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| Figure 1: Location of Tepe Yahya Site (Source: Melina Seabrook) |
In contemporary society it is easy to see examples of people who love their pet animals. There are entire industries dedicated to providing the best food, healthcare, and more to pets. People even go as far as dressing their pets up, carting them around in strollers similar to those one would see for babies, and more. Modern humans are crazy about their pets. But at what cost? Is this a new phenomenon? An article by Harvard Ph.D. Candidate in Archaeology*, Melina Seabrook, addresses these very questions.
Melina Seabrook is an archaeologist who focuses her studies on human-animal relationships. Much of her work has centered around prehistoric sites in the Middle East and Africa. In a publication she authored in Sapiens she discussed some of her work at the site of Tepe Yahya, located in modern day Iran (Figure 1). The site dates to 3,000 to 7500 years ago. Initially a small village the community grew, urbanized, and flourished due to its presence along a major trade route between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. Urbanization brought about various changes to the community and its members, including the rise of agriculture, animal husbandry, and regionally specific crafts, specifically stone pottery that can be found in various neighboring areas.
The site had been previously excavated several decades before Seabrook began her work in 2021. She was interested in studying the materials from this site because they had been excavated but not previously analyzed. She concentrated her efforts on sheep and goat mandibles (lower jaws) recovered from trash piles, suggesting that these animals were used in domestic settings. Her analyses found that sheep and goats were harvested for specific purposes. Younger animals (a year or less in age at time of death) were killed and butchered for meat, while older animals (between 2 and 5 years old at death) were used for wool or milk.
Figure 2: Goat mandible with split molar tooth (Source: Melina Seabrook)
Her analyses also led to a peculiar trend, however. She discovered several older goats (age 6 and older) who lived far longer than their livestock counterparts, but they also suffered extremely painful dental diseases. These goats had missing teeth (lost before they died), very worn down teeth (to their jaw bones), and split molars (Figure 2). This latter injury was very unusual, and it was ultimately discovered that this was an injury caused by a bridle (i.e., a rope or leather strap placed in the animal’s mouth) used as a means of tethering or leashing them. It appears that these specific older goats were used for the collection of milk for the family or individual that owned them. They were not used as livestock. They would have received preferential treatment compared to livestock in that they would have been fed a healthier diet to ensure they were able to produce milk for a longer period of time. They would have appeared to have been well cared for, but in exchange the goats suffered debilitating dental diseases that would have brought about extreme pain.
Seabrook addresses this situation as being not that different from modern caretaking of “beloved” animals. While humans may believe they are doing best by their cherished pets or animal companions they may be causing undue harm. In the case of the ancient goats they suffered as they were taken care of. This is no different than when people overfeed their pets, leading them to suffer from obesity and obesity related diseases (e.g., diabetes), or when they cart them around in strollers versus allow them to walk and get in appropriate exercise. Ultimately, Seabrook’s work opens up avenues for greater understandings of how people view animals throughout history and today.
*It is important to note that upon successful completion of her doctoral studies Melina Seabrook will be the second Black woman awarded a PhD in Archaeology at Harvard University.
Bibliography
Seabrook, Melina. "What Ancient Goat Teeth Reveal About Animal Care." Sapiens 12 September 2023. Electronic.
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