Social and demographic reproduction in the

Mesolithic/Neolithic Dinarides
Dimitrij Mlekuž
…we have to consider not a thing but a field composed of
sometimes interlocking and sometimes unrelated social
practices and traditions, elaborated by numerous relays and
resistances. Over time some of them decline in their
importance, and others emerge (for example, megaliths),
while the whole is continually geographically variable. The
Neolithic has to be broken down, and recognized as
something fragmented and dispersed, localised in its
effects, with no overall direction or intention behind it
(Thomas 1993).
“history itself is a real part of natural history,
of a nature developing into man”
(Karl Marx: Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844)
mode of production
a combination - which is capable of
reproducing itself -- of productive forces
and specific social relations of production
which determine the structure and form of
the process of production and the
circulation of material goods within a
historically determined society
(Godelier 1977)
relations of production do not relate exclusively to the
production of the material things, but also to the
physical “production” of the human beings
Villages

Camps
 Villages Camps
Open air Mostly caves
“Flat” “Deep”
Architecture Sheep pen deposits
Floodplains, poljes Karst
Agriculture No evidence for agriculture

Ovicaprines predominate Ovicaprines predominate or

wild animals only
Intensive deposition of Low deposition of pottery
pottery and bones and bones
Crno vrilo

Škarin samograd
 Site Context Date Ovicaprid NISP References
Grotta Azzura 4 Mesolithic 12 Cremonesi et al. 1984<
Wilkens and 1991
Grotta Benussi 5 8380±70 BP R–1045 5 Riedel 1975
4 7620±150 BP R–1044 8
3 7050±60 BP R–1043 9
Podmol pri Kastelcu 13 6610±40 BP Poz–8053 6 Turk et al. 1992
6640±50 BP Poz–8054
Pod :rmukljo Mesolithic 1 Pohar 1986
Vagana;ka pe;ina 1 Mesolithic || Forenbaher and Vranjican 1985
Crvena stijena VI Mesolithic || Malez 1975
Odmut I 9135±80 BP Si–2228 || Srejović 1974
8590±100 BP Si–2224
7790±70 BP Si–2226
7080±85 BP Si–2227
Vela spila VII\1998 Mesolithic 6 Ku/ir et al. 2005
{andalja B\g, B\s Mesolithic| || Brajković 2000
Pupićina peć L19–21 6600±240 BP Z–2575 11 Miracle 1997
Grotta dell’Edera 3a 6700±130 BP GX–19569 53 Boschin and Riedel 2000
6620±60 BP GrA–19912
6510±70 BP GrN–27229
6480±40 BP GrN–25474
6390±60 BP GrN–19820

Tab. 1. Finds of ovicaprines in Mesolithic contexts of Eastern Adriatic.

Convincing
4
and less convincing evidence of sheep
and goats in Mesolithic contexts
 “Carnivorous pastoralism” (Ingold 1980)

Small stock economy, with no possibility of conversion to

large stock. Meat is main animal product.

With no alternative form of security available, a household

is forced to accumulate herds.

Domestic units avoid reciprocal obligations beyond the

household.

Social fragmentation into autonomous, self-sufficient

domestic units.
 Legend site

Trhlovca
proportion of
facies 4 ovicaprines
stable
Edera deposits
1000
1000
Mitreo facies 3,4 Azzura 200
Caput facies 3,4 50 A group
B,B B
Adriae NISP
Obre I Zingari
Pupi!ina facies 3
Ciclami
Smil"i! C
A
B Mala Triglavca
Trhlovca
Caterina A
A A
facies 3
B

Nin
Gospodska VG 424
facies 3

Tinj Acijev spodmol

facies 3
Podmol
facies 3

Legend Vela spila

Specialised, small stock

site
Gospodska
1000
1000
10000 proportion of !pila

1000
ovicaprines
based pastoralism
500
50 NISP

Caves and Camps Villages

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Sheep pen deposits
document intensive
presence of animals
 Edera/Stenasca: ovicaprines
100 2, NISP=283
Spearman’s r=0.74, p=0.05
2a, NISP=791
HD
Camps were places of
Spearman’s r=0.79, p=0.03
80

3, NISP=24
Spearman’s r=0.24, p=0.58
3a, NISP=42
consumption of small stock
60

Spearman’s r=0.29, p=0.50

% MAU

2 w/out HD, NISP=164

...
40

Spearman’s r=0.82, p=0.03

HORN LF LR UF 2a w/out HD, NISP=521
FT UR Spearman’s r=0.89, p=0.01
20

AX 3 w/out HD, NISP=6

Spearman’s r=0.20, p=0.66
3a w/out HD, NISP=25
Spearman’s r=0.20, p=0.66
0

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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MGUI Rank

Edera/Stenasca: red deer

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 Site Context NISP Density Duration Deposition Site area Deposition References
∂N] ∂NISP\m3] ∂years] ∂NISP\m2year] ∂m2] ∂NISP\site year]
Tinj-Podlivade 3212 143 850 0.13 28000 3527 Chapman et al. 1996
Podmol
13 15 15 20 0.38 250 94 Turk et al. 1992
pri Kastelcu
11 23 30 75 0.26 250 66
10 15 18 10 0.46 250 114
Boschin and Riedel 2000<
Edera 3a 145 363 80 0.45 250 113
Biagi and 2003
3 98 245 60 0.41 250 102
2a 1107 277 500 0.55 250 138
2 524 119 2000 0.07 250 16
Navajo Binford and Bertram
448 1 448
Winter camp 1977

Tab. 2. Deposition rates

oneofhousehold
bones for selected eastern Adriatic sites.

20
low deposition rate of bones
(consistent with consumption of one household?)
 Grotta dell’Edera Grotta del Mitreo

The main animal product

100

100
Phase 1 (N=10) Phase 2 (N=10)
Phase 2 (N=25) Phase 3 (N=25)
80

80
Phase 3 (N=10) Phase 4 (N=6)

was meat.
% survived

% survived
60

60
meat meat
Kill-off patterns suggest
40

40
milk milk
20

20
inf iuv subadult adult inf iuv subadult adult
non-optimised culling for
0

0
immediate consumption.
0 20 40 60 0 20 40 60

age in months age in months

Grotta dei Ciclami Grotta degli Zingari

100

100

Phase 2 (N=10) Phase 2 (N=10)

Phase 4 (N=14)
80

80
% survived

% survived
60

60

meat meat
40

40

milk milk
20

20

inf iuv subadult adult inf iuv subadult adult

0

0 20 40 60 0 20 40 60

age in months age in months

Neolithic pastoralists of the eastern Adriatic were as
pure carnivorous pastoralists as can be. The social
relations of carnivorous pastoralism kept political life
to a minimum; households did not enter complex
social structures such as exchange networks or
political alliances.
 Distribution of haplogroup I1b*

After Rootsi et al. 2004

Figure 1 A, Phylogram of Hg I and its subclades within the context of the supe
 The social relations of carnivorous pastoralism not only
reproduced Neolithic societies on the eastern Adriatic but
-- by maintaining closed and demographically stable
population -- also reproduced genetic patterns inherited
from the Palaeolithic.