Animals and socio-economy in Late Bronze to Early Iron Age Greece : a zooarchaeological perspective from Lefkandi, Euboea
This thesis re-evaluates the nature, organisation and development of Greek animal socio-economy between ca. 1200 and 700 B.C., focusing predominantly on the domestic livestock at the centre of day-to-day exploitation strategies. Such a re-evaluation is overdue given that there have been few significant advances in our understanding of contemporary human-animal interactions since the traditional 'Dark Age' perspectives directed towards this timeframe first received wide-scale rejection over 40 years ago. Indeed, critical evaluation shows that existing socio-economic models are extremely limited and subject to similar underlying problems: a reliance on 'pastoralism' concepts without sufficient definition in context; the subconscious pervasiveness of outdated economic theories; and an over-extrapolation of limited and often poorly representative or methodologically unsound zooarchaeological data. Through the original analysis of large and previously unstudied animal bone assemblages (ca. 50,000 fragments) from Lefkandi, Euboea - which was occupied from ca. 2100 to 700 B.C. and flourished after 1200 B.C. - this thesis elucidates animal socio-economy from a site-based perspective. Aware of the pitfalls of generating
Mulhall, A. D.
Animals and socio-economy in Late Bronze to Early Iron Age Greece : a zooarchaeological perspective from Lefkandi, Euboea. This thesis re-evaluates the nature, organisation and development of Greek animal socio-economy between ca. 1200 and 700 B.C., focusing predominantly on the domestic livestock at the centre of day-to-day exploitation strategies. Such a re-evaluation is overdue given that there have been few significant advances in our understanding of contemporary human-animal interactions since the traditional 'Dark Age' perspectives directed towards this timeframe first received wide-scale rejection over 40 years ago. Indeed, critical evaluation shows that existing socio-economic models are extremely limited and subject to similar underlying problems: a reliance on 'pastoralism' concepts without sufficient definition in context; the subconscious pervasiveness of outdated economic theories; and an over-extrapolation of limited and often poorly representative or methodologically unsound zooarchaeological data. Through the original analysis of large and previously unstudied animal bone assemblages (ca. 50,000 fragments) from Lefkandi, Euboea - which was occupied from ca. 2100 to 700 B.C. and flourished after 1200 B.C. - this thesis elucidates animal socio-economy from a site-based perspective. Aware of the pitfalls of generating
animals socio economy late_bronze_early_iron age greece zooarchaeological perspective euboea re_evaluates nature organisation development greek animal socio economy focus predominantly domestic livestock centre day_to_day exploitation strategy re_evaluation overdue give significant_advance contemporary human_animal interaction since traditional dark_age perspective direct_towards timeframe first receive wide scale rejection indeed critical_evaluation show exist socio_economic model extremely limited subject similar underlying problem reliance pastoralism concept without sufficient definition context pervasiveness outdated economic theory over extrapolation limit often poorly representative methodologically zooarchaeological data original analysis large previously_unstudied animal_bone assemblage fragment euboea occupy flourish elucidate animal socio economy site based perspective aware pitfall generate