War horses and equine herd feeding management at the end of the third century BC: New insights from Pech Maho (Southern France)

Uzunidis, Antigone, Mion, Leïa, Boulbes, Nicolas, Renaud, Audrey, Gailledrat, Eric and Gardeisen, Armelle 2024. War horses and equine herd feeding management at the end of the third century BC: New insights from Pech Maho (Southern France). Environmental Archaeology 10.1080/14614103.2023.2176609

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Abstract

The emporion of Pech Maho was destroyed after a warlike event at the end of the third century BC. Shortly after that, around 200 BC, the site was resettled. This reuse is characterised above all by massive deposits of equid carcasses in various locations around the city. The conditions of these deposits are investigated in this paper. We focus on examining several biological parameters (weight, age and sex) of the equid population, as well as their feeding habits, using three different proxies: stable isotope, dental meso- and microwear. This interdisciplinarity gives us access to the overall equid diet, as well as to the diet during the last phases of their lives. This population is largely dominated by small size young adult males. Isotopic as well as morphometric analyses indicate that they were bred in various locations before being brought to Pech Maho. Dental wear analyses show that they experienced the same feeding throughout their lives and just before their death. The animals were all slaughtered within a short period of time. This study illustrates the advantages of combining proxies in order to enhance our understanding of the life and death conditions of Iron Age equids.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
ISSN:	1461-4103
Date of Acceptance:	31 January 2023
Last Modified:	19 Feb 2024 15:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/166163

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