Spread of domestic animals across Neolithic western Anatolia: New stable isotope evidence from Uğurlu Höyük, the island of Gökçeada, Turkey.

The origins of agriculture in Southwest Asia over 10,000 years ago and its subsequent spread into Europe during the Neolithic have been the focus of much archaeological research over the past several decades. Increasingly more sophisticated analytical techniques have allowed for better understanding...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Suzanne E Pilaar Birch, Levent Atici, Burçin Erdoğu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2019-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222319
_version_ 1818725634365456384
author Suzanne E Pilaar Birch
Levent Atici
Burçin Erdoğu
author_facet Suzanne E Pilaar Birch
Levent Atici
Burçin Erdoğu
author_sort Suzanne E Pilaar Birch
collection DOAJ
description The origins of agriculture in Southwest Asia over 10,000 years ago and its subsequent spread into Europe during the Neolithic have been the focus of much archaeological research over the past several decades. Increasingly more sophisticated analytical techniques have allowed for better understanding of the complex interactions that occurred amongst humans, animals, and their environments during this transition. The Aegean Islands are critically situated where Anatolia and the mainland Greece meet, making the region pivotal for understanding the movement of the Neolithic into Europe. Located on the largest Turkish Aegean island of Gökçeada, the site of Uğurlu Höyük dates to the early Neolithic and has been the subject of ongoing excavations and research integrating a rigorous dating program with comprehensive zooarchaeological research. This paper focuses on the combination of bone collagen and tooth enamel stable isotope data with existing archaeological data to develop a fine-resolution picture of the spread of the Neolithic, particularly the importation and management of domestic fauna on Gökçeada, with broader relevance for understanding Aegean-Anatolian interactions. The stable isotope values from the fauna at Uğurlu have been used for both diachronic intrasite analyses and intersite comparisons between contemporaneous mainland sites. Integrating stable isotope and zooarchaeological datasets makes Uğurlu one of the first island sites to provide a comprehensive understanding of the geographic origin of Neolithic livestock populations and the timing of their spread from Anatolia into Europe during the process of Neolithization.
first_indexed 2024-12-17T21:45:26Z
format Article
id doaj.art-0550812f9ee94db99881cc29a533e52a
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1932-6203
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-17T21:45:26Z
publishDate 2019-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj.art-0550812f9ee94db99881cc29a533e52a2022-12-21T21:31:29ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032019-01-011410e022231910.1371/journal.pone.0222319Spread of domestic animals across Neolithic western Anatolia: New stable isotope evidence from Uğurlu Höyük, the island of Gökçeada, Turkey.Suzanne E Pilaar BirchLevent AticiBurçin ErdoğuThe origins of agriculture in Southwest Asia over 10,000 years ago and its subsequent spread into Europe during the Neolithic have been the focus of much archaeological research over the past several decades. Increasingly more sophisticated analytical techniques have allowed for better understanding of the complex interactions that occurred amongst humans, animals, and their environments during this transition. The Aegean Islands are critically situated where Anatolia and the mainland Greece meet, making the region pivotal for understanding the movement of the Neolithic into Europe. Located on the largest Turkish Aegean island of Gökçeada, the site of Uğurlu Höyük dates to the early Neolithic and has been the subject of ongoing excavations and research integrating a rigorous dating program with comprehensive zooarchaeological research. This paper focuses on the combination of bone collagen and tooth enamel stable isotope data with existing archaeological data to develop a fine-resolution picture of the spread of the Neolithic, particularly the importation and management of domestic fauna on Gökçeada, with broader relevance for understanding Aegean-Anatolian interactions. The stable isotope values from the fauna at Uğurlu have been used for both diachronic intrasite analyses and intersite comparisons between contemporaneous mainland sites. Integrating stable isotope and zooarchaeological datasets makes Uğurlu one of the first island sites to provide a comprehensive understanding of the geographic origin of Neolithic livestock populations and the timing of their spread from Anatolia into Europe during the process of Neolithization.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222319
spellingShingle Suzanne E Pilaar Birch
Levent Atici
Burçin Erdoğu
Spread of domestic animals across Neolithic western Anatolia: New stable isotope evidence from Uğurlu Höyük, the island of Gökçeada, Turkey.
PLoS ONE
title Spread of domestic animals across Neolithic western Anatolia: New stable isotope evidence from Uğurlu Höyük, the island of Gökçeada, Turkey.
title_full Spread of domestic animals across Neolithic western Anatolia: New stable isotope evidence from Uğurlu Höyük, the island of Gökçeada, Turkey.
title_fullStr Spread of domestic animals across Neolithic western Anatolia: New stable isotope evidence from Uğurlu Höyük, the island of Gökçeada, Turkey.
title_full_unstemmed Spread of domestic animals across Neolithic western Anatolia: New stable isotope evidence from Uğurlu Höyük, the island of Gökçeada, Turkey.
title_short Spread of domestic animals across Neolithic western Anatolia: New stable isotope evidence from Uğurlu Höyük, the island of Gökçeada, Turkey.
title_sort spread of domestic animals across neolithic western anatolia new stable isotope evidence from ugurlu hoyuk the island of gokceada turkey
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222319
work_keys_str_mv AT suzanneepilaarbirch spreadofdomesticanimalsacrossneolithicwesternanatolianewstableisotopeevidencefromugurluhoyuktheislandofgokceadaturkey
AT leventatici spreadofdomesticanimalsacrossneolithicwesternanatolianewstableisotopeevidencefromugurluhoyuktheislandofgokceadaturkey
AT burcinerdogu spreadofdomesticanimalsacrossneolithicwesternanatolianewstableisotopeevidencefromugurluhoyuktheislandofgokceadaturkey