The cave of Alepotrypa in the Peloponnese, Greece, provides an opportunity to ascertain the exploitation practices of a coastal Late/Final Neolithic community in which a combination of fishing strategies and a diversified connection to the sea were apparent. The abundant shell assemblage demonstrates the importance of molluscs for consumption, as well as the various uses of their shell. This paper focuses on the fish remains from the cave. Fish assemblages from this period are rather sparse in the Aegean. The study of the fish assemblage highlights the exploitation of pelagic fish species as well as the harvesting of a wide range of coastal fish species. A shift from pelagic to coastal resources and an intensification of fishing are also observed from the Late to Final Neolithic. These trends are discussed in the perspective of social organisation and technological adaptations, with an emphasis on the engagement of Neolithic fishermen in communal and individual fishing strategies and the seasonally important role of these activities. The choice of specific exploitation strategies and the diachronic trends observed suggest that earlier Mediterranean fishing traditions persisted until the end of the Neolithic.