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The spread of herds and horses into the Altai: How livestock and dairying drove social complexity in Mongolia

The initial movement of herders and livestock into the eastern steppe is of great interest, as this region has long been home to pastoralist groups. Due to a paucity of faunal remains, however, it has been difficult to discern the timing of the adoption of domesticated ruminants and horses into the...

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Autores principales: Ventresca Miller, Alicia R., Wilkin, Shevan, Hendy, Jessica, Turbat, Tsagaan, Batsukh, Dunburee, Bayarkhuu, Noost, Giscard, Pierre-Henri, Bemmann, Jan, Bayarsaikhan, Jamsranjav, Miller, Bryan K., Clark, Julia, Roberts, Patrick, Boivin, Nicole
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9094512/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35544454
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265775
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author Ventresca Miller, Alicia R.
Wilkin, Shevan
Hendy, Jessica
Turbat, Tsagaan
Batsukh, Dunburee
Bayarkhuu, Noost
Giscard, Pierre-Henri
Bemmann, Jan
Bayarsaikhan, Jamsranjav
Miller, Bryan K.
Clark, Julia
Roberts, Patrick
Boivin, Nicole
author_facet Ventresca Miller, Alicia R.
Wilkin, Shevan
Hendy, Jessica
Turbat, Tsagaan
Batsukh, Dunburee
Bayarkhuu, Noost
Giscard, Pierre-Henri
Bemmann, Jan
Bayarsaikhan, Jamsranjav
Miller, Bryan K.
Clark, Julia
Roberts, Patrick
Boivin, Nicole
author_sort Ventresca Miller, Alicia R.
collection PubMed
description The initial movement of herders and livestock into the eastern steppe is of great interest, as this region has long been home to pastoralist groups. Due to a paucity of faunal remains, however, it has been difficult to discern the timing of the adoption of domesticated ruminants and horses into the region, though recent research on ancient dairying has started to shed new light on this history. Here we present proteomic evidence for shifts in dairy consumption in the Altai Mountains, drawing on evidence from sites dating from the Early Bronze to the Late Iron Age. We compare these finds with evidence for the rise of social complexity in western Mongolia, as reflected in material remains signaling population growth, the establishment of structured cemeteries, and the erection of large monuments. Our results suggest that the subsistence basis for the development of complex societies began at the dawn of the Bronze Age, with the adoption of ruminant livestock. Investments in pastoralism intensified over time, enabling a food production system that sustained growing populations. While pronounced social changes and monumental constructions occurred in tandem with the first evidence for horse dairying, ~1350 cal BCE, these shifts were fueled by a long-term economic dependence on ruminant livestock. Therefore, the spread into the Mongolian Altai of herds, and then horses, resulted in immediate dietary changes, with subsequent social and demographic transformations occurring later.
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spelling pubmed-90945122022-05-12 The spread of herds and horses into the Altai: How livestock and dairying drove social complexity in Mongolia Ventresca Miller, Alicia R. Wilkin, Shevan Hendy, Jessica Turbat, Tsagaan Batsukh, Dunburee Bayarkhuu, Noost Giscard, Pierre-Henri Bemmann, Jan Bayarsaikhan, Jamsranjav Miller, Bryan K. Clark, Julia Roberts, Patrick Boivin, Nicole PLoS One Research Article The initial movement of herders and livestock into the eastern steppe is of great interest, as this region has long been home to pastoralist groups. Due to a paucity of faunal remains, however, it has been difficult to discern the timing of the adoption of domesticated ruminants and horses into the region, though recent research on ancient dairying has started to shed new light on this history. Here we present proteomic evidence for shifts in dairy consumption in the Altai Mountains, drawing on evidence from sites dating from the Early Bronze to the Late Iron Age. We compare these finds with evidence for the rise of social complexity in western Mongolia, as reflected in material remains signaling population growth, the establishment of structured cemeteries, and the erection of large monuments. Our results suggest that the subsistence basis for the development of complex societies began at the dawn of the Bronze Age, with the adoption of ruminant livestock. Investments in pastoralism intensified over time, enabling a food production system that sustained growing populations. While pronounced social changes and monumental constructions occurred in tandem with the first evidence for horse dairying, ~1350 cal BCE, these shifts were fueled by a long-term economic dependence on ruminant livestock. Therefore, the spread into the Mongolian Altai of herds, and then horses, resulted in immediate dietary changes, with subsequent social and demographic transformations occurring later. Public Library of Science 2022-05-11 /pmc/articles/PMC9094512/ /pubmed/35544454 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265775 Text en © 2022 Ventresca Miller et al https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Ventresca Miller, Alicia R.
Wilkin, Shevan
Hendy, Jessica
Turbat, Tsagaan
Batsukh, Dunburee
Bayarkhuu, Noost
Giscard, Pierre-Henri
Bemmann, Jan
Bayarsaikhan, Jamsranjav
Miller, Bryan K.
Clark, Julia
Roberts, Patrick
Boivin, Nicole
The spread of herds and horses into the Altai: How livestock and dairying drove social complexity in Mongolia
title The spread of herds and horses into the Altai: How livestock and dairying drove social complexity in Mongolia
title_full The spread of herds and horses into the Altai: How livestock and dairying drove social complexity in Mongolia
title_fullStr The spread of herds and horses into the Altai: How livestock and dairying drove social complexity in Mongolia
title_full_unstemmed The spread of herds and horses into the Altai: How livestock and dairying drove social complexity in Mongolia
title_short The spread of herds and horses into the Altai: How livestock and dairying drove social complexity in Mongolia
title_sort spread of herds and horses into the altai: how livestock and dairying drove social complexity in mongolia
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9094512/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35544454
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265775
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