Complex Livestock and Farming Activities Practiced by Early Neolithic High Mountain Settlers, Study Reveals

A new study has revealed remarkable insights into the lives of prehistoric high mountain settlers during the early Neolithic Age. Contrary to previous beliefs, these ancient societies were already involved in complex livestock and farming activities.

Neolithic Age Practices

The Neolithic period is characterized by the beginning of a settled human lifestyle. Also known as the New Stone Age, this is the period in history when our ancestors learned to cultivate plants and domesticate animals for food instead of relying solely on hunting and gathering.

Previous research on management strategies and the use of animal resources during the Early Neolithic (6,500 to 7,500 years ago) assumed that early humans were mainly seasonal. It was also believed that the economic practices during this time focused more on using wild resources. Regarding livestock rearing, the importance of sheep and goat transhumance in high mountain areas has traditionally stood out. Meanwhile, only a marginal significance has been given to other livestock practices where temporary maintenance of these animal flocks has been highlighted.

Assessment of Farming and Livestock Practices

In northern Aragon in Spain, an archeological site in the Huescan Pyrenees revealed evidence of complex farming activities of the first high mountain societies at the beginning of the Neolithic period. In the study "Early husbandry practices in highland areas during the Neolithic: the case of Coro Trasito cave (Huesca, Spain)," experts have identified the livestock management strategies of highland dwellers for the first time.

The experts combined carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis with archaeozoological analyses in this research. It was made possible through the collaboration of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Spanish National Research Council, the University of évora, and the Government of Aragon.

The research team specifically characterized the livestock practice in the archaeological site of Coro Trasito in the Sobrarbe region. This study has obtained new elements in studying the complexity of neolithization processes in the Central Pyrenees.

The result of the study revealed that flocks belonging to the first settlers were small and formed by a few numbers of each species: goats, pigs (Capra hircus, Bos taurus, Sus domesticus, and Ovis aries), cows, and sheep. The researchers not only documented the purpose of raising these livestock but also explored the rise in the economic importance of pigs during the Neolithic Age.

Various ways of managing animal feeding indicate access to different pastures and possible provision of forage from surplus agricultural products. This shows that livestock practices developed in the area were consolidated at the start of the Neolithic period and related to agricultural practices. Aside from this, the study also demonstrates the flocks' adaptation to the cave's environmental conditions.

The isotopic, archaeozoological, and archaeological analyses reveal that the early inhabitants of the Coro Trasito cave mainly used domestic resources available in the area. Moreover, the cave's transformation activities linked to dairy products and fat and storage structures indicate the complexity of neolithization processes in the Central Pyrenees. Finally, it also provides insights into how this region has rapidly integrated into an even broader and more complex economic system.