Diverse prehistoric cattle husbandry strategies in the forests of Central Europe.

ABSTRACT: During the sixth millennium BCE, the first farmers of Central Europe rapidly expanded across a varied mosaic of forested environments. Such environments would have offered important sources of mineral-rich animal feed and shelter, prompting the question: to what extent did early farmers exploit forests to raise their herds? Here, to resolve this, we have assembled multi-regional datasets, comprising bulk and compound-specific stable isotope values from zooarchaeological remains and pottery, and conducted cross-correlation analyses within a palaeo-environmental framework. Our findings reveal a diversity of pasturing strategies for cattle employed by early farmers, with a notable emphasis on intensive utilization of forests for grazing and seasonal foddering in some regions. This experimenta

SUBMITTER: Gillis RE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11726460 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature