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Animal resources and subsistence strategies
Francesca Alhaique1, Michelangelo Bisconti, Elisabetta Castiglioni
1Department of Animal and Human Biology, University of Rome -La Sapienzac, Rome, Italy.
Collegium Antropologicum
|January 8, 2005
Summary
Prehistoric Italian human diets evolved significantly, with early reliance on animal resources and later integration of plant-based foods. Archeozoological and taphonomic analyses reveal changing subsistence strategies across millennia.
Area of Science:
- Archaeology
- Paleontology
- Paleoecology
Background:
- Prehistoric human subsistence strategies varied across Italy.
- Understanding resource exploitation is key to reconstructing past lifeways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reconstruct prehistoric human subsistence strategies in Italy.
- To analyze the exploitation of animal and vegetal resources through time.
Main Methods:
- Archeozoological analysis of faunal assemblages.
- Taphonomic study of excavated deposits.
- Analysis of vegetal resources from Neolithic sites.
Main Results:
- Identified distinct patterns in animal resource exploitation from Lower Paleolithic to Bronze Age.
- Documented the integration of vegetal resources during the Neolithic period.
- Highlighted regional and temporal variations in subsistence strategies.
Conclusions:
- Prehistoric Italian populations adapted their diets based on available animal and plant resources.
- Subsistence strategies evolved over time, reflecting changing environmental and cultural factors.
- This study provides a comprehensive overview of prehistoric resource use in Italy.