The wild side of Cyprus: an integration of archaeobotany and zooarchaeology

Summary

Recent research from both the island and the mainland Near East have changed what we know of the timing and dynamics of the spread of agriculture to Cyprus. The timing of the arrival of the initial explorers and colonists by late Pre-Pottery Neolithic A cultures of the mainland Levant, and the dynamics of cultural developments in subsequent cultural phases is providing further support for the unique Cypriot prehistoric culture. One aspect that has long characterised Cyprus in prehistory is the introduction and continual management and hunting of Mesopotamian Fallow deer. For the first time, archaeobotanical data from the earliest colonists to the Late Bronze Age are compared alongside the faunal evidence to reveal a protracted transition to full agricultural dependence in Cyprus with data revealing a pattern of fluctuating reliance on deer hunting, a protracted increase in reliance on cereal agriculture, and a continued reliance on gathering of wild resources. The evidence from Cyprus is compared to the mainland Near East and a distinct trajectory is demonstrated for the island.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

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