Thread by @WLCrittersClass

Tonight our second student to talk about the study of human-animal relationships from archaeological sites (#zooarchaeology) is Amanda B., who will be discussing the archaeology of...the dik dik! The following thread is her work. #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM

2/? #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM The dik-dik is a small mammal from the family Bovidae found in both south and east Africa, in small pockets of Somalia and Tanzania as well as Namibia and Angola.

3/? #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM
The dik-dik has been seen throughout archaeological history as food for communities that practice hunting and gathering in times of food insecurity and large-game overhunting.

4/? #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM
In a stable isotope study at a site called Mezber, dik-dik skeletal remains compared to human remains from the pre-Aksumite and Proto-Aksumite (1600 BCE-1CE) eras prove that dik-dik was consumed, though rarely.

5/? #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM
Most archaeological data from Mezber suggests that humans at this time had a largely plant-based diet; however, the evidence for dik-dik consumption suggests that hunting these smaller mammals may have been vital in periods of food insecurity.

6/? #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM
There are many reasons why food insecurity that led to dik-dik consumption occurred. Studies of the MIS & MIS1 periods in Somalia suggest environmental changes & overhunting led to resource scarcity, meaning people had to hunt less desirable animals

7/? #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM
Ultimately, research suggests dik-diks were not a staple food item for early communities in these locations. Studies have shown that they may have helped people survive & adapt when the environment forced changes in their usual diet & food supply.

8/? #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM
CITATIONS
D'Andrea, A., et al. "Stable isotopic analysis of human and animal diets from two pre-Aksumite/Proto-Aksumite archaeological sites in northern Ethiopia," J of Archaeological Science,Vol 38, Issue 2, 2011, p. 367-374,doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.…

9/? #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM
"Dik-Dik." African Wildlife Foundation. Accessed March 22, 2023. awf.org/wildlife-conse….

Jones, M., & S. Brandt, “20,000 years of small game hunting in southern Somalia,” Quaternary International, Vol 634, 2022, p. 14-26, doi.org/10.1016/j.quai….

10/? #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM
Petting Zoo Party. "Dik Dik Fact Sheet." Critter Squad. Accessed March 22, 2023. crittersquad.com/fact-sheets/di….

11/? #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM
Ruiz Giralt, A. et al. “Human woodland interactions during the Pre Aksumite & Aksumite pds in NE Tigray, Ethiopia: insights from the wood charcoal analyses from Mezber & Ona Adi,” In Vegetation History & Archaeobotany (2021) 30:713–728 .

12/? #2023MMM #WLCrittersClass CREDITS--FIN!
Stones and Bones Traveling Educational Museum New Braunfels, Texas. "Skeletal Structures." Stones and Bones Traveling Museum. Accessed March 22, 2023. stonesandbonesmuseum.com/photos/skeleta….