http://hdl.handle.net/10174/1003 2026-04-18T14:13:07Z http://hdl.handle.net/10174/41856 Title: Human–Deer Relations during Late Prehistory: The Zooarchaeological Data from Central and Southern Portugal in Perspective Authors: Almeida, Nelson; Guinot, Catarina; Ribeira, Inês; Barreira, João; Basílio, Ana Catarina Abstract: Human–animal relations have been a fruitful research topic worldwide. The importance of deer in hunter–gatherer societies is undeniable, with cervids being commonly found in archaeological and past artistic records, with a notable amount of information recovered in the Iberian Peninsula. This relevance continues during Late Prehistory, but the attempt to discuss cervids under broader perspectives and based on different types of data is not as common. We intend to approach human–deer relations in Central and Southern Portuguese Late Prehistory by considering the zooarchaeological records, both deer abundance in faunal spectra and their presence in “meaningful” assemblages and structured depositions, as well as the use of deer and deer body parts in other socio–cultural and ideological practices. The synthesis of available data shows that human–deer relations changed through time and space, with different abundances related to hunting depending on chronology and geography. The use of deer or their body parts as a resource of symbolic nature also varied, being included in food-sharing events, offerings, structured depositions, and graphic representations. Changeability is part of the different relationships, ontologies, and cosmogonies that humans and deer developed in the Late Prehistoric relational world. 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10174/41849 Title: Climate deterioration and subsistence economy in prehistoric Southern Iberia: an evaluation of potential links based on regional trajectories Authors: Schirrmacher, Julien; Almeida, Nelson; Stika, Hans-Peter; Weinelt, Mara Abstract: The potential impact of climatic deterioration on societal breakdowns in prehistory is often based on the mere coincidence of archaeological and palaeoclimatological proxies. For a more profound discussion, climate-sensitive archaeological parameters need to be identified. As agriculture and livestock are significantly affected by the recent climate crisis, the analysis of archaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains can deepen our understanding of this topic. Here, we analyze regional trajectories in subsistence and seasonal precipitation variability across southern Iberia focusing on well-known prehistoric breakdowns around 2200 and 1600 BCE. Results suggest that the ratios of the importance of sheep/goat versus swine and sheep/goat versus cattle, respectively, may serve as a proxy for prehistoric mobility. The importance of hunting deer represents a proxy for societal turnover. While no direct link is evident between climate deterioration and the archaeozoological data, archaeobotanical data reveals a potential relation to precipitation variability. In particular, a close connection to reductions in cold-season precipitation in south-east Iberia appears likely for the ratio between barley and naked wheat. The increased importance of drought-tolerant barley correlates with a trend to reduced cold-season precipitation levels after ca. 2700 BCE. We hypothesize that prehistoric people in south-east Iberia cultivated more barley in order to adapt to periods of drier cold-season climate. 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10174/41833 Title: Subsistence strategies in Bronze Age south-eastern Iberia: insights from Motilla del Azuer Phase 2 (ca. 1950-1875 cal BCE) Authors: Beltrán Ruiz, Alejandro; Riquelme, JÁ; Molina, F; Nájera, T; Almeida, Nelson Abstract: This study analyses Phase 2 (ca. 1950–1875 cal BCE) of Motilla del Azuer (Daimiel, Ciudad Real) to refine current understanding of subsistence strategies and livestock management. Zooarchaeological analysis reveals a predominance of caprines, followed by pig and cattle. Other domestic taxa, including horse and dog, are present but less abundant. Wild taxa are also represented, with leporids standing out, while large game such as red deer and wild goat are comparatively scarce. Taphonomic analysis of a subsample shows widespread anthropogenic modifications, including butchery marks and marrow extraction, as well as frequent burning traces, mostly mild to moderate, probably related to culinary practices. When compared with previous studies, the results indicate both stability and shifts in herd composition and slaughter patterns. At a broader scale, the assemblage fits within regional Bronze Age trends of increasing caprine exploitation, while differing from Argaric (ca. 2200–1550 cal BCE) contexts in the relative roles of cattle and pigs. The scarcity of large game appears to be a defining feature of the Motilla culture, contrasting with Levantine and Argaric sites, where big game hunting played a more significant role. These results highlight the adaptive strategies of Motilla del Azuer communities to conditions of aridity and demographic growth, and provide new insights into the economic and social dynamics of Bronze Age southeastern Iberia. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10174/41820 Title: Another non-anthropic leporid accumulation in Southwestern Iberia? The case of a leporid sample from Morgado superior (Tomar, Portugal) Authors: Almeida, Nelson; Saladié, Palmira; Cerrillo Cuenca, Enrique; Oosterbeek, Luiz Abstract: The Morgado Superior Rock Shelter is located near the city of Tomar, in Central Portugal. This site presents important funerary contexts that according to published information encompass the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. Other non-funerary uses have not yet been characterised but were briefly suggested. A faunal sample of the 1988 and 2012 interventions is analysed from a zooarchaeological and taphonomical perspective, focusing on the leporid remains that largely dominate the assemblage. Clear indicators of a human origin are absent, while a configurational approach allows the description of exogenous and intrusive origins. The characteristics of the registered consumption taphonomical indicators are suggestive of scat and non-ingested accumulation by foxes. Furthermore, this study allows us to discuss some aspects of the formation of the stratigraphy of this important cave necropolis, while also serving as an example of the expected results of foxes’ action on leporid remains in an archaeological site. 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z