Know Thy Herd: The lives of sheep and goats from Tepe Yahya, Iran, and the benefits of multi-methodological approaches

Abstract

This dissertation examines caprine management practices at Tepe Yahya, an archaeological site in southeastern Iran, from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, c. 5500 to 2000 BCE. Tepe Yahya was occupied across several millennia and, despite its small size, was a crucial waypoint between local and regional political entities east and west. Richard Meadow’s 1986 dissertation documented 19,000 bone fragments. I expand on his work in identifying the importance of caprines to the Tepe Yahya inhabitants using methods unavailable in the 1980s. Four hundred and five caprine mandibular fragments were analyzed for age profiles based on tooth wear, species identification using morphology and ZooMS, and carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis. Using these complementary methods on a single set of bones increases the data resolution from each fragment, creating a larger, more in-depth dataset from which to interpret past caprine management. This information allows for interpreting different potential culling strategies practiced by the people at Tepe Yahya. Using Zooarchaeology Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS), sheep and goats can be accurately distinguished from one another through observable differences in their collagen proteins. Employing this method allows for the inclusion of mandibles that would otherwise be indistinguishable at the species level and, therefore, unable to contribute to investigations of species-specific use. ZooMS is a beneficial methodological complement to morphological identifications for expanding the number of accurately identified mandibles. I use stable isotope analysis of bone collagen to delve further into the lives of the Tepe Yahya sheep and goats. Carbon isotopes in bone and tooth enamel reflect animal diets and the types of plants they consume. Nitrogen isotopes elucidate diet and environmental aridity. The heterogeneous dietary composition of the Tepe Yahya caprines suggest that animals did not come from species-specific herds, but mixed herds under a range of managerial practices. Sexing enamel amelogenin has the potential for wide-scale applications in caprines. Obtaining sex demographics of this set of Tepe Yahya caprines to accompany the species, age, and dietary data would provide an unparalleled look into herd management. I conduct a pilot project to develop best protocols and test the accuracy of enamel amelogenin sex determination for goats (Capra) and sheep (Ovis), which have not yet been investigated using this method. Increasing the data gathered from each bone reveals more about the animals and elucidates previously invisible nuances of human-animal relationships in archaeological contexts. Our pilot project demonstrates that while sex determination with SEAMS is possible, the limited recovery of sex-specific peptides makes it unreliable. Developing a strategy for targeting the desired AMELX and AMELY peptides will improve the success of the method. I demonstrate the continued value of this assemblage by showcasing new data obtained from these caprines. ZooMS helped refine the age profiles for sheep and goat, adding identifications to the older and fragmentary animals in the assemblage, revealing differences in slaughter patterns between the species. The additional dietary information provided by the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic analysis highlights the wide range of dietary practices undertaken by all caprines and not grouped by species or age. This project is the beginning of further investigations into these animals, which will continue to make contributions to the field of zooarchaeology.