Caves and human lifeways in Middle Bronze Age central Italy : a social bioarchaeology approach
This thesis is about the Middle Bronze Age (MBA: 1750-1450 BC) caves of central Italy, and the faunal and plant remains found inside them using the combined approach of contextual archaeology and social bioarchaeology. I draw new inferences from these ecofactual remains, which are crucial to improving our understanding of human lifeways in the Apennine region of the Italian peninsula. This work is much needed both in the field of cave archaeology (especially in relation to the Italian area) and in that of bioarchaeology. Here, traditional methodological issues, such as a tendency to ignore the ritual aspects of cave deposits, have produced substantial biases in the interpretations of the subsistence strategies. In addition, such traditional approaches based on Higgsâ (1975) palaeoeconomy have prevented bioarchaeological disciplines such as zooarchaeology and palaeoethnobotany from being productively used in several fields of application, notably in social archaeology. By analysingthe data published over the last 35 years, as well as four archival collections and the new data from the newly excavated deposits at Mora Cavorso, Pastena and Collepardo caves, I have been able to: 1) recognise cave datasets as
Silvestri, Letizia
Caves and human lifeways in Middle Bronze Age central Italy : a social bioarchaeology approach. This thesis is about the Middle Bronze Age (MBA: 1750-1450 BC) caves of central Italy, and the faunal and plant remains found inside them using the combined approach of contextual archaeology and social bioarchaeology. I draw new inferences from these ecofactual remains, which are crucial to improving our understanding of human lifeways in the Apennine region of the Italian peninsula. This work is much needed both in the field of cave archaeology (especially in relation to the Italian area) and in that of bioarchaeology. Here, traditional methodological issues, such as a tendency to ignore the ritual aspects of cave deposits, have produced substantial biases in the interpretations of the subsistence strategies. In addition, such traditional approaches based on Higgsâ (1975) palaeoeconomy have prevented bioarchaeological disciplines such as zooarchaeology and palaeoethnobotany from being productively used in several fields of application, notably in social archaeology. By analysingthe data published over the last 35 years, as well as four archival collections and the new data from the newly excavated deposits at Mora Cavorso, Pastena and Collepardo caves, I have been able to: 1) recognise cave datasets as
human lifeways middle_bronze_age central_italy social bioarchaeology approach middle_bronze_age mba cave central_italy faunal plant_remain find inside use combine contextual_archaeology social bioarchaeology draw new inference remains crucial improve human lifeways region italian_peninsula work much_need field cave archaeology especially_relation italian area bioarchaeology traditional methodological_issue tendency ignore ritual aspect cave deposit produce substantial bias interpretation subsistence_strategy addition traditional_approach base prevent bioarchaeological discipline zooarchaeology use several field application notably social archaeology data publish well archival collection new_data newly_excavate deposit cave able recognise cave datasets