Fueling draught power
A multi-isotopic study of draught cattle husbandry in Bronze and Iron Age Gordion (Central Anatolia, Türkiye)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7309846 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Audrey Crabbé (0009-0001-3613-0005, Institute of Archaeology, corresponding author), Marcel T J Van Der Meer (0000-0001-6454-1752), J M Marston (0000-0002-1412-9695, Boston University), Willemien De Kock (0000-0002-6619-4376), Canan Çakırlar (0000-0002-7994-0091, Institute of Archaeology) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 186 |
| Pages | 106451-106451 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Archaeological Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-4403 • E-ISSN: 1095-9238 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106451 |
| OpenAlex | W4417341729 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 36 |
This study integrates stable isotope, zooarchaeological, and paleopathological analysis with archaeobotanical, textual, ethnographic, and modern zootechnical evidence to explore diachronic trends in cattle management and agricultural practices in Bronze and Iron Age central Anatolia, focusing on the UNESCO World Heritage site of Gordion from the Late Bronze Age to the Middle Phrygian period. Periods of agricultural intensification are linked with higher ratios of adult cattle, more severe traction-related pathologies on the lower hind limb bones, and larger-bodied pathological cattle. Isotopic evidence reveals that draught cattle received specific diets with more regulated feeding strategies involving cultivated cereals, legumes and wild forage, compared to non-pathological cattle. These nutritional investments underscore the economic importance of draught cattle in the transportation network and a surplus-oriented agricultural system of a settlement with political and economic ambitions over a large territory. Decreasing δ 13 C and δ 15 N values in bulk bone collagen over time confirm a shift from diverse strategies of agropastoralism to more intensive, cereal-focused land use likely linked to political centralization and population growth during the rise of the Phrygian Kingdom. Our findings contribute to the broader understanding of the interactions between animal labor and management, political-economic developments with population and territorial expansions, and environmental changes in shaping agrarian polities in central Anatolia.
Agrarian society · Agriculture · Animal husbandry · Bioarchaeology · Bronze Age · Iron Age · Population · Zooarchaeology · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |