Objectif Twenty-first century European husbandry results from thousand-year-old experiences. This project aims at giving a historical dimension to the growing questioning on present day herding practices among European consumers. Sheep, goat, cattle and pig were domesticated ca. 8500 cal. BC in the eastern Taurus. From there they spread to most of the Near East and entered Europe at the turn of the 7th millennium BC. They reached the North-western Europe coasts by the beginning of the 5th millennium and colonised the British islands during the 4th and 3rd millennia BC. Whereas domestication of European wild boar could have occurred, European aurochs did not contribute significantly to cattle populations. Sheep and goat do not have wild ancestors in Europe. Most of these animals actually stem from populations transferred from the Near East. The spread of domestic species outside the natural range of occurrence of their wild counterparts, their keeping in environmental settings different from their natural ecological niches, and the will to stimulate milk production in bovines and ovicaprines, imply some modifications in dietary and reproduction behaviours of domestic animals. Neolithic herders developed zootechnical skills to insure survival of their stock and the adaptation of their production strategies to new environments. The objective of this project is to evaluate the environmental and physiological constraints on the adaptation of stock keeping in Europe, and to determine to what extant Neolithic herders could modulate the biological system with technical choices. Landscape use, seasonal foddering, seasonality of birth and duration of lactation will be addressed using stable isotope analysis on animal bone and teeth. The animals stress condition will be assessed through analysis of enamel hypoplasia. The project includes Neolithic sites from Caucasia, Eastern, Central and Western Europe. It will necessitate methodological developments on modern reference skeletons. Champ scientifique agricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animalsanimal husbandry Mots‑clés Neolithic birth seasona birth seasonality cattle goat milk exploitation pig seasonal diet sheep weaning age Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Thème(s) ERC-SG-SH5 - ERC Starting Grant - Cultures and cultural production Appel à propositions ERC-2007-StG Voir d’autres projets de cet appel Régime de financement ERC-SG - ERC Starting Grant Institution d’accueil MUSEUM NATIONAL D'HISTOIRE NATURELLE Contribution de l’UE € 883 802,40 Adresse RUE CUVIER 57 75005 Paris France Voir sur la carte Région Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Type d’activité Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Contact administratif Vanessa Demanoff (Ms.) Chercheur principal Marie Balasse (Dr.) Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Coût total Aucune donnée Bénéficiaires (1) Trier par ordre alphabétique Trier par contribution de l’UE Tout développer Tout réduire MUSEUM NATIONAL D'HISTOIRE NATURELLE France Contribution de l’UE € 883 802,40 Adresse RUE CUVIER 57 75005 Paris Voir sur la carte Région Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Type d’activité Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Contact administratif Vanessa Demanoff (Ms.) Chercheur principal Marie Balasse (Dr.) Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Coût total Aucune donnée