Historical dynamics of the human-environment interactions in Cyprus during the 12th-10th millennia cal. BP: The last 30 years contributions of the Amathous area (Limassol district)

Description

The interdisciplinary approach and analytical tools applied in the last 30 years in the Amathous region (Cyprus),especially at the sites of Shillourokambos and Klimonas, generated a huge quantity of archaeological, geo-archaeological and bioarchaeological data. They significantly contributed to document the interactions betweenthe early Neolithic human societies and the environment and natural resources of an isolated island, during thispivotal period when both the climate and the human subsistence strategies went through radical changes. Thispaper briefly reviews these changes through several insights: hydrological changes and their impact on theestablishment and preservation of Neolithic sites; plant and vertebrate faunal evolution, especially as a conse-quence of the introduction of new wild and domestic species in the island; birth and evolution of the commensalfauna (e.g. mice, cats); local domestication of wild boar and goats; adaptation and intensification of cultivationand breeding to the local environments. Altogether, these insights can provide a heuristic model at a regionalscale to further understand the incipient human niche construction of the Eastern Mediterranean area.

Abstract

International audience

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