Review article
https://doi.org/10.52064/vamz.55.1.1
Herders and caves in Croatia − new geoarchaeological evidence from cave sediments
Katarina Gerometta
orcid.org/0000-0002-9601-4911
; Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Faculty of Humanities, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Landscape Archaeology
Giovanni Boschian
; University of Pisa, Department of Biology
Abstract
This paper presents the results of new geoarchaeological and
micromorphological studies carried out by the authors on
Holocene archaeological cave sediments in Croatia. Combined
with the reappraisal of previously published data, this study
sheds new light on the pastoral use of caves in Croatia. The occurrence
of macro- and microscopic indicators of the presence
of animals – mostly ruminants – shows that caves were used
for housing livestock from the Neolithic onwards, as happened
all over the Northern Mediterranean area, from the Iberian
Peninsula to Italy, and in the Southern Balkans. Following the
distribution of open-air and cave prehistoric sites it can be concluded
that caves were integrated in complex agropastoral systems
of landscape exploitation.
Keywords
caves, herders, pastoral, sheep, goat, cattle, micromorphology, prehistory, Croatia
Hrčak ID:
280488
URI
Publication date:
25.7.2022.
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