Abstract
Wildlife in Armenia was always varied due to the different geographic landscapes and biotopes, between the valleys, mountains, forests, and plateaus of the country. A wide range of large mammals inhabited the Southern Caucasus. In Armenia, animal habitat varied through time, both during the Pleistocene and the Holocene and hunting activities were the focus of Paleolithic meat-based subsistence. In 2018, the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography NAS RA carried out the excavations, with the financial support of Ijevan Wine-Brandy Factory 2. Two Chalcolithic period layers were excavated mainly that presented the early phase and which were separated from the previous occupations of the same period by the thick layer of sterile and the muddy sediment full of small stones. During the Chalcolithic period, the groups practicing the transhumance, hunting and gathering seasonally had occupied the cave. Considerable numbers of osteological material imply the existence of hunting and gathering activity around the cave. The present study examines the wild animal remains in addition; backed points, blades and some fragments also exhibit evidence for hunting activities. Those that could be identified to species appear to be Sus scrofa, Vulpes vulpes and mainly Capreolus capreolus. The fracture analysis confirms that the occupation of this small cave was closely related mainly to the hunting activity.
Highlights
It has long been known that pathways to food production in Armenia are complex and varied
It seems likely that the development of subsistence strategies would have been heavily shaped by the unstable, often marginal environments that north Armenia hunter-gatherers lived in
It is likely that spatial variation in climatic and environmental conditions, together with the availability of food resources, dictated whether managing livestock or hunting or combinations thereof, took place
Summary
It has long been known that pathways to food production in Armenia are complex and varied. In the Eneolithic period of Armenia, the adoption of domestication and the existence of pastoralism became an established and widespread way of life [1]. It seems likely that the development of subsistence strategies would have been heavily shaped by the unstable, often marginal environments that north Armenia hunter-gatherers lived in. Armenian huntergatherers and food producers (pastoralists, agriculturistsfarmers) used to co-exist. It is likely that spatial variation in climatic and environmental conditions, together with the availability of food resources, dictated whether managing livestock or hunting or combinations thereof, took place
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
