Mobile animal management in the Mediterranean: Investigating Hellenistic (323-31 BCE) husbandry practices in Thessaly, Greece using δ13C, δ18O, and 87Sr/86Sr recorded from sheep and goat tooth enamel

Abstract

In areas where the extent of animal management is debated, stable isotope analysis of animal teeth provides valuable insights into the diet and mobility of herders and their animals. Current research on ancient pastoralism in Thessaly, Greece, is divided over the presence, prevalence, and degree of seasonal livestock movement (transhumance), a discussion often referred to as the agropastoral debate. We present the first application of stable isotope methods to contribute to this discussion, and include a case study from the Hellenistic (323-31 BCE) site of Kastro Kallithea in Thessaly. In particular, we serial sample sheep and goat third molars (M3) recovered from Building 10 and isotopically analyze the resulting enamel segments to record diet (δ13C), seasonality (δ18O), and geolocation (87Sr/86Sr). We integrate the use of stable isotope analysis with archaeological, ethnographic, and literary data to examine various management strategies used in Thessaly. We present evidence of sedentary and seasonally mobile management, including the first recorded cases of transhumant animal management in Thessaly from the Hellenistic period. Each management strategy has corresponding impacts on ancient economy, human ecology, land use, and human-animal relationships. Research of this nature has only just started gaining precedence in Greece, but is a valuable tool for studying the spatiotemporal distribution of shepherding and ultimately recording animal management strategies in the Mediterranean.