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. 2021 Jan 6;16(1):e0244139.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244139. eCollection 2021.

Investigating Neolithic caprine husbandry in the Central Pyrenees: Insights from a multi-proxy study at Els Trocs cave (Bisaurri, Spain)

Cristina Tejedor-Rodríguez  1 , Marta Moreno-García  2 , Carlos Tornero  3   4 , Alizé Hoffmann  5 , Íñigo García-Martínez de Lagrán  6 , Héctor Arcusa-Magallón  7 , Rafael Garrido-Pena  8 , José Ignacio Royo-Guillén  9 , Sonia Díaz-Navarro  6 , Leonor Peña-Chocarro  2 , Kurt W Alt  10   11 , Manuel Rojo-Guerra  6
Affiliations

Investigating Neolithic caprine husbandry in the Central Pyrenees: Insights from a multi-proxy study at Els Trocs cave (Bisaurri, Spain)

Cristina Tejedor-Rodríguez et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Sheep remains constitute the main archaeozoological evidence for the presence of Early Neolithic human groups in the highlands of the Southern Pyrenees but understanding the role of herding activities in the Neolithisation process of this mountain ecosystem calls for the analysis of large and well-dated faunal assemblages. Cova de Els Trocs (Bisaurri, Huesca, Spain), a cave located at 1564 m a.s.l on the southern slopes of the Central Pyrenees, is an excellent case study since it was seasonally occupied throughout the Neolithic (ca. 5312-2913 cal. BC) and more than 4000 caprine remains were recovered inside. The multi-proxy analytical approach here presented has allowed us to offer new data elaborating on vertical mobility practices and herd management dynamics as has not been attempted up until now within Neolithic high-mountain sites in the Iberian Peninsula. For the first time, δ18O and δ13C stable isotope analyses offer direct evidence on both the regular practice of altitudinal movements of sheep flocks and the extended breeding season of sheep. Autumn births are recorded from the second half of the fifth millennium cal. BC onwards. Age-at-death distributions illustrate the progressive decline in caprine perinatal mortality together with the rising survival rate of individuals older than six months of age and the larger frequency of adults. This trend alongside the 'off-season' lambing signal at the implementation of husbandry techniques over time, probably aiming to increase the size of the flocks and their productivity. Palaeoparasitological analyses of sediment samples document also the growing reliance on herding activities of the human groups visiting the Els Trocs cave throughout the Neolithic sequence. In sum, our work provides substantial arguments to conclude that the advanced herding management skills of the Early Neolithic communities arriving in Iberia facilitated the anthropisation process of the subalpine areas of the Central Pyrenees.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. The archaeological site of Els Trocs.
Left: Location of the cave (pointed by a white arrow) on the southern slope of a karst hill on the high plateau of Selvaplana; seen from the pass of the Puerto de las Aras at 1904 m a.s.l. Right: View of the cave entrance from the inside.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Bayesian model (phase sequential analysis) for the 14C dates from Els Trocs cave.
Ash grey curve = calibrated dates; dark grey curve = modelled dates. Boundary estimates for the different Neolithic phases are presented. The agreement indices of the model and other information about the analysis are included in the S1 Table.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Archaeological structures from Trocs I.
Top: Floor made of potsherds fragments with scattered faunal and human remains. Bottom: Two of the largest pits excavated in the floor of the cave.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Archaeological structures from Trocs II.
Top: Detail of the floor fashioned from small and medium-sized stones. Bottom: Different stages of the large and well-preserved hearth documented in the middle of the cave.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Archaeological events documented in Trocs II and Trocs III.
Top: The largest ash accumulation with a complex stratigraphic sequence of combustion events. Bottom: View of the numerous large blocks that fell from the roof and walls of the cave, probably forcing the abandonment of the site at the end of Trocs III.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Survivorship curves for Els Trocs caprines in each occupation period.
The data computed derives from the fusion groups in Table 2.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Results from the sequential analysis of oxygen (δ18OV-PDB, white circles) and carbon (δ13CV-PDB, black circles) isotope composition in sampled enamel bioapatite from Cova de Els Trocs sheep lower second molars (M2).
Fig 8
Fig 8. Sequential analysis of oxygen (δ18OV-PDB, white circles) and carbon (δ13CV-PDB, black circles) isotope composition in lower second (M2) and third (M3) molars in five of the sheep samples from Els Trocs cave.
Fig 9
Fig 9. Sequential δ18OV-PDB values in all second molars, classified according to the position in tooth crown of the maximum oxygen event in the tooth crown.
Type a: max. δ18OV-PDB values between 0 to 5mm; Type b: max. δ18OV-PDB values between >5 to 10 mm; Type c: max. δ18OV-PDB values between 10 to 15mm; and Type d: max. δ18OV-PDB values between 20 to 30mm.
Fig 10
Fig 10. Normalized data sets (x0/X) from modelled δ18O M2 of sheep from Els Trocs cave and comparison with data from modern reference populations with known date of birth.
Specimens CF Ovis 0026 & 1216 were born between late January to early February whereas CF Ovis 522 & 562 were born in middle September [65]; ROU 01, 04, 06, 07, 08, 09, 11, 16 & 17 were born between late April and early May [56]; and XT Ovis 01 & 02 were born in early October [59].
Fig 11
Fig 11. Helminth eggs identified in the sediments from Els Trocs cave.
Ascaris sp. (n. 1), Capillaria sp. (n. 2, 3.a & 3.b), Trichuris sp. (n. 4), Dicrocoelium sp. (n. 5), Paramphistomum sp. (n. 6) and Fasciola sp. (n. 7). Scale: 25 micra.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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