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.
Highlights
Understanding herding practices of cattle (Bos taurus) and territorial land use is key for comprehending human social organization and economy, in Europe of the 4th and 3rd millennium BC when the first stratified societies emerged [1] and the use of secondary products gained in importance [2]
Modern reference sampling of the vegetation in the area between Arbon Bleiche 3 and the high mountain ranges located in a distance of >30 to 50 km confirm that nearby and distant pasture grounds can be distinguished based on the isotopic composition, with 87Sr/86Sr up to 0.7130 in the more distant locations (S1 Table; Supporting Information (SI), section II)
The observed 87Sr/86Sr ratios allow us to distinguish between three different patterns of cattle mobility (Figs 2 and 3 and S2 Fig): Mobility pattern (MP) 1: Stationary, local (n = 8 individuals): MP1 is characterized by 87Sr/86Sr trends that are essentially invariant ( 0.0005) and fully consistent with the local baseline range of 0.7083–0.7091
Summary
Understanding herding practices of cattle (Bos taurus) and territorial land use is key for comprehending human social organization and economy, in Europe of the 4th and 3rd millennium BC when the first stratified societies emerged [1] and the use of secondary products gained in importance [2]. Larger herds increased the pressure on local grazing resources and may have been associated with the advent of more complex herding strategies and enhanced mobility.
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