The origins and evolution of pig domestication in Italy : a regional and diachronic study of husbandry practices
The emergence of the Neolithic in Europe represents a key moment in human history, and the domestication of the wild boar (Sus scrofa) and the emergence of the pig (Sus domesticus) a fundamental aspect of that process. In Italy, the phenomenon of pig domestication in prehistory is still not entirely understood. The main objective of this PhD is to contribute to the understanding of the origins and development of pig domestication in prehistoric Italy, from a wide regional scale and a diachronic perspective. Some key archaeological questions addressed in this research concern how and when the process of pig domestication commenced in Italy, how it evolved thereafter, and how it compares and integrates with the wider European and Middle Eastern scenarios. The main methodology used to tackle this objective is the collection of comparable data from several Italian prehistoric sites in order to detect patterns of regional and chronological change, from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age. The analysis relies mainly on biometrical data, but it is complemented with evidence of kill-off patterns and sex ratios, in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the domestication event. The results support the
Tecce, Sofia
The origins and evolution of pig domestication in Italy : a regional and diachronic study of husbandry practices. The emergence of the Neolithic in Europe represents a key moment in human history, and the domestication of the wild boar (Sus scrofa) and the emergence of the pig (Sus domesticus) a fundamental aspect of that process. In Italy, the phenomenon of pig domestication in prehistory is still not entirely understood. The main objective of this PhD is to contribute to the understanding of the origins and development of pig domestication in prehistoric Italy, from a wide regional scale and a diachronic perspective. Some key archaeological questions addressed in this research concern how and when the process of pig domestication commenced in Italy, how it evolved thereafter, and how it compares and integrates with the wider European and Middle Eastern scenarios. The main methodology used to tackle this objective is the collection of comparable data from several Italian prehistoric sites in order to detect patterns of regional and chronological change, from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age. The analysis relies mainly on biometrical data, but it is complemented with evidence of kill-off patterns and sex ratios, in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the domestication event. The results support the
origin_evolution pig domestication italy regional diachronic_study husbandry_practice emergence neolithic europe represent key_moment human_history domestication wild emergence pig fundamental_aspect process italy phenomenon pig domestication prehistory still entirely understood main_objective phd contribute origins_development pig domestication prehistoric italy wide regional_scale diachronic_perspective key archaeological question_address concern process pig domestication commence italy evolve thereafter compare integrates wider european middle_eastern scenario main use tackle objective collection comparable data several italian prehistoric_site order detect pattern regional_chronological change upper palaeolithic bronze_age analysis relies mainly data complement evidence kill off pattern sex ratio order_achieve comprehensive domestication event support