Aquatic Diversity and Fishing Practices at Tell Tayinat (Türkiye) in the Iron Age

ABSTRACT While agrarian societies of the Iron Age Eastern Mediterranean relied predominantly on crops and herding of domestic stock for subsistence, local wild aquatic fauna offered a welcomed enrichment, and when opportunities occurred, it could have been a staple in the human diet. The preliminary results of the analysis of fish remains from Tell Tayinat (Türkiye) from the Iron Age (1200–600 bce ) show that both freshwater and marine fish were consumed, although freshwater species prevailed. At the current stage of research, the local North African catfish ( Clarias gariepinus ) appears to be the most frequently harvested fish species in all phases of the Iron Age occupation, followed by members of the Cyprinidae family. The early results indicate that the body size of catfish might have diminished in the later Iron Age, although the outcome could have been affected by the limited sample size. The study further examines historical records and modern ichthyological surveys from the region to determine the extent of changes to taxonomic diversity, which resulted from possible extinctions and the introduction of non‐native species. The fish taxa identified in this Iron Age sample match the taxa listed in historical records and modern surveys.