Farming with Animals: Domesticated Animals and Taxonomic Diversity in the Cardial Neolithic of the Western Mediterranean

The spread of farming into the Western Mediterranean is characterized by the appearance of domesticated plants and animals. This chapter summarizes the evidence for domesticated animals (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs) in the Cardial Neolithic of the Western Mediterranean. The management of these animals is tightly linked to economic, cultural, ecological, and spatial factors, and a variety of data sets such as herd composition, stable isotopic analyses, and culling practices are invoked to determine management strategies. However, the extent of data sets in the region varies, and interpretations span from small-scale household use to more spatially extensive transhumance practices. Comparability is limited due to contextual heterogeneity of samples (e.g., open-air villages or cave/rock shelter sites), differences in analytical procedures and reporting traditions, variation in sample sizes, and issues of taphonomy, chronological resolution, and final interpretations. This summary highlights some of the fundamental issues in assessing domesticated animal management and critically discusses our current understanding of domesticated animal use among the first farmers of the Western Mediterranean.