MapDung · Dung as Construction Material During the Emergence of Animal Domestication: A Multi-Proxy Approach
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2018-11-01 → 2020-10-31
- EU contribution
- €158,122
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
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Results in brief
Dung as Construction Material During the Emergence of Animal Domestication: A Multi-Proxy Approach
The transition from foragers to farmers c.12k years ago is marked by plant/animal domestication and the exploitation of animal by-products such as milk, wool, and dung. Dung is a valuable material used as fertilizer, fuel and in construction, yet unlike other by-products, dung exploitation is less studied. While there is increasing archaeological evidence for dung used as fuel and manure, its use in construction is less known despite ethnographic accounts for its continued use in construction in contemporary societies. Studying human exploitation of dung and its use as a construction material, in particular, facilitates understanding of human-animal relations, subsistence practices, technology, human impact on the environment, as well as resource management according to environmental conditions (e.g. prioritizing construction over fuel or vice versa), adding an innovative viewpoint on human adaptation strategies. It also offers insights on socio-cultural practices as ethnographic studies show that in many contemporary societies, activities related to dung use are almost exclusively carried out by women, showing a clear gender division of labor. All these aspects are especially important when exploring the early utilization of dung at the dawn of domestication and the emergence of more complex societies during the early Neolithic. It is also important to understand if the absence of dung from the archaeological record is an anthropological preference or a research/preservation bias. The aim of MapDung was to explore possible early use of dung for construction as a proxy for understanding human-animal-environment relations and ecosystem. The research goals were to 1) develop a multi-proxy methodology to improve the identification of dung, particularly as a construction material; 2) study post-depositional processes that affect archaeological dung used in construction; 3) provide a wide regional understanding of the utilization of animal dung during the early Neolithic Period and the gender division of labor in its use.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The transition from foragers to farmers c. 12,000 years ago, is marked by plants and animal domestication, as well as by the exploitation of animal by-products such as milk, wool, and dung. Dung is a valuable material that can be used as fertilizer, fuel and for constructions, however, unlike other by-products, dung exploitation is less studied. While archaeological evidence for dung used as fuel and manure are increasing, its use for construction has been rarely identified. Thus, it is important to understand if its absence from the archaeological record is the result of human preference or a research/preservation bias. The aim of MapDung is therefore to explore the possible early use of dung for construction as a proxy for understanding human-animal-environment relations and ecosystem. The specific project’s goals are: 1) To develop a new multi-proxy methodology for improved identification of dung, focused on construction materials; 2) Studying the post depositional processes that affect archaeological dung used for construction; 3) Providing wide regional understanding of the utilization of animal secondary products during the Early Neolithic Period and and the socio-cultural aspects related to its use. MapDung will focus on early Neolithic Period sites from the core area of early animal domestication- the Near East. By using a multidisciplinary approach, new techniques and working strategies will be develop to securely identify the use of dung as a construction material. Archaeological materials will be analyzed using micromorphology, FTIR analysis, quantification of dung micro-remains, elemental analysis, GC-MS and geostatistics. MapDung will also explore the gender division of labor in relation to dung utilization using ethnographic sources. MapDung is expected to expand our understanding of human technology, resources exploitation, and subsistence practices along the early Neolithic Period, one of the most critical transitions in human history.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRA · BarcelonaCoordinatorSpain
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union