Livestock feeding strategies and socio-economic dynamics during the sixth to fourth centuries BC in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula and southern France. A review of animal palaeodietary studies

This paper presents a review of published studies on livestock palaeodiets conducted on sites dated from the sixth to fourth centuries BC in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula and southern France. The aim is to provide a preliminary overview of the relationship between animal feeding strategies and socio-economic dynamics. It also seeks to highlight current limitations and propose future research directions, particularly regarding geographical, chronological and animal-species representativeness. The analysis of data from 11 archaeological sites revealed that socio-economic dynamics played a major role in shaping animal feeding strategies, and that the latter were adapted to a series of constraints imposed by historical contexts. We also observed that not all regions are equally represented, and that sheep and goats are the best-represented animal species. Future research should aim to address these gaps, by broadening the scope of studies to other regions, earlier chronologies and underrepresented species, such as pigs and cattle.