Examination of Ancient Animal Management Practices in Siberia and the Russian Far East through Dietary Stable Isotope Analyses

• Main Author: Fleming, Lacey Shannon
• Other Authors: Garvie-Lok, Sandra (Anthropology), Losey, Robert (Anthropology)
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Alberta. Department of Anthropology. 2020
• Subjects: archeo; hist; Arctic; ob river; Siberia
• Online Access: https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/ab68a3d1-d93a-473a-a189-f37cdf070ee1

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Abstract: This study examines diverse animal management practices through the application of δ13C and δ15N analyses to collagen extracted from faunal skeletal remains. The faunal remains analyzed were recovered from eight archaeological sites in three distinct ecological settings in Siberia and the Russian Far East. The archaeological record of these sites recorded thousands of years of human-animal interactions, from the hunter-fisher-gatherer societies of the Neolithic along the coast of southern Primorye, to Iron Age dog sledding groups at the Arctic Circle in the Lower Ob, to the agricultural peoples of Transbaiikal and Primorye during the medieval period. Samples were selected to reflect the suite of taxa represented at each site and include both domestic and wild animal species, as well as aquatic and terrestrial fauna. The values reported in this study are among the first faunal comparative stable isotope data for these areas. In addition to the faunal skeletal samples, human skeletal samples from two sites were also available, providing an opportunity to explore the utility of animal dietary stable isotope values as proxies for human ones. The results of this study demonstrate local strategies to animal management in each of the three regions and highlight the human use of locally available resources to provision domestic animals. At Ust’-Polui, Iron Age peoples likely relied upon the abundant fishery provided by the Ob River to feed sled dogs, which require massive quantities of dietary resources to perform labour in extreme temperatures. Inferences from the medieval Proezzhaia I hillfort in Transbaikal suggest dogs, pigs, and caprines provisioned themselves, while horses and cattle may have been provided with supplemental fodder or given access to pasture. In southern Primorye, human dietary stable isotope data indicate Late Neolithic and Early Iron Age peoples relied on high trophic level marine resources, at odds with the abundance of shellfish remains at Boisman II and ...