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The excavations at the Ancien-Arceneaux site in Sion, Switzerland, forever changed the way we understand prehistoric agriculture in Europe. Strong evidence suggests that Neolithic farmers used animal traction to operate plows between 5,100 and 4,700 years ago, a thousand years before the earliest evidence of plows. Ta.
Parallel grooves and marks on the ground are consistent with those made by dragging the soil with a plow. Together with hoofprints also found at the site, these indicate that cattle were domesticated for agriculture here.
Prior to this discovery, the most significant evidence of animals being used to pull tools like plows in European agriculture was found at archaeological sites in Denmark and northern Germany dating back about 3,700 years.
Evidence of plow sites before 2,000 BC is limited to a few regions in Europe, with the Ancien-Arsenault site (yellow) being by far the oldest (Nature.com; Aria SA)
Previous evidence from animal bones had suggested that oxen and oxen were occasionally used for traction in areas such as Anatolia and the Balkans since the 7th millennium B.C., but this discovery suggests that the prehistoric This is the first concrete evidence of widespread plow farming in archaeology. These findings and more are detailed in the latest edition of the journal. Humanities Social Sciences Communication.
Neolithic ancien arsenault and plow tracks
Located in Sion, Canton Valais, Switzerland, the Ancien-Arsenault property is perched on an alluvial hill on the River Sionne, an Alpine rapid that flows through the town and flows into the Rhône River. This excavation, carried out in 2017 for the Valais Canton Archives, features alternating layers of human habitation and the accumulation of significant alluvial deposits, 10 meters (33 ft) thick. The area was revealed to be 800 square meters (8,600 square feet).
Research results indicate that the level of occupation at the site spans a significant portion of the Neolithic period, and is estimated to have ranged from approximately 5200 BC to 3500 BC, as recorded through comprehensive research.
The presence of these alluvial deposits facilitated this discovery. Ancient plow tracks are notoriously ephemeral, easily erased by erosion and subsequent agricultural activity. The presence of ditches in Sion is likely due to the rapid covering of surrounding river sediments, effectively preserving the ditch traces within the soil layer.
“Plow tracks are the most obvious, widespread, and convincing evidence. They consist of linear depressions filled with sediment of a different texture and color than the surrounding sediment. If such marks are traced over tens of meters, parallel or intersecting networks are formed. These imply the use of a specific tool called the aard and its traction by a powerful animal such as a cow.” the authors write.
Plow marks after excavation (Nature.com; Aria SA)
The researchers used detailed radiocarbon dating of organic material found above and below these soil disturbances to conclusively date the evidence to the early Neolithic period. These discoveries reportedly shed light on the early emergence of animal traction in agriculture, shortly after agriculture itself began in the alpine regions of Europe. Archeo News. It appears to have been an integral part of the early process of continent-wide Neolithization, rather than a later adaptation.
Significance of early domestication
Compared to agriculture, which relies solely on human labor and hand tools, the use of animal power to pull the plow represents an important technological and cultural innovation in the history of human history and development. . This advancement is thought to have increased agricultural productivity and surpluses, and allowed cultivation of larger areas.
“Thus, the site of Ancien-Arsenault records an early use of animal power in the Alpine arc, already in this region in the more recent or modern context of Aosta-Saint-Martin-de-Corléans in Italy. “It has been recorded (before 4300-4000 BC) in Chur-Wersdorffli, Switzerland (before 3500 BC),” the study said.
In many early agricultural societies, the resulting surplus production is thought to have contributed to economic stratification and social complexity. Surplus production also enabled further nomadic settlement, allowing previously nomadic societies to have more children, resulting in an early population boom.
The dating of the plow tracks discovered at Sion prompts a reassessment of long-standing theories about the pace of agricultural intensification and its social impact as agriculture spread across Neolithic Europe, the study authors said. It is an encouragement.
“Animal traction was an important innovation and may have had a profound impact on Neolithic economic and social development, primarily in terms of increased production and subsequent wealth inequality. ” they further explained.
They suggest that the ability to use animal traction to cultivate larger fields may have emerged early rather than as a later revolutionary development. This site, located in an important alpine valley, may have facilitated the rapid adoption and preservation of evidence of plow use.It has been reported that traces of early analogues in the vast plains of Europe, where Neolithic agriculture was first settled, may have been erased by subsequent erosion and intense agricultural activity. LBV Magazine.
The archaeological team now plans to carry out additional excavations in similar alpine environments across Switzerland and Italy. This study aims to further investigate the origins of animal traction in agriculture and provide further insight into the early agricultural practices of Neolithic societies.
Image above: Cow and goat hoof prints found at the site were found alongside Europe’s oldest plow tracks (top left), demonstrating the existence of cattle domestication very early in the Neolithic agricultural revolution. This is evidence that shows that sauce: Nature.com; Aria SA
Written by Sahil Pandey
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