Herding the flocks, harvesting the coast? The life of islanders at the Early Cycladic site of Dhaskalio (2,750–2,250 BCE)

Abstract

The paper presents results of the study of the terrestrial and marine remains from the Early Bronze Age (2750–2250 BCE) site of Dhaskalio, off the island of Keros. Recent excavations (2016–2018) produced an extremely rich faunal assemblage, including terrestrial mammals, marine shells, fish, avian fauna, land snails and microfauna, among the largest in Bronze Age Cyclades. In this paper, we deal with the terrestrial and marine resources, and we focus on a key research question, namely what were the animal exploitation and meat procurement strategies at Dhaskalio. This question is central to our understanding of the lifeways of the site, as several lines of material culture and organic evidence suggest that goods and foodstuffs were indeed imported from other Cycladic islands. Furthermore, excavation data thus far provide little evidence for domestic contexts in the settlement. The methodological approach applied with respect to terrestrial mammal, marine fish, and invertebrate remains, provides a thorough insight into animal procurement and management. Significant numbers of domesticates entered the settlement as dressed carcasses and headless. Consumption of terrestrial resources involved meat and marrow, while great quantities of limpets, topshells, other molluscs and numerous fish acquired from the surrounding coasts, complemented the diet. The overall picture suggests a wider island community living from herding, fishing and harvesting supplying the site with abundant and diversified meat resources. Final spatial and stratigraphical synthesis of the faunal data in the future will lead to further understanding of the distribution patterns and character of consumption events.