New light on early caprine herding strategies from isotope analysis: a case study from Neolithic Anatolia

The measurement of stable carbon (delta C-13) and nitrogen (delta N-15) isotopes of caprine bone collagen from the Neolithic sites of Catalhoyuk and Asikli Hoyuk in south-central Anatolia have allowed examination of exploitation and herding practices of sheep and goats. The isotope values from protodomestic caprines at Asikli Hoyuk suggests that these animals were consuming very similar foods to each other and were all confined to the same or similar environments with no access to C-4 plants. At Catalhoyuk, the results show how the caprine management strategy develops from the strategy seen at Asikli Hoyuk into a more varied practice at an early stage as the site grows with an increasing dietary contribution obtained from C-4 plants. No change in diet is isotopically discernible at Asikli Hoyuk. Interestingly, no distinction could be made between the diets of sheep and goats at either site. Therefore, such studies are a useful method of examining the development of early herding or management strategies of caprines in the Near East. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.