A first glimpse into butchery practices in Pre-Pottery Neolithic Cyprus: Evidence on sheep and goat remains from six sites

Butchery marks have not been considered very much in Cypriot zooarchaeology. This study aims to contribute towards filling this gap through a study of butchery marks on six Pre-Pottery Neolithic sheep and goat (caprine) assemblages in Cyprus. Taking into account the preservation condition of each assemblage, the analyses of the frequency and types of butchery marks, indicated some interesting trends. Most of these corroborate other lines of archaeological evidence indicating diversity in economic and social practices, which appear to vary both chronologically and geographically. Increased occurrence of butchery marks and differentiation in their types are compatible with a scenario of economic intensification in the 7th millennium cal. BC, at least at some sites. Moreover, the detection of butchery marks on caprine carcasses deposited in the vicinity of human remains in well 133 at Mylouthkia supports the interpretation of a deliberate deposition as part of Pre-Pottery Neolithic funerary practices in Cyprus.