More than meat: Diversity in caprine harvesting strategies and the emergence of complex production systems during the Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B

This paper examines the diversity of goat and sheep husbandry practices in southern Jordan during the Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (Late PPNB), immediately following the domestication of these animals. Although the predominant view is one of sheep and goat husbandry as a relatively simple affair focused on the production of meat through the slaughter of young adult animals, results presented here reveal a multi-faceted system that included use of specialized harvesting strategies, direct manipulation of the caprine diet through provisioning, and the disarticulation of herds. The management strategies used by herders differed between Late PPNB settlements and were variously tuned for the production of dairy, meat, 'tender meat', and possibly surplus animals but overall adhered to strategies designed for risk reduction. Such complexity in pastoralist behaviour, and particularly the possibility of surplus production, suggests that a re-evaluation of the role of caprine husbandry in Late PPNB economic and social structures is necessary.